5 Easy Ways to Improve Concentration Naturally

Has this ever happened to you at work: you spend a week in meetings, training  or out sick and then when you return to your desk you have tons of work to catch up on, and,  as you dive into the pile of work you quickly tire, feel distracted, fidgety and overwhelmed? Do you find yourself fighting to stay awake and remain focused? Losing your place? Wanting to just get up and run? (Or scream!?)

Kids feel this too although they may not be able to verbalize. (And sometimes they DO Just get up, run & scream...and if only we could too!)

I just spent the last 2 days in workshops and have spent all day today returning e-mails and doing a ton of 'catch up' work! Its 10pm and I have had a hard time maintaining concentration & working efficiently all day.  My daily work 'schedule' is definitely off. On a normal day I would have been finished long before dinner time, but today I feel like I am struggling to keep up & a bit off-balance.

Other than taking a yoga break, one trick I use is to stay hydrated! Water is a neuro-conductor and taking sips of water throughout the day will help you stay more alert & focused. This is true for students and toddlers as well. If you are a teacher, I encourage you to allow water bottles to be kept nearby.

Here are 3 other quick tips for Improving Concentration Naturally for both adults and students:
Environment: Take a minute and clean up your desk. Now!

Look around & see what the immediate environment looks like. The kids will pick up on the 'energy' of the room. We all 'read' and 'absorb' our immediate environments & kids-especially those who are sensitive, will absorb it much quicker. Is it cluttered? Too Dark? Too bright? The more "calm" & neat environments help the kids feel more calm. Cluttered, chaotic and unwelcoming environments can actually initiate a 'fight or flight' response in the brain, and shut it down. We are not capable of concentrating/learning when the brain is stressed, overwhelmed & goes into this survival mode.

Breathing: Take a deep breath...

Once the environment is 'calmed down' from visual 'static' use breathing techniques. It sounds way too simple, but I will tell you that about 80% of our stress and focus deficits can be managed with just breathing properly. The breath can be used to both calm and energize when needed and it can be done discreetly. Breathing through the Right nostril will alert, energize and improve concentration, breathing through the left will calm & relax. Alternating the breath between the two sides (by closing the opposite side with the fingertip) will integrate and 'balance', the brain hemispheres bringing more alertness, calm & focus for longer intervals. (Incidentally, our 'nostril dominace' changes every 30 minutes or so. Its best to go to sleep on your right side, so that the upper-( left)-nostril will be stimulated by breathing and relax the central nervous system.)

Pressure Points:  Give yourself a hand massage...

Reflexology is a technique that stimulates all the energy and electrical channels within the muscles in certain areas or 'zones' of the body. (Reflexology is similar to acupressure only with acupressure individual pressure points can be stimulated and in Reflexology all areas should be worked at one time.) Basic pressure points are easy for the kids to learn, apply and is non-disruptive. There are 5,000 pressure points in each hand & each foot, as well as the scalp, face and ears. Rubbing & applying pressure with fingers to entire earlobe, will help activate & integrate the opposite brain hemisphere. Rubbing both ears will help stimulate both sides & improve concentration. Other "Brain Buttons" are at the back of the skull (right where the neck meets the head,) the forehead, (between and over the eyebrows) the wrist, (pinkie side, just below the hand in the bend) and the middle fingers (at the distal fingertip, on the sides around the nail bed.) Don't worry if you can't remember these exact points. Just an overall deep pressure rub on the hands/wrists, feet ears and scalp will do wonders to help stimulate blood flow and improve focus!

And of course, it goes without saying that a yoga, stretching or movement break will do wonders to help re-focus the attention to the pile of tasks! (In a classroom, its very easy to put on some music and have a "2 Minute Dance Off" or "Freeze Dance" game. Kids especially need to release the muscle tension and move around as much as possible and laugh often !

You don't nedd any equipment or special permission to begin incorporating any of thes 5 tips as soon as you like! (You can begin now!)

*For a detailed photo diagram of  9 common pressure points (4 pages) please e-mail me at Barbara@bodylogique.com


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