Feed your brain with nutrient-rich foods, such as red meat, to ensure adequate levels of nutrients.
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- Feed your brain with nutrient-rich foods, such as red meat, to ensure adequate levels of nutrients for optimal brain functioning including iron and zinc, B vitamins, omega-3 and amino acids. Get the right mix of healthy fats each day from foods including oily fish, olive and sunflower oils, nuts and seed and eat plenty of fruit and brightly coloured vegetables every day.
- Think about why you eat not just what you eat. Identify the emotion and stress drivers that may cause you to eat for comfort and instead use exercise, relaxation or brain training as outlets for stress and mood fluctuations.
- Set realistic goals you can achieve in three months or less. Your brain will react to genuine personal goals which are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound.
- Train your brain: Neurons that fire together wire together. Your brain can change with training. Each time you solve a problem you give your brain a workout and form new brain connections. Try new, challenging activities like learning a language or recipe, completing a crossword or Sudoku.
- Train your feelings too − focus on ‘what works’. Aim to increase your optimism and positivity by focusing on what works for you rather than magnifying your weaknesses.
- Build supportive relationships. Tune into and try and react to people’s needs rather than their emotions – better emotion recognition helps you read between the lines. This will help to develop meaningful relationships that will provide support when needed. Try smiling at people to increase positive engagement.
- Exercise your body. Add periods of strength and intensity training (reaching 85% of your maximum heart rate) to your regular exercise routine to increase blood flow and generate new brain cell connections.
- Get a good night’s sleep. Decrease brain stimulation from TV, computer work and food intake at least 30 minutes before you go to bed at night.
- De-stress every 90 minutes. Reset both your body and your brain throughout the day by taking 2 minute breaks. Try ‘4,3,7 breath in to the count of 4, hold your breath and count to 3 and breath out to the count of 7.
- Protect your brain. Limit use of recreational drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, wear a helmet when riding a bike and seek help for mood and anxiety concerns if they become unmanageable.
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