Make sleep a top priority as it is the bedrock and foundation for mental health, physical health, and performance, without which other interventions like pharmacology will only provide temporary benefits.
Drink one packet of Element (electrolytes: sodium, magnesium, potassium, no sugar) dissolved in 16-32 ounces of water first thing in the morning and during physical exercise to ensure proper hydration and electrolyte balance, which is critical for optimal brain and body function and prevents diminished cognitive and physical performance.
Incorporate regular aerobic exercise into your routine, as it has been found to be as effective as cognitive therapy in improving executive function.
Incorporate mindfulness meditation, such as focusing on one’s breath and redirecting focus when it wanders, to learn skills to stop, relax, and refocus, which boosts executive function and helps in achieving goals.
Engage in Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) or Yoga Nidra sessions, even short 10-minute ones, to greatly restore levels of cognitive and physical energy.
Actively engage in activities that require sustained focus, such as reading books without distraction or avoiding phone use during specific tasks (e.g., gym, conversations), to counteract modern distractions and maintain or improve working memory and frontal lobe function.
To improve focus, physically remove your smartphone from the room or immediate vicinity, as it is a significant source of distraction.
Engage in “goal management training” by developing individual projects (e.g., planning a meal, vacation) and actively working through them in a disciplined way, breaking them into sub-goals, monitoring progress, and staying focused to improve executive function and generalize these skills to real-world tasks.
When engaging in goal management training, adding mindfulness training (learning to stop, relax, and refocus) can provide an additional boost to executive function, making the overall approach more effective.
Consciously make an effort to read fiction, history, and other non-fiction books to continuously increase knowledge, as storing diverse information is beneficial for brain health.
Participate in activities that require setting goals, breaking them into sub-goals, performing tasks simultaneously, and filtering distractions (e.g., learning a new skill like making pizza from scratch or playing chess) to challenge and improve executive function.
Engage in science-backed brain training games, such as those developed by Posit Science (Brain HQ), to improve specific cognitive functions, especially after a concussion, as they are easily accessible online and target mechanisms of impairment.
After a concussion, gradually get up and move as much as you can tolerate without exacerbating symptoms like headache or light sensitivity, as this approach is thought to promote recovery and get the brain working again.
Consider seeking coaching or mentorship to improve executive function, as direct human intervention and guidance can help break down complex tasks, filter distractions, and provide the wisdom needed to achieve goals effectively.
Engage in mindfulness meditation to gain a different perspective on life’s problems, reframe them within broader time domains, and better orient oneself in time to determine the best course of action.
Actively learn about health possibilities and interventions to become an advocate for your own health, enabling you to engage with doctors and ask informed questions about potential treatments or strategies.
Understand that brain network modularity (how segregated and independent brain networks are) can predict well-being and response to cognitive interventions, with higher modularity generally being more advantageous.
Support the development of simple, accessible metrics (like from a watch or other device) that can read out brain states and health, similar to how physical health metrics are tracked, to empower individuals to monitor and optimize their brain health.