 Credit: Style My Soul | www.stylemysoul.com | Brain Fog Style My Soul Explores … “What are your most helpful wellness tips for eliminating brain fog and fatigue?” Get Rid of Gadgets in the Bedroom Make your bedroom space an electronics-free zone. If you absolutely need to have your smartphone with you to take calls and texts first thing in the morning (or if you use it as your alarm clock), then make yourself place it on the nightstand just before you go to bed and leave it on sleep mode. Read a book instead of watching YouTube videos. Meditate instead of watching television. Keep electronics away while you’re settling into bed. You will fall asleep earlier and easier and you’ll be better rested. Oftentimes, you’re suffering from fogginess in the morning and fatigue because you didn’t sleep well enough or long enough. Sometimes, the simple solution is to remove all the obstacles keeping you from sleeping peacefully, and that often includes the smartphone or tablet. Rachel Blank, Founder & CEO, Allara Socialize Sometimes when we start to get brain fog and become fatigued, it’s because we have been working too long without a break. When this happens, I have found it’s the perfect time to socialize. Walking down the hall and speaking to coworkers can provide a great mental health break. It’s a great opportunity to learn what is going on in other departments and to build connections. A few minutes of conversation re-energizes me and allows me to return to my work alert and able to tackle the next project. Caroline Duggan, Chief Brand Officer, Lumineux Implement Effective Time Management Practices As a business leader, I understand the importance of staying sharp and focused in order to make important decisions and lead a team effectively. One of the most common issues that can impede this is brain fog and fatigue. To combat this, I highly recommend implementing effective time management techniques. By setting clear goals and prioritizing tasks, you can ensure that you are using your time in the most productive way possible. This will help to eliminate distractions and minimize multitasking, which can lead to burnout and mental fatigue. Additionally, taking regular breaks and practicing self-care are crucial for maintaining a healthy work-life balance and keeping your mind and body refreshed. In short, effective time management is crucial for eliminating brain fog and fatigue. By setting clear goals, prioritizing tasks, and taking care of yourself, you can ensure that you are able to stay focused and perform at your best. -- Alan Carr, Director, Webpop Design Take a Walk When I am feeling fatigued and brain fog is setting in, this is usually a sign I need to walk away from what I am working on and clear my head. The best way I have found to do this is to take a walk. A walk not only allows me to take a mental break but it provides me with exercise, which can sometimes be hard to work into a busy day. Even if it’s just a 15-minute walk around the office, the time away refreshes me. The exercise helps to reduce the fatigue and I am able to return to work re-energized. Brianna Bitton, Co-Founder, O Positiv Ingest Proper Vitamins and Minerals Make sure you are getting the right vitamins and minerals through your diet or supplements. Some vitamins and minerals that are important for cognitive function and energy levels include Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Iron, Magnesium, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin B12 can be found in meat, fish, and dairy products and is important for the normal functioning of the nervous system. Vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight exposure and foods such as fatty fish, egg yolks, and mushrooms. Iron can be found in red meat, leafy greens, and legumes and is important for the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Magnesium can be found in nuts, seeds, avocados, and leafy greens and is important for muscle and nerve function. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fatty fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts and are important for brain health. Consult with a doctor or a nutritionist before taking any supplements. -- Salim Benadel, Director, Storm Internet Drink More Water One of my favorite wellness tips for eliminating brain fog and fatigue is to hydrate! Ensuring we drink enough water throughout the day is an easy way to boost mental health and improve our well-being. Keeping the body fully hydrated gives it the energy to feel its best, which helps us focus our mental energy on whatever task or challenge lies ahead. Staying properly hydrated also helps reduce stress because it helps us to relax mentally while promoting a calmer state of mind that makes it easier to tackle any situation with clarity. -- Kristian Longden, Content Marketing Executive, James and James eCommerce Fulfillment Swap Coffee for Tea Avoid coffee in the afternoon or altogether, depending on when you’re experiencing brain fog and fatigue. Caffeinated beverages are stimulants, which means your heart rate and blood pressure rise when drinking them. While many people think of coffee as helping with fatigue, it can actually do the opposite and create headaches, anxiety, and brain fog. Instead, focus on drinking lots of water. If you crave a hot beverage, make yourself a cup of decaf or herbal tea instead. -- Harry DiFrancesco, CEO, Carda Health Take a Shower and Use It as a Visualization Moment Brain fog and fatigue are symptoms of an internal system being in overload. Too many things do not serve your well-being. Step 1: Stop what you are doing. Take that moment to focus on self-care. Step 2: While you are relaxing, visualize a moment of peace or a feeling you would like to experience now. These short moments are there to calm the mind and let the inner voice take you into an adventure of SELF. You can grasp goals and things to let go of. You can make clearer decisions when relaxed and seek nothing to achieve. You may receive insights because you are in another mental dimension, that will help you clear the fog and make better choices. Like the word NO. If something doesn’t better you or weighs you down, say NO. -- Keva Epale, Founder, Keva Epale Studio Recognize Symptoms and Take a Healthy Break Brain fog and exhaustion are common symptoms of chronic stress. One of my favorite stress reset tips is to give yourself a healthy break. For example, you could take a power nap, meditate for just 5–10 minutes, do something expressive like dancing or singing, talk to a friend or loved one, or take a walk in nature, which is my favorite. The stress-relieving effects of all these activities have been demonstrated empirically, so they are a great place to start. -- Leslie Bosch, Developmental Psychologist, Bosch Integrative Wellness Develop Positive Thinking Thinking positively can make you feel more positive. Try implementing a daily routine where you consciously focus on maintaining good spirits and a healthy mindset. As you wind down for bed in the evening, think of five positive things that happened that day. As you continue to do this, your mindset will gradually shift to a more resilient and refreshing point of view. These practices might not necessarily be linked to brain fog and fatigue, but they are linked to mental health, and mental illness can certainly be a cause of brain fog and fatigue. -- Nick Allen, Founder & CEO, SportsLingo Burn Incense Particular incense, such as Nag Champa or jasmine incense, is perfect for signaling the brain that it’s time to wake up and start moving. While incense is often used in many spiritual and religious practices, the strong scents are excellent ways to help get us back on track and feel more energized. Not every type of incense is a good fit for eliminating brain fog and fatigue. Some incense such as lavender will have the opposite effect and may make you even sleepier. Depending on what may be causing the brain fog, you may need to switch it up some. For instance, Nag Champa incense is a great way to hit the reset button on your brain. Whereas jasmine incense often works better for eliciting a creative response. Or if you’re simply in need of an energy boost to deal with fatigue, then you’ll want to burn lemon incense to get you up and going. -- Matthew Marandola, Content Manager, Opulent Charms LLC
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We’re now well into January, and no doubt you’ve been thinking about positive changes to bring into 2023. Maybe you’re trying to complete a Dry January to cut out alcohol or signed up for a gym membership to help get fit this year. You might have also decided to embark on a mission to reduce your screen time. It’s no surprise, when according to recent data, Aussies spend 5.6 hours a day on their phones*. That’s not even including time on laptops, watching TV, or checking your smart watch. Almost half of Australians said that if they leave their phone at home, it makes them feel anxious. And in the US, almost half of the population says they are addicted to their phones. So if reducing screen time is at the top of your New Year’s Resolutions, here are some tips and tricks to make it a little easier. 1) Keep your phone in a separate room overnight. This one has been a game changer for me. Buy an alarm clock so you don’t accidentally sleep in, and keep your phone in a different room when you go to bed. Our phones are often the last thing we look at before we go to bed, and the first thing we check when we wake up, which can leave our head swimming with thoughts of emails we need to write, messages we need to reply to and problems we need to sort out, which isn’t conducive to a good night’s sleep. It also means you won’t have your sleep interrupted if you get notifications throughout the night. If you listen to meditations on your phone to help you sleep — you can even buy alarm clocks that have this feature. Even better, use the time before bed that you might have spent scrolling to read a book, have a cup of herbal tea, or try journaling to help set you up for a peaceful night’s sleep. 2) Delete your social media accounts (at least for a little while). One of the main distractions on our phones is social media, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. And they’re designed to keep us scrolling, which can often leave us feeling depleted, especially if there’s lots of bad news going around. Give yourself a mental break by deleting one — or if you’re brave — all your social media accounts for a week and see if you feel a difference. Put your phone on airplane mode when you’re working. According to the same data, we check our phones almost every 8 minutes — talk about distractions! To combat this and help you concentrate on the task ahead when you’re trying to work, put your phone on airplane mode when you have important work to do. That way you won’t be distracted by messages and notifications coming through, and you’ll be less tempted to mindlessly scroll through Instagram instead of finishing off that important email! 3) Implement the one screen rule. Do you ever sit down to watch your favorite show on Netflix, only to scroll on your phone the entire time (and then have no idea what’s happening in the show)? Or trying to write an email, only to check Instagram and fall down the rabbit hole? The problem with that is, you’re not really engaged in either activity. I know, I know, it can be tempting to check IMDB to work out just why that actor looks SO familiar, but I promise, it can wait until after the movie or show has finished. By just using one screen at a time, you’re more present with what you’re doing at the time. Remember — multitasking is a myth! *Source: Reviews. Meet Our Contributor — Kate Reynolds Kate is a writer and voice actor in Sydney who is passionate about wellness, good food and getting lost in a great book.  Credit: Kate Reynolds  Credit: Style My Soul | www.stylemysoul.com | New Year Health Habits Style My Soul Explores…
“What are the healthiest habits to adopt in the New Year that can improve your quality of living?” Do a Cleaning Purge Regular clean-outs are a great habit to build this year. After moving recently, I came to realize that the things I was holding onto were not serving me and just creating clutter. I found stuff that I hadn’t seen in years. This prompted me to schedule a monthly clean out, where I get rid of 5–10 items that I never use. This regular habit should ensure that when it comes time to move again, I have far fewer things to sort through. In today’s consumer economy, remember to clean out your things once in a while. You’ll thank me later. Dan Potter, Co-Founder, CRAFTD London Keep in Touch With People Keeping in touch with people is a wonderful way to enrich your life in the New Year. Whether it’s people you’ve met more recently or people you haven’t spoken to in ages, maintaining communication with those you care about can be very emotionally healing. Unfortunately, it’s easy to procrastinate with this, especially for friends or family members who do not live in the same city as you. So how about pushing yourself to call up a long-lost friend? We all get so addicted to social media that comments or “likes” substitute actual conversations. Let’s bring back genuine connections and heart-to-hearts. You may not realize how much you need it until you make it happen. -- Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO, & Nurse Practitioner, Skin Pharm Figure Out What Self-Care Looks Like Self-care is the best new healthy habit to adopt in the new year that will improve your quality of life. The beauty of self-care is that it is unique to the person. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all because we are all nourished and supported differently. For some, self-care could be a morning run before work, while journaling and meditation could be exactly what the doctor ordered for someone else. The important thing is for people to do some inner work to figure out what they need and commit to doing that in the new year, and they will see a significant improvement in their quality of life. -- Ann McFerran, CEO, Glamnetic Get Outdoors and Travel More With the onset of remote work allowing us to work from just about anywhere in the world, it’s the perfect excuse to get outside and travel more. Aside from immersing yourself in new cultures and cuisines, travel enables you to expand your mind to new ways of living — and it also makes you smarter and more resourceful. All in all, a great way to get a healthy dose of the outdoors while exploring the abundance that this earth has to offer us! -- Guy Sharp, Relocation Advisor, Andorra Guides Practice Gratitude There is a strong correlation between gratitude and happiness. By practicing gratitude, you feel more optimistic and better about your life. This promotes an innate sense of positivity that fuels healthy relationships, communication, and engagement with those around you. Gratitude can be practiced in a wide variety of ways, including giving back to your community, or even a family member, or friend, proudly talking about your blessings rather than dwelling on what you lack, and writing a letter of gratitude to a loved one, or someone significant in your life, among many other ways. Remember to be patient with yourself as you ingratiate these habits into your daily life in the New Year. Don’t fret if you forget to perform a habit now and then. Instead, have a strategy in place for when you come up short and move forward. -- Andrew Chen, Chief Product Officer, videeo.live Schedule Regular Medical Screenings For healthy habits, people focus on issues connected with diet, exercise, sleep schedule, or generally speaking, all things lifestyle. Still, one more important custom we should all take up is getting routine medical tests regularly. It does not take a lot of effort, is often within your medical plan or the benefits provided by your employer, and can be the single most beneficial thing you can do for your health. Early detection can be key in curing various diseases. So do not wait — book your 2023 tests right now. -- Piotrek Sosnowski, Chief People & Culture Officer, HiJunior Write Your Short-Term Goals You can still make overall goals for your year, but it really helps to write your short-term goals first. That way, you can see yourself crossing off each step that’s needed to accomplish the bigger picture. By writing it down, you can feel that sense of accomplishment while ensuring you hold yourself accountable throughout the year. -- Lionel Mora, CEO, Neoplants Purchase a 64 Oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle Drink more water. We’ve heard the advice for decades, but it’s hard to implement during a busy workweek. To make this habit easier, purchase a 48 oz or 64 oz stainless steel water bottle that will keep your beverage cold all day. By purchasing one of these jumbo sizes, you only have to fill it up in the morning and you’re done. If you buy a high-quality one, you won’t have to worry about your water becoming room temperature. Drinking enough water each day will improve the complexion of your skin, increase your energy levels, flush out toxins, aid in digestion, and can help you maintain a healthy weight. Kim Walls, CEO & Co-Founder, Furtuna Skin Choose Your Affirmation A positive mindset is a non-negotiable aspect of improving one’s quality of life. Shifting your mindset can be challenging. However, it yields significant benefits once you finally achieve it. Choose an affirmation to focus on in the New Year. Write it down on a piece of paper and plaster it anywhere, and everywhere you will see it often, such as on a wall, in your mirror, your refrigerator, or in your wallet. This will help train your mind to think positively. There are plenty of affirmations to choose from to align with your current wants and needs. A few affirmations to consider include: I am healthy, I am courageous; I am strong, or I am bringing abundance into my life every day. Whatever you choose, say it out loud, recite it, and memorize it, as you use it as motivation to improve your quality of life in the New Year. -- Dakota McDaniels, Chief Product Officer, Pluto Learn to Say “No” Learn to say, “No” to things that are shiny objects and distract from your big goals. Filter your RSVPs and commitment to projects through a big-picture lens. Make sure you prioritize spending time working towards your dreams. Saying yes to too many things not only leads to unfulfilled ambitions but unhealthy stress and overwhelm as well. Just say, “No.” -- Kenneth Lin, CEO, BOOP Bakery Eat Intuitively I hate diets. So, last year I took a long course in intuitive eating and adopted it. While associating with food, so naturally this takes a while. It gives you a chance to connect with your body and achieve more. Soon I could tell when I was truly full, I felt more energized, and I trusted my food intake a lot more than before. Definitely continuing with this tradition the next year! Uttiya Roy, Marketing Manager, Wise Leap Technologies Clear Your Energy at the End of Every Day Every day, we encounter other people and thought forms that can linger within our own energy field. The energy that is not yours can slow you down. You may start feeling a certain way and not know why. You might start having thoughts that don’t really feel like “you,” yet you believe they are yours. Whether you live with other people; go out in public and walk past strangers; or simply think about other people — you are encountering other energies all day long. By taking a few minutes every day to deliberately and intentionally return to sender and call back your own energy, you’ll notice how much lighter and happier you can feel on a consistent basis. -- Kim O’Neill, Authentic Confidence & Interview Coach, Kim O’Neill Coaching Begin Your Mornings With a Glass of Water Start your day with a glass of water. People are dehydrated first thing in the morning, as your body naturally loses fluids overnight. Getting into the habit of having a glass first thing in the morning will help you be more awake and alert. Proper hydration is key for a healthy lifestyle, so making that a habit for 2023 is a great way to improve. -- Carrie Shaltz Haslup, Founder & CEO, Tabeeze Strive for More Deep Sleep Sleep is one of the most achievable New Year’s resolutions to adopt. Who doesn’t want to get more quality deep sleep? Plus, it’s a well-known fact that sleep is vital for the body. Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to so many poor quality of living outcomes. There are so many easy ways to improve your sleeping habits. Simply start by looking at your bedtime routine and make some basic changes. -- Marc Werner, CEO & Founder, GhostBed Live in the Present Moment Living in the present moment is probably the single most healthy habit one can adopt to improve their quality of life. What does it mean to live in the present? It means being 100% focused on whatever is happening right now, right in front of you, at the current moment in time. Being present means giving 100% of your focused attention to the matter at hand. For example, if you’re out to lunch with a friend, being present means enjoying the taste of your food, listening to your friend’s stories, and sharing your own. It means enjoying the moment to its fullest by being 100% “there,” as opposed to worrying about what may have happened earlier that morning, or thinking about everything you still have to do after lunch. It also means putting away your mobile device! (just while you’re living in the present moment with your friend). To learn how to do this, I would recommend two books. The first is The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and the second is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. -- Chris Klein, Founder, AstroRover Limit Alcohol Consumption While it’s okay to enjoy an occasional drink, it’s important to limit your alcohol intake in order to reduce your risk of health problems, such as liver disease and certain types of cancer. If you drink thrice a week, you can start by reducing it to twice a week and then slowly to once-a-week drinking. -- William Toro Quientero, Sports & Nutrition Editor, Welcyon Consistently Exercise One healthy habit to adopt in the new year that can improve your quality of living is getting regular exercise. Exercise has many benefits for physical and mental health, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases, improving sleep, and boosting mood and energy levels. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week. By making exercise a regular part of your routine, you can improve your overall quality of living and enjoy the many physical and mental health benefits that come with it. -- Virginie Glaenzer, Fractional CMO, AcornOak Agency Cooperative |