When your brain is constantly in overdrive, it’s easy to feel burnt out. You start to feel drained, foggy, and sometimes the simplest task just feels like too much. This happens to the best of us, but it doesn’t have to.
The key to reclaiming mental sharpness at any time of the day, no matter where you are or how packed your to-do list is, is knowing how to give it a rest and reboot.
Ideally, the brain functions and focuses on deeper-level thinking for about 90 to 120 minutes at a time, then benefits from about 20 minutes of rest so it can refuel, explains Julie Fratantoni, Ph.D., a cognitive neuroscientist in Texas, adding that “Attention is a finite resource, so we have to protect it.”
Here are three expert-approved tricks you can try today to get a sharper brain.
Meet the experts: Julie Fratantoni, Ph.D., a cognitive neuroscientist in Texas; Kristin Schneider, Ph.D., a professor and associate dean of research in the Department of Psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Look Out the Window
Or walk to a different room—any change of scenery can help your brain chill out. When the brain’s sympathetic nervous system is stressed by long discussions or overw...