Increase Concentration Tips

1. Always positive thinking 
2. Regularly follows a routine 
3. Free hand exercise/meditation 
4. Reading a good book.
5. Watching good though provoking cinemas. 
6. Avoid watching excessive news specially this COVID-19 pandemic time.

Were you looking for ways to biohack your physical, psychological and spiritual areas? Here is all that you were looking for.

Biohacking is not rocket science but a do-it-yourself phenomenon which refers to bringing in lifestyle changes on your own. All your conscious actions that make your life healthy and happy.

In this article, the focus is to help you bring some changes in mental, physical and spiritual areas. Of course, you need not do all of them in one go. Take it slow and see what helps you and what modifications you need based on your preference. So let’s go one by one from one area to another:

Physical Area

• Exercise: Begin your day with exercise. Now that we have a wide range such as aerobics, zumba, yoga, gym, pilates. You may choose the one that interests you the most because if you don’t like it, you procrastinate it all the time. So, go for trials, read, ask your friends, and figure out a way you would like to take it up. It doesn’t have to be at the beginning of your day but anytime you find yourself rocking on the chair for way too long, just stand up and move yourself a little bit. Movement not only keeps you away from feeling tired or lethargic but keeps your brain active.

• Play frequently: Go back to reminiscing the good old times, when you would wait for Sundays to go to the park and play. How happy it would make you feel and made you spontaneous. Playing gives you a dopamine rush. And if in case if you were one of those indoor players, don’t worry, instead start looking for your board games or video games. It has amazing benefits such as increasing your concentration levels, enhances problem-solving, kills boredom, improves memory and stimulates the growth of cerebral cortex

• Add colours to your meals: Adding colours to meals does not mean adding synthetic colours but a wide variety of veggies, fruits, cereals of different colours and varieties in your meals. Why add colours? The reason is simple, each colour has its own benefits for instance beetroot is rich in iron, similarly, eggplant is rich in potassium.

Moving on to the Psychological Area-

1. Stress: Stress can become debilitating when it comes to the cognitive functioning of any individual. It disrupts your functioning, thus it is essential to control stress. You must have experienced high levels of stress at some point in your life. Prolonged states of high stress can sometimes lead to shutting down. Alongside, it has an adverse effect on the other areas as well such as a decrease in sleep, appetite, processing information, memory to name a few. However, if stress is too low, most often one tends to procrastinate, decreases productivity. Therefore, an optimal level of stress enhances your productivity.
2. Stop replaying the past: One of the biggest mistakes that you keep doing is replaying the past. When you keep digging into the negative past events and replay it thousand of times, it wounds you. It is essential to pick on the hurts and stop digging deep into them because they will only harm and be of no good to you. Instead, let go of them and reminisce the events from the past which gives you happiness and makes you feel better about who you are.
3. Positive affirmations: No one will come and tell you that you are doing a good job, you have to take that initiative for yourself because being happy is a do-it-yourself project. And it depends on you how you do it. Make a list of all the good you have done in your day, feel good about yourself. It not only helps in reducing stress but also boosts your self-esteem.

Spiritual Area- 

The spiritual area doesn’t necessarily mean being ritualistic or focussing on a particular religion. It can be anything that gives you strength, grounds you and makes you feel high on your energies.

1. Meditate: You must be aware of the benefits of meditation on your brain functioning and your body. It helps in healing and aids in gaining emotional balance. It not only provides you with the space to relax and rejuvenate but also helps to bring clarity in thoughts, improving communication skills. It is also a great way to gain inner stability. There are many ways you can choose from for meditating such as guided meditation, mindfulness, to name a few.
2. Introspect: Everyday spend some time with yourself, you can also start by maintaining a journal. Introspection makes you build a close contact with your conscience which fosters better choices and decision making. Furthermore, helps in broadening your horizon and brings you closer to the centre within you.
3. A pinch of gratefulness: The focus on gratefulness is increasing these days because you are forgetting to notice the good that is in and around you but constantly engaging in self-loathing. Just pause for a moment or two and engage in all the things that you have in the here and now. It is one way in which you can grow at a faster rate in all the areas, may it be physical, psychological or spiritual. It cultivates your core and does not take much but just a few minutes of your day.

You have the ability and can choose to transform yourself as many times as you want because you do deserve the best. So, go ahead biohack yourself with some alternatives, you have never tried before.

Some children have more difficulty building vocabulary and articulating sounds as compared to others. In such cases, a speech therapist can help. A speech therapist will help your child learn to enunciate properly, build their vocabulary and help them communicate better. Many speech problems such as stuttering begin in early childhood and if left untreated, can continue into the child’s adult life as well. Working with a speech therapist can help prevent this. Some of the benefits of consulting a speech therapist include:

1. Clearer speech: Each sound of the English alphabet is unique. While it is common for children to mispronounce words with complex syllables like bath or shower, a speech therapist is needed when the child cannot pronounce vowels correctly. A speech therapist will then be able to help the child pronounce sounds clearly and speak in a way so that he or she can be understood by others.
2. Reduced dependency on gestures: When a child is not confident speaking or does not know the word for what he wants, he will resort to gestures such as pointing. When you try to teach your child the associated word, he or she may not be receptive to it and may continue to use gestures or use another word for it. In such cases, speech therapists can help build a child’s vocabulary through different exercises. They will also help the child frame sentences so that he does not have to rely on gestures.
3. Improved listening skills: By expanding a child’s vocabulary, a speech therapist can help the child understand simple questions and directions. This allows the child to understand what others are saying to him and be understood by them. Thus, they can help your child become more social and better listeners.
4. Greater independence: For a child to start going o school, he or she needs to have achieved a certain degree of independence. Speech therapists help them achieve that independence by helping them improve their communication skills. When a child learns to speak on his own and can understand what people are saying, he or she will not have to rely on the parents to interpret their gestures and words.
5. Better expression: As a child’s vocabulary grows, so does his ability to express himself. This helps them talk about their feelings, thoughts etc. Thus, a speech therapist can help a shy child become more social by helping him or her speak more clearly.

Nowadays, it is quite challenging to increase work efficiency by overall team performance due to increasing competitions. Hence, the use of modern technologies is helping tremendously to improve productivity.  But at the same time, these advanced technologies have started creating hindrances in the overall productivity. It includes the internet and social media. They are the major culprit for killing work efficacy and distracting every working personnel. Amongst all these, smartphones are at the topmost level comparing to other technologies. However, these are not the only cause of distractions.

What could be the exact cause of the distractions?

According to recent surveys, the biggest efficiency killers in the workplace are as follows:

1. Noisy atmosphere
2. Seating in the closed rooms
3. Gossiping with the colleagues
4. Being excessively active on social media
5. Frequent meetings
6. Taking a frequent break for snacks, or for smoking

All these activities tend to distract people at the workplace, making them inattentive, and least productive. These distractions have significant consequences as it affects the quality of work and hampers the relationship with the boss and the subordinates. The great productivity comes from a proper focus on one task at a time until it gets completed. The use of all these gadgets during work hour is increasing day by day. Notifications from these programs used to keep in touch with people are the biggest distracting measures.

In some organizations, the distraction is avoided by removing all the barriers, such as blocking social websites, banning personal calls, and cell phone use, monitoring emails and internet use, limiting meetings, providing open space etc.

How to improve work efficiency?

Close all these communication channels. It will definitely help to concentrate on the work. Receiving notifications in between work breaks the chain of thoughts and takes more time to complete the work. Try to gather all the information before starting work. Put smartphone either on silent mode, or vibration mode, and stay away from all such distractions.

Schedule a break with definite starting and ending time. This will serve a dual purpose, in making one feel relaxed and feeling refreshed to start the work again with the same enthusiasm. Be in the company of productive people. Get inspired by observing how other co-workers are improving their productivity.

Take a walk in case of difficulty to concentrate. Researchers have shown that taking a walk for 15-20 min improves brain function, provides refreshment and renewed energy.

Stay away from the noisy environment. The good remedy to avoid noise is using headphones and listening to soothing music. Stay away from any kind of gossip, or unnecessary discussions as they divert the mind from the main focus.  

Conclusion

Being focused is equally important to improve the work efficiency, to improve productivity, and to maintain the relationship with the organization. Distraction will never help to flourish and will create many obstacles in the path of success.

If you're suffering from weak memory or memory loss, Ayurveda might be able to solve your problems. Ayurveda uses natural remedies to cure many diseases, and even though forgetting where you put your glasses or cell phones may not sound discrete enough, it may be early signs of dementia. Before it escalates to that level, here are 5 foods that you may try to curb it as the first signs appear.

* Almonds are one of the most effective food items to increase your brain power and cure amnesia. They are a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants that hike up your mental prowess. They are best to have early in the morning, ground and mixed with milk and sugar (or a healthier supplement being honey), or otherwise, after being soaked overnight in water.

* Ayurvedic herbs, like rosemary, brahmi, ashwagandha, shankha pushpin, liquorice plant, etc, are all known to have medicinal properties that improve your brain power. Regulated incorporation of these herbs in your diet in requisite amount relaxes your mind, and thereby improves its functioning capacity.

* Sirodhara is a Panchakarma procedure which helps brain to rejuvenate, to overcome memory loss. Drug used for this is purely herbs to enhance memory. Some herbomineral oral drugs are also beneficial for it.

* Indian Gooseberry or amla is rich in Vitamin C, as well as antioxidants, which helps boost immunity, but other than that, amla is also known to have properties to strengthen your nervous system. It is one of the best remedies for managing Alzheimer's disease. It can be consumed raw or dried, and at times along with white sesame seeds.

* Fish oil is an excellent way to enhance your memory, especially if you are a non-vegetarian. It contains rich quantities of Omega 3 fatty acids, which help rejuvenate your brain cells. But if you are a vegetarian or vegan, fish oil or even fishes like salmon, might not be the best suited to your dietary preference, in which case it may be more helpful to consume Omega 3 supplements which are readily available in the market, or even fenugreek seeds.

* Cinnamon helps in revitalizing your mental health, when consumed, or even when smelled. Add a pinch of cinnamon to your food, or mix a teaspoon with honey, and it will work wonders for your mental health.

* Nigella seeds, black seeds or kalonji is another way to boost your memory. They are rich in antioxidants, and alongside also have anti-inflammatory and provide natural protection to neurons. Adding them to your meals can not only improve their taste but also enhance its remedial powers.

If your child is suffering from mental retardation, homeopathy can help. A system of complementary medicine, homeopathy works on the dictum of ‘like treats like’. It is able to treat some of the toughest disorders and illnesses that allopathy finds hard to contain.

Mental retardation: Definition

1. Mental retardation is a blanket term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language milestones during childhood.
2. The adult manifests a below-normal intellectual capacity too. Such people have an intelligence quotient (IQ) of 70 or below.
3. They usually have developmental disabilities, developmental delay, or learning difficulties.

Signs

These signs should alert parents and spur them to see a doctor-

1. If your child learns to sit up, to crawl, or to walk later than other children
2. Trouble speaking and forming words, remembering things, and having trouble understanding social rules
3. Trouble solving problems
4. Trouble thinking logically

What needs to be made clear is that poor academic performance by itself is not a sign of mental retardation. It can be due to multifarious reasons like behaviour problems.

Causes of Mental Retardation

1. Down syndrome and Fragile X syndrome are the most common genetic causes of mental retardation.
2. Problems during pregnancy and birth
3. Rubella infection in pregnant mother
4. Iodine deficiency in mothers
5. Malnutrition is a common cause of reduced intelligence in children.

ADHD - Most Common Mental Disorder

ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder refers to those psychological disorders, which significantly alter a child's behavior and considerably affects his or her relationships with others. This condition is seldom preceded by perceptible symptoms and even when they do, they are difficult to decipher. However, some of them are:

1. Self-centred: Those children who suffer from the attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome tend to be encapsulated in their own subjectivity. Though this does seem harmless apparently, this tendency may lead them to be insensitive to other's needs and wants.
2. Emotional outbursts: ADHD makes children extremely susceptible to frequent emotional outbursts and makes them erratic.
3. Difficulty in concentration: Children who suffer from ADHD face extreme difficulty in concentrating or focusing on things. Many times, they fail to repeat what was told to them.

Autism - Mental Disorder

Autism, sometimes also classified as part of the Autism Spectrum disorder or ASD is a disorder of brain development, which will affect a child's capability to interact socially, in communicating through verbal and nonverbal means as well as exhibit repetitive behaviors. Some severe cases of these behaviors may also result in self-harm as well. 

Other than this some other characteristics may be:

1. Major to minor difficulties in motor coordination
2. Intellectual disabilities
3. Attention problems
4. Gastrointestinal problems
5. Sleep-related problems among others

How homeopathy can help

Conventional medicine is mostly used to treat some of the symptoms but is never used to cure or provide remedies for a mental disorder. A proper professional homeopath will be able to guide you to get the best results for your child and reduce all the problems of the respective disorder, if not outright cure it. 

After a case taking and proper evaluation of the case, the homeopath decides which remedy is to be given. Results are quick and the changes in the children are seen fast.

There are other things that you as a parent can do to help your intellectually disabled child like to learn everything you can about intellectual disabilities. This way you can guide your child to live a near-normal life successfully. Also get your child involved in group activities like art classes, drawing etc. This will help him learn social skills and become more independent.

Whether it's a child or a grown-up, difficulty in concentrating is often experienced by many people. While, people tend to brush off this particular problem to be nothing worth being concerned about, but sometimes, there may be a more serious underlying issue for which concentration problem is only a mere symptom. Yes, difficulty in concentrating can be a sign of a neurological disorder. Keep on reading to know more about neurological disorder, its symptoms, and treatment.

Reasons behind difficulty in concentrating
Inability to focus properly is a periodic and normal occurrence for many. While sometimes it is the emotional stress or physical tiredness that is responsible for it, at times it is the outcome of hormonal changes in the body, such as during pregnancy or menopause that causes it. However, when experienced in severe degrees, it may be a characteristic of a serious psychological condition called neurological disorder. Affecting both adults and the children, the neurological disorder can be a serious threat if not treated at the right time.

Neurological disorder
Neurological disorder refers to any condition that happens due to the dysfunction of the nervous system or the parts of the brain. Depending on the location of the damage to the nerve or in the spinal column or the brain, different areas controlling the vision, movement, thinking or hearing can be severely affected. The decreased ability to focus on something or loss of concentration power being one of the many symptoms of neurological disorders among the various complications it causes.

Causes behind neurological disorder
Many reasons lead to neurological disorder or its associated symptoms like difficulty in focusing. From lifestyle-related issues to nutrition related causes, physical injuries to some infections, complications during childbirth, and genetics to environmental influences, numerous factors can be responsible for such disorder. Depending on the type of neurological disorder, the symptoms can vary from to another, while for some difficulty concentrating can be a symptom, for some, the symptoms can be more of physical difficulties such as problems in walking or difficulty speaking or seeing, etc.

Dealing with difficulty concentrating
Once the cause of the neurological disorder is determined, there are various treatment options, offered by the doctors. To deal with the neurological disorder as the cause of difficulty concentrating one may need medications and treatment provided by the medical professionals. However, there are a few tips that one can keep in mind, such as minimizing multitasking and focusing on one single thing or thought at one time or dividing tasks into small steps, etc.

Difficulty in concentrating means the ability to focus on thoughts or action decreasing. In case one experience this issue on a long term basis or excessively, visiting the neurologist as soon as possible should be the best thing to do.

ADHD, CDD, short-term memory loss, forgetfulness, insomnia and so many more terminologies we would have come across very often. They all seem to have evolved from a common origin and that is concentration issues. Have you pondered on these questions!! Why can’t it be easy to concentrate? Why can’t it be easy to remember everything? If yes, then read on to know more.

Concentrate! Focus! Pay attention! These are not just words but one huge and complicated process in itself. Many children and as well as adults often develop this issue wherein they find extremely difficult to concentrate.

The science behind concentration issues: When an individual performs a single task; for example reading a book, the image of what he is seeing hits the retina. From the retina, the nerve fibers carry the image to the brain which stimulates the brain cells to fire an action potential. The signal from here moves to the thalamus and proceeds to the visual cortex. This signal activates locus coeruleus which is a brain stimulant. It targets the particular area of the brain becoming the deciding factor as to how one responds to a stimulus, which in this case is an image. When there is deregulation of the locus coeruleus, it is then that a person develops disorders like ADHA, anxiety, depression, insomnia and others.

Factors influencing concentration: 
Concentration is a skill that requires you to prioritize your senses while doing any work. It is an ability to block out distractions.

• Dedication to the task
• Interest in the task
• One’s ability to complete the task
• Physical and emotional state
• Conducive environment with few distractions.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and concentration deficit disorder (CDD) -
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and concentration deficit disorder (CDD) are the two predominant concentration issues. The first one is more common among the children while the latter is observed in mostly the adults. Any individual with ADHD or CDD can show abnormalities in their behaviour and social life.

ADHD individuals tend to be forgetful and face problems sticking to one task and may even display excessive fidgeting. CDD individuals tend to be lethargic, move slowly and have trouble staying alert. Adults may become socially withdrawn and exhibit slow information processing.

Solutions for concentration issues:
Concentration issues require a lot of time to be overcome. You can try to figure out what causes the distractions and avoid them as much as possible by refocusing your mind only on what you are doing. You can give yourself timers which comprise of “distraction time” and “focus time”. This strategy helps if one’s mind is actively processing other things. You may also create subtasks by listing the things you need to do and then ruling out one by one once you accomplish them. Always breathe better and try for long inhalation and exhalation. This helps to bring down your anxiety levels which hinder the concentration.

Though the above-mentioned strategies are just to help you improve your concentration they are not the ultimate cure for any of the issues. Every individual is unique and sometimes accepting oneself can solve many complications as it reduces the need for unnecessary thinking. Always bear positive thoughts in your mind as it will act as a driving source.

With exam time around the corner, the stress is on both parents and students. Some kids spend very less time with books and understand all that is there in them. Other children may have a hard time trying to focus on studies and even harder time in recollecting what they have studied.

What can help improve focus, concentration and memory? Try some of these tips and identify what works for you and build your own rules.

1. Create a suitable environment - Some claim that they study better with the TV or radio on, this is often not true. Get rid of background noises, phone ringtones, etc, these create “division of attention,” and there is no 100% focus on books. Sit in a quiet environment without any disturbance for better focus. Red walls are believed to improve concentration, so try a red wallpaper, red computer desktop, etc. Sit in the same place and get into a regular routine of studying.
    
2. Draw up a schedule or timetable - Try to finish the tougher subjects or topics first by giving adequate time to them.
    
3. Treat yourself - When you have thoroughly understood a topic or cracked a practice exam well, treat yourself with a bar of chocolate or a video song. You begin to do better in anticipation of these treats.
    
4. Include breaks - A break of 15 minutes every two hours is very essential for the brain to process the information that was pumped in and to get ready for the next lot.
    
5. Work on improving brain power - Learning (memorizing or analyzing) encourages the brain and improves brain power. So, people who are constantly studying can claim to have better brain power.
    
6. Build a concentration clock - With our attention spans spiralling down, this is very important. Force yourself to sit in one place and study. If you have the urge to break, try to delay it, first by two minutes, then five minutes, and then 10 minutes. This will gradually help you overcome the urge to take breaks.
    
7. Have healthy food - Eating healthy and nutritious food is another habit to develop, if you want to improve your memory. Ensure your food has sufficient minerals and vitamins. Try eating fresh food and dairy products adequately.
    
8. Follow a systematic sleep routine - If you are not someone who likes to sleep for fixed eight hours, begin doing it. This works wonders for the body and mind like very few other things.
    
9. Exercise regularly - This improves blood circulation to the brain and improves brain functioning. So be it cycling or running, gymming or swimming, take an exercise break. Yoga or meditation are equally efficient.

All these tips can help you do wonders with your study this exam season.

If you're suffering from weak memory or memory loss, Ayurveda might be able to solve your problems. Ayurveda uses natural remedies to cure many diseases, and even though forgetting where you put your glasses or cell phones may not sound discrete enough, it may be early signs of dementia. Before it escalates to that level, here are 5 foods that you may try to curb it as the first signs appear.

* Almonds are one of the most effective food items to increase your brain power and cure amnesia. They are a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants that hike up your mental prowess. They are best to have early in the morning, ground and mixed with milk and sugar (or a healthier supplement being honey), or otherwise, after being soaked overnight in water.

* Ayurvedic herbs, like rosemary, brahmi, ashwagandha, shankha pushpin, liquorice plant, etc, are all known to have medicinal properties that improve your brain power. Regulated incorporation of these herbs in your diet in requisite amount relaxes your mind, and thereby improves its functioning capacity.

* Indian Gooseberry or amla, is rich in Vitamin C, as well as antioxidants, which helps boost immunity, but other than that, amla is also known to have properties to strengthen your nervous system. It is one of the best remedies for managing Alzheimer's disease. It can be consumed raw or dried, and at times along with white sesame seeds.

* Fish oil is an excellent way to enhance your memory, especially if you are a non-vegetarian. It contains rich quantities of Omega 3 fatty acids, which help rejuvenate your brain cells. But if you are a vegetarian or vegan, fish oil or even fishes like salmon, might not be the best suited to your dietary preference, in which case it may be more helpful to consume Omega 3 supplements which are readily available in the market or even fenugreek seeds.

* Cinnamon helps in revitalizing your mental health, when consumed, or even when smelled. Add a pinch of cinnamon to your food, or mix a teaspoon with honey, and it will work wonders for your mental health.

* Nigella seeds, black seeds or kalonji is another way to boost your memory. They are rich in antioxidants, and alongside also have anti-inflammatory and provide natural protection to neurons. Adding them to your meals can not only improve their taste but also enhance its remedial powers.