At the end of summer, you feel like your neurons are slowing down. You reread the same email three times, jumping from one message to another and losing track of what you were doing. However, nothing abnormal, your brain may simply need a little time to find its bearings. And above all, some good habits. Here are those recommended by Dr Gérald Kierzek to boost your gray matter!
Start by reconditioning your body
To regain mental clarity, you must first replenish your “reserves”.
“Get back to a regular sleep schedule, expose yourself to daylight, drink enough, eat a variety of foods and move every day, even if you only walk for a quarter of an hour.”indicates Dr. Gérald Kierzek, emergency physician and medical director of True Medical.
The first instinct is therefore to sleep better. During the day, take advantage of natural light and try to move – even for a few minutes. In the evening, also consider cutting back on screens during the hour before bed.
“My ideal detox plan? Every day, carry out a main action, a micro-challenge and a nightly ritual. You can also do daily monitoring by noting your screen time, the number of notifications deactivated, respecting the slots dedicated to e-mails… You can also assess your cognitive fatigue and the quality of your sleep on a scale of 0 to 10, then note your energy level, your mood and a possible comment”, confides the specialist.
At work, do fewer things at once
Do you tend to respond to your emails while working on a file? This is precisely what is best avoided.
“At work, it’s also better to focus on one task at a time, write down your priorities, group emails at specific times and turn off non-essential notifications.says Dr. Gérald Kierzek.
The idea is to limit interruptions rather than having to resist each new request. And to breathe, plan “breaks of a few minutes, ideally away from the screen, every 60 to 90 minutes”he adds.
Try a progressive digital detox
Of course, there is no need to delete all your applications here. Dr. Kierzek advises instead to move forward gradually: start by sorting through your notifications, delete your unnecessary applications, then set up time dedicated to checking your emails and screen-free breaks.
For the next two weeks, stick to these new habits: check your emails at set times, take real screen-free breaks, and set a social media limit.
The third week, continue this new routine (even if it means writing it down in black and white to stick to it) and adopt a simple rule of life: one task at a time, without constantly switching from one to the other. Finally, be careful not to attribute everything to screens.
“If this mental fog persists, worsens or is accompanied by significant fatigue, mood disorders, shortness of breath, unusual headaches or neurological disorders, it is best to consult.recalls the medical director of True Medical.
Lack of sleep, stress, a recent infection, certain medications, a deficiency or a medical problem can also explain it.
In summary, to regain concentration after the summer, start with small actions: good restful nights, fewer notifications, one task at a time and real breaks. It is often the regularity that makes the difference.