5 Holiday Season Brain Hacks
The holiday season can be full of overwhelm and stress—but it doesn’t have to be! Check out these 5 brain hacks to help you feel more confident and in control in this season (and beyond):
#1: Use Memory Strategies
Whether you’re remembering peoples’ names at a holiday party, trying to remember your to-do list, or just trying to remember what you need at the grocery store, building context and associations in your mind can make you feel more confident and remember more! Check out this blog for 6 memory strategies to help you feel smarter or hear Maureen’s tips here:
#2: Reboot Your Circadian Rhythm
Getting your body (and brain) into a daily rhythm can help you get rid of the pesky brain fog that makes it hard to focus and remember. Get yourself into the sunlight in the morning. Wind down for restful sleep in the evening. Even with the changes in routine during the holidays, simple habits like these can help you feel more alert and confident!
#3: Hand-Write To-Do Lists
Writing by hand—NOT on your phone—can help you feel more confident that you’re not missing something important. Writing by hand makes things stick in your memory, boosts creative thinking, improves recall, and helps you establish goals and priorities in a way that other ways of organization do not.
When you write out to-do lists by hand, you’re engaging multiple areas of your brain so you’re more likely to remember all of your important tasks!
#4: Make Time for Fun
Even if the holiday season is full and stressful, making time to do something that’s fun is critical to keep you sharp and happy. When you do something fun, your brain releases dopamine which also helps improve your memory, focus, creative thinking, motivation, mood, and more.
As adults, it’s easy for this season of joy to turn into one that’s full of stress, rushing from one thing to another. Take a minute. Pause. Enjoy the moment. You’ll feel more focused and motivated to tackle that to-do list later if you do!
Check out this post for 10 simple things that boost dopamine to keep your brain happy.
#5: Remember to Breathe
Breathwork, meditation, prayer, yoga, taking a walk and/or other forms of relaxation are critical for your brain. Beyond just helping you feel less stressed and more in control, the longer-term benefits of relaxation can help you sleep better so your memory is stronger and your focus is sharper. One study found that a single hour of meditation raised dopamine levels by 65%… That’s a HUGE boost for something so simple!
Feel Like You’re Losing Your Edge?
Brain hacks are great, but they only take you so far. What if these quick tips don’t help you actually remember more, focus better, and problem solve without stress? It could be because you have some cognitive skill weaknesses sabotaging you.
Kids are not the only ones who need attention, memory, logic, and other critical cognitive skills. As adults, it’s easy to feel like we’re losing our edge. That we are fading. That we need to rely on lists, reminders, and other people to make sure everything gets done.
Strengthening cognitive skills with brain training may be a great option to help you feel more confident and in control of your mind! Click here to check out some of our awesome results for adults.
