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How to Improve Mental Focus, Concentration and Overall Brain Health

By Tess Thompson

The word 'mind' refers to a combination of intellect and consciousness. It is considered to be the seat of the faculty of reason and a combination of thought, perception, memory, emotion, will and imagination. The manner in which you perceive the stimulus in the environment depends upon your brain health. The cognitive content is based on what is perceived, discovered or learned. It is the cognitive content that is considered true that forms a belief.

The three basic aspects of cognitive content are perception, discovery, and learning. All three require mental focus and concentration. If you have concentration problems, you are liable to misread or misunderstand. For proper concentration you need to inculcate the habit of switching off anything that is disturbing you.

However, improving concentration is not limited to removing environmental disturbances. These can be removed simply by turning off the television or isolating yourself and getting on with your work. There are other factors that affect concentration and these are far more difficult to control than switching off the television. But, it is within your power to control these too. The choice you have to make is whether you want to make that effort or whether you will allow them to ruin your mental focus.

The human brain remains alert only if you continue to use it frequently. The more you use it, the sharper it becomes. Leonardo da Vinci, the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1412-1519) had this to say about this attribute of the human brain.

"Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen, even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind."

Tips on How to Improve Focus and Concentration:

The key to greater concentration, therefore, is the manner in which the brain should be used to retain its ability to concentrate.

Reading is a good habit that helps in keeping your brain busy with new things and ideas. Books are full of interesting ideas, characters and information. Try to analyze characters in fiction and explore further for any new information that you come across. History and classics are two areas that help the most in getting a workout for your brain. Improving your brain capacity through regular exercises such as through reading is one habit that you can indulge in.

It keeps your brain active and also helps in intellectual conversations with others. Conversing with people on various topics and looking at aspects from different points of view elicits more information and provides food for thought.

To keep your brain working, you can challenge your brain by attempting to acquire new skills. Even a seemingly simple skill like learning to cook stimulates multiple areas of the brain. You also learn new concepts and start to associate your previous skills with the one you are learning.

Monotonous routines that lack in variety mean less work for the brain. If you are taking the same route to your office everyday, you are not challenging your brain to think about the route - it comes automatically to you as it has become 'second nature'for you. Make small changes in your routine even if it is opening the door with the opposite hand or eating dessert first and see how it sets off the thinking process.

Mental exercises like adding up odd numbers or counting backwards also help in stimulating the brain. However, all this may not be enough if you are not eating a healthy diet. Diet plays an important role in brain health and in instances there may be a need for herbs and vitamins that promote mental focus to promote and maintain mental fitness.