3 Simple steps to stay “brain healthy” in a frenzied world

As my friend and colleague Elizabeth Harrington pointed out in her recent post,”Taking care of business starts with taking care of yourself." (Cited as Harvey Mackay’s moral).

I would ask…in addition… are you attending to your “brain health”.

What do I mean?

In my research about making thriving daily choices toward a more successful and satisfying life, I have found an increasing amount of research regarding how many of us are becoming increasingly less effective in our lives as the maelstrom of inputs into our daily lives tempts us to hop from thing to thing to thing.

Some of us THINK we have ADD or ADHD, right?  Some of think we just have poor “executive functioning.”

According to Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, a foremost researcher and thought leader on attention deficit disorder and dealing with worry and managing excessive busyness…in addition to other related topics,

…we could be suffering from a recently recognized neurological phenomenon…

…called ADT (attention deficit trait).

As Dr. Hallowell writes in his article, “Overloaded Circuits, Why Smart People Underperform” (Harvard Business Review January 2005) , “Marked by distractibility, inner frenzy, and impatience, ADT prevents managers from clarifying priorities, making smart decision, and managing their time.”

“ADT isn’t an illness or character defect.  It’s our brain’s natural response to exploding demands on our time and attention. “

Hallowell suggests 3 ways to combat ADT.  I thought I would share them here:

1)      PROMOTE POSITIVE EMOTIONS.  He reports that negative emotions, particularly fear can impede proper brain functioning.

What to do? He suggests purposefully choosing to spend at least 4-6 hours a day interacting with someone you LIKE…someone with whom you are comfortable…so that your brain’s “executive” center can “perform at its best”.

2)      TAKE PHYSICAL CARE OF YOUR BRAIN.  Yes, here we go again, our physical health is VERY important for all other types of success in our lives.  Dr. Hallowell notes that “ample sleep, a good diet, and exercise are critical for staving off ADT.”

What to do? We have heard it before: avoid sugar and white flour.  Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  A brisk walk or doing a few flights of stairs daily should be sufficient exercise.

3)   ORGANIZE FOR ADT. He suggests: “instead of getting sucked into the vortices of email or voice mail first thing in the morning, attend to a critical task.”

For paperwork, go back to the age old recommended OHIO rule….that is handle one item only once.  You know, that simple time management habit that we have ALL learned about at one time or another.

What to do? He notes that taking a brisk walk or going up a flight of stairs a few times a day should be enough.  And on the diet side… again, just one more expert tells us to avoid sugar and white flour…and eat more fruits, whole grains, vegetables and protein.

Seems simple doesn’t it?  I might start with #3 and work backwards so that I can be organized enough to do all 3 suggested steps!

How about you?