BY DONESA WALKER
Brain Hack #1 Improve Focus and Attention
Brain Hack #2 Improve Visualization & Imagination
Focus techniques for all ages are a great tool to have from shutting down extraneous noise and distractions to deep concentration. Deep breathing while counting in and out allows the brain to re-center and zoom in. Pull each sound or distraction into your brain and deliberately tune it out. Emotional overload can be caused by anything from pain to irritation. Try putting your brain in logic mode by counting backwards from 100 and alternating the alphabet. Make sure this is challenging enough so you need to concentrate. An example counting down by 3s would be: 100-A, 97B, 94-C. Alternatively, spell a word or sentence while counting backwards by 2s: 100-I 98-A 96-M 94-C 92-A 90-L 88-M (“I am calm”).
Visualization allows the brain to travel to imaginary places while reading or thinking but it is also the same skill we use to tap into our memory for spelling and recalling facts necessary for studying. To strengthen visualization, start with a simple sentence such as “John ate a hot dog.” Describe John. Is he a person, a thing, a pet? Now describe the hot dog. Is it an actual dog, or a wiener on a hot dog bun? Is it a turkey or beef hot dog link? What is on the hot dog? Ketchup or mustard or cheese? While this may seem simplistic, it actually allows the mind to free float and begin to see and picture alternative options which allows creative thought to emerge.
30
AUGUST 2021
| SBMAG.NET
