A Recipe for Combatting Mental Fatigue
My daughter is authoring a cookbook that she is planning to publish at the end of the summer. She loves baking and is constantly putting something together to throw in the oven. She believes it is going to be a daunting task, this cookbook, but she is also fully confident that she will be able to accomplish it.
Kate and I wanted the kids to come up with a summer project that would take the entire summer to plan and execute, at the end of which they will have acquired a new skill, created a business, built something tangible. We want them to see what they can accomplish with hard work. They are too young for a real job, so we have to keep them busy somehow.
My son is going to be drawing up some building plans for and constructing an out building in our backyard. My daughter will be publishing that cookbook. It sounds like it may be a little overwhelming for a 10- and 12-year-old. Add in all the sports/plays/summer programs/beach days, it is going to be a hectic schedule (for me and Kate). To stay ahead of the inevitable mental fatigue (for me and Kate), we are going to be employing some mindfulness and visualization techniques that will help get us all through the summer. Eating all of Nora’s delicious creations may be a little daunting as well, but I believe I am up to the challenge.
Mental fatigue is a state of tiredness that sets in when your brain’s energy levels are depleted. There is evidence that mindfulness-based interventions can help one to recover from mental fatigue. A research review in 2022 titled “Mindfulness-Based Interventions for the Recovery of Mental Fatigue: A Systematic Review” found “mindfulness-based interventions directly attenuated mental fatigue and positively affected the recovery of psychology (attention, aggression and mind-wandering) and sports performance (handgrip, plank exercise and basketball free throw) under mental fatigue.” So, these techniques not only helped in the recovery of mental fatigue from a mental acuity standpoint but also aided in physical performance by providing improved ability to focus.
Two of the most popular methods of mindfulness practice that have been gaining a lot of popularity lately are meditation and breathwork. Breathwork has many science-backed benefits. There is a large variety of breathing techniques and exercises that are used to improve one’s mental, psychological, and physical health that can all be grouped into the term breathwork. A study carried out by researchers at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity found that participants who focused well while undertaking a task that demanded a lot of attention had greater synchronization between their breathing patterns and their attention than those who had poor focus. The authors believe that it may be possible to use breath-control practices to stabilize attention and boost brain health. The study, titled “Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama,” put participants through an intensive eight-week breathing training and showed significantly increased sustained attention after training, compared to a control group that received no training. The trained group also had significantly lower cortisol levels after training, while the control group showed no significant change in cortisol levels.
In conclusion, diaphragmatic breathing could improve sustained attention, affect, and cortisol levels. According to the American Lung Association, “If practiced regularly, breathing exercises can help rid the lungs of accumulated stale air, increase oxygen levels and get the diaphragm to return to its job of helping you breathe.”
Oxygen levels are extremely important in keeping your body functioning efficiently. Impaired breathing has the ability to damage your heart and brain over time. Breathwork can be great in combating this issue, along with improving focus, managing depression, improving sleep, strengthening lungs, lowering blood pressure, and boosting mood and energy. All of which I am going to need this summer.
Many athletes use visualization to help increase their performance on the field, court, track, etc. Visualization is when an individual focuses on a specific outcome they want to achieve and they hold it in their mind, imagining it becoming a reality. When you imagine something happening over and over again, your brain may have trouble determining if that thought is just something you have imagined or if it is something you have actually accomplished. This visualization has the ability to create new pathways in your brain through neuroplasticity that may help you actually accomplish the task you are visualizing in the future. Drive your brain where you want to go. My wife always says if you “put it out there,” it’ll have a better chance of coming true.
If you need help getting through a busy summer, I am sure you can find some classes on mindfulness, breathing, and meditation on Seven Mile Beach. Mental fatigue can also be combated with exercise, proper sleep, proper nutrition, and stress relief. If you optimize your schedule with all of the above, you may just make it through another summer!
If we do it right, you can be on the lookout for “Nora’s Bites” in a bookstore near you (or more likely on Amazon). Instagram and a YouTube channel to come.
