One major problem people with chronic pain suffer from is brain fog, – the inability to concentrate or retain information.
That’s what our guest today can help with: Kam Knight, founder of MindLily and author of several bestselling books on learning, memory, and productivity.
Chronic pain has an adverse effect on memory and concentration. It’s a combination of factors: pain medication, stress and the awareness of pain taking over other functions in the brain.
With the brain fog of chronic pain, becomes very hard to remember things necessary for daily function and work. However, Kam has several techniques to combat this effect. The best part is, they’re things you can easily integrate into your day, and they’ll make your day to day living more fulfilling.
In this article you will learn:
The potential for mental growth and improvement
Different brain exercises for memory and concentration
How to retain information from reading and stay focused
About the brain’s natural tendency to answer questions
Which foods, supplements, and consumables to go for – and avoid
Does Getting Older Doom Your Memory?
A commonly held belief is that the older you become, the more decay and slowing down your brain experiences. This leads people to believe that brain fog is unavoidable. That there’s not much you can do for your brain’s health as age catches up with you.
But this is not the case.
The human brain is actually quite malleable. More and more people are figuring this out. Your brain is always changing and developing – and you have the power to improve your mental performance as you age! But you must exercise your mind in order to achieve this.
Brain Exercises for Memory
There are several techniques for improving memory and overall brain function; the how behind each one is a little different. Here are some of the ones we cover in this interview:
Memory Retrieval
Focusing on the Details
Visualization
Let’s take a look at each one and how it will most benefit you.
Memory Retrieval
Memory retrieval is an effective means of handling brain fog. It is based on the concept that letting information in and out of the brain is important. Absorbing things as they come is natural, but it can be much more difficult to focus on recalling it later.
When you practice recalling information, you are creating neural pathways. The more you do this, the deeper these pathways become. You are also leaving “bread crumbs” behind so you can do this easier in the future.
In order to practice this technique, sit down for 5-10 minutes each day and have a daily review. All you need to do is recall everything you can about your day, from what you had for breakfast to your trip to the grocery store.
To gain even better results, you may want to write these things down in chronological order as well.
Focusing on the Details
Focusing on the details is a fantastic way of improving your concentration. The idea here is to let every fine detail captivate you. Look at the spacing of the cracks on the sidewalk. Observe the actions or mannerisms of people walking by. Try and pick out certain smells… Food? Fresh-cut grass?
By choosing to focus on the little things all around you, you’re increasing your ability to concentrate – naturally! As time goes on you’ll find that this gets easier and requires less effort.
Visualization
Visualization is extremely powerful in reducing brain fog and improving memory. This is because the mind is a visual machine. We think in pictures, and pictures are more powerful than our verbal thoughts.
In fact, people tend to remember 90% of what we do and 75% of what we see.
So, to better remember where you parked the car, for example, you should visualize the environment before leaving it. Is there anything unique about the area, like a fire hydrant? Is it closer or farther away from the building?
This simple exercise should be of great help to you if you have trouble remembering little things.
Retaining Things You Read
Further, there are a few steps you can take to help improve your reading experience if you have difficulty focusing while reading.
Taking Notes – Deliberate action to retain valuable thoughts and connect info directly to the brain.
Retrieval – Recalling what you just read so you can see the gaps in your knowledge and reread as needed.
Reviewing – Look at your notes, ask yourself questions, or even teach others what you learned.
Each of these tips may help you get the most out of your reading and focus more effectively!
Asking Questions
Fun fact: We all have a mental process that wants to answer questions when they’re asked and think of possible answers. This process is automatic, so a question’s rationality doesn’t really matter, even with opposing questions.
For example, you could be asked two questions, and find different answers for each despite the opposing views the questions denote:
Why are children so annoying?
Why are children fun?
So you should start your day by asking questions about how you will improve your focus, concentration, and memory. This will tell your brain that you want answers to those questions, and so it will begin to search them out.
When you do this, your mind will stop thinking about other things, and will think about this instead. Better yet, it will do its best to make it happen because it now knows you want to pay more attention.
Here are some example questions: How can I stay focused on daily tasks? How can I be more present/attentive? How an I improve my memory?
You can continue the questioning throughout day as needed if you find your mind wandering.
Foods and Supplements
Now let’s take a look at what foods and other consumables are best for your memory and mental function – and which are the worst.
Positive:
Gingko Extract – Supports brain function for memory/concentration.
Fish Oil – Contains polyunsaturated fats and DHA for brain development.
Fish – Contains omega 3 fatty acids to improve your brain’s communication centers for peak performance.
Water – Staying hydrated allows for optimal brain performance.
Negative:
Smoking – Has negative effect on memory.
Foods High in Fat – This includes fast food and also has negative effects on memory.
Dehydration – Reduces overall brain performance.
Conclusion:
If you feel like you’re stuck in a rut and can’t get out of your brain fog, think again! No matter your age, there are simple and easy steps you can take to improve your memory and concentration – for the big things and the little!
By applying these tips and techniques to your life every day, you are likely to experience some incredible results! You may begin to remember what you had for dinner last night, find focus for that hour-long lecture, or find more joy in your daily activities.
No matter where you are right now, you can conquer the dreaded brain fog!
For Life After Pain Readers – Download two special reports:
#1 is on improving concentration called Strong Concentration, Focus, and Attention. #2 is on improving memory titled Better Memory for a Better Life. Click here to get the reports >>>>
Thank you very much.Retaining information, pay attention with new information. Taking notes, while your reading, helps in paying attention. A physical activity connecting to the brain, recall and repeating has helped me retain more information !
One major problem people with chronic pain suffer from is brain fog, – the inability to concentrate or retain information.
