If you've ever tried meditating —or anything Heightdned meditativelike a Heigghtened run mentla sitting down to write—you're familiar Heightened mental clarity watching your to-do list unfurl, Hekghtened thoughts buzz Clafity begging to be tended to, even experiencing an unprecedented amount of itches on your face as you start to transition from your outer world to the inner one. DOI: Taking some time out of your week to do something purely because it brings you pleasure is really good for your mental health. First, decide what task you want to complete.

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3 ways to get rid of brain fog and increase mental clarity

Heightened mental clarity -

Brain fog may be one symptom of certain autoimmune conditions, Wilhour adds. For example, according to the Arthritis Foundation , people with rheumatoid arthritis often report feeling forgetful and unable to concentrate, and separately, anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of people with fibromyalgia and lupus may experience brain fog, per Duke Health.

One study on people with rheumatoid arthritis, and other research on people with multiple sclerosis, showed that an anti-inflammatory diet may help alleviate some of the symptoms of the diseases, including improved cognitive function. In addition, research shows evidence that a low-inflammation diet may be protective for brain health as we age, Wilhour adds.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, for adults, to keep not only the heart in good shape but the brain, too.

Research also shows that physical activity induces changes in the brain, such as an increase in gray matter and brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a molecule that plays a role in creating neural connections related to learning and memory, per MedlinePlus.

Memory, executive control, and attention may all get a boost when you work up a sweat. Plus, exercise is a great antidote to stress for many people, and as additional research shows , it builds up your cognitive reserves to help your brain become more resilient as you age.

Activities that stimulate and support your cognitive health include reading books, tackling crossword puzzles, playing games or instruments, and keeping updated on current events, among others. Like physical exercise, consistency is key.

To maintain a regular practice, lean in to activities you find enjoyable. Turning on some tunes can be another brain-tickling strategy. Listening to music has been shown to stimulate the brain and help with stress reduction and mood disorders, per research.

Sleep helps keep you sharp. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep per night.

Sleep deprivation can lead to a range of brain fog-like symptoms such as issues with short-term memory, attention, processing speed, and alertness, research shows. Addressing sleep problems by improving your sleep hygiene like ditching devices before bed or creating a wind-down routine may help you beat fatigue so you can think more clearly the next day.

Sleep apnea , when you experience pauses in breathing during sleep, is another concern and can create disruptions that affect sleep quality, per the CDC. A hallmark sign of sleep apnea is appearing to get enough sleep but still feeling excessively sleepy during the day. According to Wilhour, health concerns that can contribute to brain fog include chronic fatigue syndrome, anemia , depression, diabetes, mild cognitive impairment and dementia , and autoimmune conditions, among others.

Lagging focus, lacking understanding, trouble finding words, and poor concentration are all symptoms of brain fog in multiple sclerosis, and a brain-fog feeling can sometimes be the first symptom of the disease, per to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Brain fog is also frequently found in hypothyroidism an underactive thyroid , for which 80 percent of people with the disease report fatigue, sleepiness, and frequent forgetfulness, according to research.

While these are just a few examples, proper treatment or management of these underlying conditions may help relieve the cognitive symptoms of brain fog.

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Health Tools. Download it now, and start your journey towards a clearer mind today! How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills. How to Quickly Make Smart Decisions. Enhancing Your Cognitive Abilities: An Introduction to Brain Training.

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Memory Games. Math Games. Concentration and Focus Games. What is Mental Clarity, and How Can You Achieve It? August 1, What is Mental Clarity?

For example: At work , mental clarity can help you stay focused on tasks, prioritize your workload effectively, and make sound decisions.

To improve mental clarity, it's essential to prioritize sleep by setting a consistent bedtime routine and creating a sleep-conducive environment. Stress : Studies show that chronic stress can negatively impact your energy levels and lead to burnout, which can make it difficult to concentrate and think clearly.

To mitigate the impact of stress on mental clarity, it's important to adopt stress-reducing techniques such as meditation, exercise, or spending time in nature.

Nutrition : Poor nutrition can lead to brain fog and reduced cognitive function. To promote good mental clarity, it's important to eat a balanced diet that includes whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

It's also essential to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Excessive technology use : Too much screen time can also degrade mental clarity. To mitigate the impact of technology on our mental clarity and focus, it's important to set boundaries around technology use.

This may include taking breaks from screens during the day or setting specific times for checking emails or social media. Identifying Your Triggers Not all factors equally affect everyone, so understanding which ones negatively impact your mental state can help you overcome them and more easily achieve mental clarity.

Common triggers for mental fatigue and lack of focus include the following: Sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality Overstimulation from technology or social media Excessive multitasking or task-switching Poor nutrition or dehydration Lack of exercise or physical activity Chronic stress or anxiety One way to identify your triggers is by paying attention to your physical and emotional responses to different situations.

The Benefits of Mental Clarity Achieving mental clarity has a couple of benefits for your well-being, including increased productivity and better decision-making.

Increased productivity Being able to focus on tasks for longer periods of time is a key component of productivity. Better Decision-Making Mental clarity can improve your decision-making abilities, too, by enabling you to weigh the pros and cons of different options more effectively.

Techniques to Achieve Mental Clarity Fortunately, there are several techniques that can help you achieve mental clarity, including creating healthy habits, effectively managing your time, and doing a technology detox.

Healthy Habits The following healthy habits are essential for maintaining good mental clarity and can boost brain health: Good sleep hygiene : Getting enough quality sleep is crucial for good mental health. Lack of sleep or poor sleep quality can lead to irritability, mood swings, and difficulty concentrating.

By establishing good sleep hygiene practices—sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and creating a relaxing sleep environment, for example—you can improve the quality and duration of your sleep, leading to greater mental clarity and focus.

Regular exercise : Getting active has numerous benefits for your physical and mental health, including improved mood, reduced stress, and increased energy levels. Exercise is also a great way to clear your mind and enhance mental clarity. Engaging in physical activities that you enjoy—hiking, swimming, or dancing, to name a few—can also boost your overall well-being and immune system.

A balanced diet : Prioritizing nutrient-dense foods and minimizing highly processed or sugary foods is another important aspect of maintaining good mental clarity. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids found in foods such as fish, nuts, and seeds can also improve brain health and cognitive function.

Time Management Here are a few effective time management techniques that are essential for maintaining good mental clarity and reducing stress: Prioritizing tasks: Identify your most pressing tasks and tackle them first , before moving on to less urgent or important ones.

By doing so, you can reduce the risk of procrastination and avoid feeling overwhelmed by a long to-do list. Breaking down tasks: Breaking larger tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps can help you stay focused and motivated by giving you a clear sense of progress as you work toward your goals.

By breaking down large projects into smaller milestones, you also reduce the risk of burnout and mental fatigue. This can lead to greater feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment, which in turn can boost our overall well-being.

Technology Detox Excessive use of technology can lead to distractions, reduced productivity, and negative effects on your mental clarity. Goal Setting Goal setting is an effective way to maintain mental clarity and stay focused on your priorities.

Breaks and Movement Taking breaks and incorporating movement into your day is an effective way to improve mental clarity and reduce feelings of physical and mental fatigue.

Delegating and Saying No When you delegate tasks that are not essential or do not align with your priorities, you free up your time and energy to focus on what truly matters, and you reduce the number of distractions and competing priorities.

Start Improving Your Mental Clarity Today As you can see, achieving mental clarity is essential for our overall productivity and well-being. Related Articles How to Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills Discover how to improve your problem-solving skills and make logical, informed decisions.

Learn strategies and steps for making smart decisions fast. Enhancing Your Cognitive Abilities: An Introduction to Brain Training Learn what brain training is, its benefits, and how you can easily get started training your brain.

Do your thoughts feel Mentql, sluggish, or scatterbrained? There are things you can do Hdightened potentially sharpen your cognitive function. Perhaps you notice it takes you longer to complete tasks, compared with the way you tackled them before. One potential culprit? Brain fog. In something of a blah or dull mood? Heightened mental clarity it difficult to focus on your workget started on Heifhtened chores, Heightened mental clarity menntal string thoughts Heightenee in a logical way? Feel as if someone has wrapped your brain mentaal a heavy blanket? But it generally describes your ability to participate in cognitive work — any task that involves thinking, in other words. Some experts describe mental energy as a mood state where you feel productive, motivated, and prepared to get things done.

Heightened mental clarity -

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Founded in to deepen the understanding of the intersection of well-being, purpose, and performance. EN - US. For Business. I got up from my desk a few days ago, walked all the way across the house, and stood there. I could not, for the life of me, think of what I had intended to do or what was so important that I'd broken into my work to do it.

It was disconcerting to truly have no idea. And, it didn't come to me. It was like I'd been hijacked by part of my brain that I didn't have access to. We all have moments when we lack mental clarity. But lack of clarity can also become a problem. Do you often struggle to put thoughts together?

Or have trouble remembering what you were doing? For example, there was some evidence that brain fog was more common during the lock-downs of the pandemic. My own lapse was probably the result of preparing for the upcoming holiday and vacation. However, for some people, a lack of mental clarity can have negative impacts on their day-to-day life.

Mental clarity is a state of mind in which you are more focused , and your perception is clear. With mental clarity, you are able to recognize, understand, and organize your thoughts.

Mental clarity is a state in which your mind is fully active and engaged. We need mental clarity in order to work through problems and stay productive throughout the day. Everyone goes through ups and downs that cause different states of cognitive performance throughout our lives.

If we could choose to be mentally sharp every day of the week, we probably would. Sometimes our mental fitness suffers, and we feel stuck in a slump. Mental clarity is not necessarily our default state.

Most of the time, we allow our worries and different types of stress to affect our brain function and prevent our minds from performing at an optimal level.

Learning how to improve mental clarity without burning out or becoming overwhelmed is key to maintaining a productive and engaged lifestyle. Lack of mental clarity isn't a medical condition but rather a s ymptom of other medical conditions.

Despite our best efforts, everyone has experienced a lull in cognitive function at some point in their lives. The weight of stress and anxiety can cause fogginess and lethargy in the mind. For many, this state of mental exhaustion is a daily battle.

Here are some commonly experienced indicators that you could be lacking mental clarity. If you struggle to focus on a subject, you may be experiencing a lack of mental clarity.

When we are mentally fit , concentration comes naturally and without strain. Pay attention to how much effort it requires for you to focus.

This can give you a clue as to how strong your state of mind currently is. If you are feeling tired and lethargic after even the smallest of tasks, a lack of mental clarity could be the reason.

Losing interest in subjects or tasks that used to bring fulfillment is another symptom of low mental clarity. When our minds are strong, enthusiasm for learning comes naturally. Your lack of motivation could mean your mind is seeking renewal. Just as a strong ability to recall memories is a sign of high mental performance, poor memory recall is a clear sign of low mental performance.

When our minds are healthy and clear , things like memory retention should not be an issue. Checking the quality of your memory recollection is a good way to monitor mental clarity.

Before we can learn how to improve mental clarity, we need to look at the potential causes or triggers that may be at play.

These three things deplete our mental resources and make mental performance much harder to upkeep. If any of them sound familiar, you may have found your culprit. Having a healthy circadian rhythm is a fundamental part of human health.

Without seven or more hours of sleep each night, the mind and body struggle to exhibit high-performance behavior. Some of us struggle to sleep due to stress , while others practice poor sleep hygiene. Some people who work non-traditional hours could develop shift work sleep disorder.

If you are not allowing your body the type of rest it requires, you may be putting your mental state at risk. We all know that stress is bad for the body although sometimes stress can be good.

But stress can also be an enemy to the mind. Chronic stress contributes to hig h cortisol level s , which means weakened circulation. Poor circulation results in the heart sending less oxygen to your brain.

This can cause a lack of mental clarity, which in turn may amplify your stress and anxiety levels. It can be a vicious cycle if left untreated.

There are many foods that support mental clarity and concentration. Poor nutrition often stems from not eating a diverse enough diet or consuming a high quantity of processed foods.

Vitamin B, in particular, has many health benefits for the brain and immune system. This vitamin is found in fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.

Omega-3 fatty acids and other healthy fats also have a positive impact on the brain, especially regarding mild memory loss and depression. When you lack mental clarity, even performing the simplest of tasks can feel like a challenge.

There are several different ways that low mental performance can be expressed, both through the body and the mind. Work performance is usually one of the first things to take a hit when your head is unclear.

Because work requires mental sharpness, a lack of clarity is going to make work harder than it needs to be. Your emotional well-being also affects mental clarity. Many people struggling with low mental clarity may develop a sense of loneliness or isolation.

This happens as an intuitive method of self-preservation. The fewer people around you, the less energy you expend on maintaining relationships. The combination of having minimal mental energy, low job performance, and isolation from friends and family can quickly result in poor mental health.

That means self-doubt, low self-esteem, and even imposter syndrome are likely to develop as a result. This can further lead to depression if not addressed.

Poor sleeping habits and mental stress have a very close-knit relationship. If you are stressed, you are likely going to have trouble sleeping properly. And if you are having trouble sleeping properly, you are likely to become stressed. Your mental clarity can drastically affect your sleep schedule.

Despite all the challenges of low mental clarity, there are many ways to promote mindful engagement. You can improve it for yourself.

These eight tips for how to improve mental clarity are all easy to incorporate into your daily life. They can help you lay down the foundation of a sharp, active, and clear mind.

And, if you are leading or working with someone who seems to be lacking mental clarity, encourage them to practice self-care and point them toward resources that can support these tips.

How much sleep you get is directly proportional to how much energy you will have throughout the day. This applies to both mental and physical energy. If you cultivate a consistent and healthy sleep schedule, you can avoid developing a backlog of fatigue and make sure your mental performance stays on top all day long.

Using a sleep tracker is one way to manage your sleep schedule to ensure you get enough quality sleep. Knowing how to effectively reduce stress levels will make a tremendous difference to your state of mental clarity.

People diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder GAD or social anxiety may experience hypervigilance. This is most likely to happen in new situations or when they meet new people.

However, there is some debate as to whether anxiety causes hypervigilance, or whether anxiety disorders result from hypervigilant behavior. A study , conducted on rats, found that a hypervigilant state made them more vulnerable to anxiety.

More research is needed to understand whether hypervigilance is a symptom or a cause of anxiety disorders. There are common triggers that can bring on hypervigilant behavior in those who are affected by it.

These triggers include:. The first step in treatment if a person experiences hypervigilance due to domestic violence or military combat, is to remove them from the dangerous environment. When someone experiences hypervigilance due to a mental health condition, other treatments that may help include:.

As well as taking medication if it is prescribed and attending therapy if they have been referred, people may look for other ways to manage hypervigilance.

Autophobia involves anxiety and fear of being isolated or alone. This article looks at the causes, symptoms, treatments, and related disorders. What is paranoia? Read on to learn more about paranoia, including its definition, symptoms, possible causes, and conditions related to paranoia.

Aquaphobia refers to an extreme or irrational fear of water. In this article, learn about the symptoms, potential causes, and treatment options…. Erythrophobia is the term for the fear of blushing. Learn more here. What are adverse childhood experiences? Learn what they are, the potential outcomes for those who have them, and methods of prevention.

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Medical News Today. Health Conditions Health Products Discover Tools Connect. Hypervigilance: What you need to know. Medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, PhD, PsyD — By Lana Burgess on September 7, What is it? Symptoms Causes Treatment Hypervigilance is a state of heightened alertness accompanied by behavior that aims to prevent danger.

What is hypervigilance? Share on Pinterest Having their senses on high alert means that people with hypervigilance often feel there is a threat close by. Share on Pinterest Some physical symptoms of hypervigilance include sweating, quick breathing, and dilated pupils.

Share on Pinterest Hypervigilant behavior may be triggered by crowded environments, uncertain situations, and feelings of claustrophobia. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, Heightened mental clarity educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Clafity. Heightened mental clarity Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed Heihgtened, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating menhal, Heightened mental clarity mentxl, and health Vegetarian diet plan change. Staying on task can be difficult, but it can be particularly challenging when you are surrounded by constant distractions. In today's always-connected world, diversions are nothing more than a click away, which makes it that much more difficult to figure out how to focus. Even during quiet moments, distraction is literally at your fingertips as you find yourself checking your social media notifications or the latest news updates. But being mentally focused is essential for success.