6 Underrated, Science-Backed Ways to Boost Focus and Feel Calmer
Back to school is almost upon us, and with that comes one of the busiest seasons of the year. Autumn is traditionally the time for harvest, to collect the fruits of our labor. For parents, it’s also the time when all those after-school activities resume, making work-life balance feel even more challenging at times.
We all have those days where we need to be in two places at once – or we’d give anything for an extra hour (or 12!) in the day. Unfortunately, even the most magical of mushrooms can’t make those wishes come true, but we can offer up some helpful self-care strategies to boost focus and make the most from your day. (Yes, some of them include mushrooms!)
Read on for our best tips for laser focus and concentration no matter what’s going on around you.
1. Deal with occasional and everyday stress.*
Daily stress is part of the human experience, and no one is exempt from it. When you start to feel yours piling up throughout the day, that’s your body’s internal warning system sending a signal that you need to chill out. Take a deep breath and maybe a dropper of adaptogens (botanicals including mushrooms that help you adapt to whatever life throws your way).*
Our Chill Elixir is formulated to support tranquility, relaxation, restful sleep, and adrenal wellness.* It includes two of our favorite adaptogens: Holy Basil and Reishi.*
2. Counterintuitive as it sounds, focus on rest.
To make the most of your day, you need to make the most of your night. A good night’s sleep is not optional! Healthy sleep is a pillar of foundational health, and being well-rested can help you with both concentration and focus. You need at least seven hours a night, even if you feel like you can get by with less.
Our Mindful Elixir is formulated to support optimal cognitive function — including focus, clarity, concentration, and memory — and a balanced mood.* It stars the brain-supporting mushroom that actually resembles a brain!*
3. Do one thing, then do another.
While we’ve been led to believe that multitasking is the best way to tackle your entire to-do list each day, your brain would like a word. In reality, humans work best when we focus on one thing at a time. According to research, human brains “lack the architecture to perform two or more tasks simultaneously.” If you feel like you can’t focus or concentrate, it might be that your brain has too many tabs open at once!
Start your day out strong! With the potent trio of Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Cordyceps, our Wake Capsules are formulated to promote healthy immunity, energy, and mental clarity — as well as productivity.*
4. Disconnect and turn off notifications.
Do you spend your days responding to a barrage of pings, beeps and alarms on your computer and phone? All those push notifications designed to keep us connected in real-time are having a real impact on our brains! They turn off our prefrontal cortex (aka high-level cognition), shifting us into emergency mode. Silence your notifications when you need to concentrate. Research has found that reducing them is “beneficial for performance and reducing strain.”
5. When planning your work day, think “tomato”!
Work smarter, not harder with the Pomodoro Technique, a technique invented by Francesco Cirillo when he studied in Italy. Pomodoro means tomato in Italian, and the premise of this method is that taking more breaks equals better mental agility. Cirillo named his technique after the tomato-shaped timer he used to help his focus as he studied. Basically, you work for 90 minutes, then take a short break as a reward, then repeat, to boost your focus and flow.
6. Download your to-do list from your brain.
How can you avoid multitasking — and quiet the endless inner monologue of things you can’t forget to do? When you think of a task or errand, write it down or use a virtual assistant like Siri or Alexa to keep track of it and lighten your mental load. Pick up snacks for hockey practice. Email your boss about your PTO request. Grab more cat litter. Those little things can be a big drain on your concentration. If you are the person in your household who handles the bulk of the emotional labor, ask your loved ones to write things down (digitally or in analog form) in a central location to free up some bandwidth in your brain!
With 100% organic Lion's Mane fruiting body extract, our Mind Capsules are designed to support optimal cognitive function — including focus, clarity, concentration, and memory — and a balanced mood.*
