If you are finding it hard to focus on work, sometimes it can help you try some techniques to quiet your brain at work. Of course, everyone works in a different environment, so all these ideas might not work for you, but if just one does, you will find a way to get your mind back on the tasks at hand.
Breathe and Meditate
Sometimes the inability to think clearly is just a lack of oxygen. Breathing is an unconscious bodily function, but due to stress, people don’t always breathe correctly or in the best way to deliver enough oxygen to the mind to keep it alert without intrusive thoughts.
Meditation typically is breath-focused, but you can sit with good posture in your chair, close your eyes, breathe in through your nose, slowly on a count of four, hold your breath for another four counts, and then release it through your mouth on a four-count – slowly and mindfully to quiet your brain.
Stretch and Move
If you’ve been hunched over your desk pounding your keyboard, you’re probably restricting your muscles from getting enough oxygen. The best thing to do is try to get up at least every 90 minutes to move. Just stand up, stretch, breathe in, and then out and sit down. But if you have time, it’s better to go for a fast ten-minute walk before coming back to work with focus.
Create a Checklist
If you can’t figure out where to start on a project and your brain feels like someone else oversees the channel changer, stop what you’re doing and plan. Create a logical checklist of tasks in the order necessary to quiet your brain and get the job done.
Enjoy a Glass of Water and a Healthy Snack
If your blood sugar is low and you’re dehydrated, it can cause you to have racing thoughts. Your body is built to survive, and if you’re not doing right by it, it’s going to interfere with what you want to do to alert you to trouble.
If you’ve not eaten correctly, grab an apple or an orange, some string cheese, and a big glass of water. Do not multitask. Take a break to enjoy them.
Go or Look Outdoors
Going outside in nature for a couple of minutes, even if all you have time to do is walk around the building or check the mail, will give you a new perspective, help quiet your brain and reset. If going outside isn’t possible and you have a window, gaze out at whatever nature you can see, even if it’s just the sky.
Trying one of these ideas will not take more than 20 minutes of your day. Everyone deserves and needs to take breaks during the day.
In fact, the best way to quiet your brain and to be in the right zone when at work is to remember how the brain functions and give it a break at least every 90 minutes, even if all you have time to do is to stand up, stretch, breathe in and out deeply, and sit back down it will help.
