In today's society many people seem to be distracted, bored, impulsive or addicted to certain types of behavioral patterns. These activities are typically related to children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) who grow into adults with ADHD. Many children and adults alike are not consuming enough neuronutrients otherwise known as "brain nutrients". The issue with this type of behavior is it reduces our ability to clearly focus and hurts our everyday lives by inhibiting productivity and relationships.
With all the technology, like emails and texting, this is creating that sense of unrealistic urgency. People are always on the go, forgetting that it is just as important to slow down and rest. People are multi-tasking, only giving a small amount of attention to each project which doesn't allow them to really focus completely on what needs to be done. The changes in our work, social and eating habits have contributed to the increase of distractability and impulsive behavior. Some clear indications of this behavior include:
- Feelings of restlessness or feeling hyper - like feeling anxious when sitting still for any period of time.
- Finding ourself easliy distracted like checking emails while cooking dinner or talking to your family while reading texts.
- Having a dificult time concentrating or remembering tasks to be done.
- Having the feeling that you need to see distractions or acting on sudden urges .
There are social and nutritional factors that create these behaviors but they can be reduced. By changing your diet and supplement regimen there are cases where this can completely reverse these behvaior and help you maintain a focused and calmer brain. and life
In our society it is expected that you will be able to multitask but this is leading to more errors than if you actually focus on one task at a time. By reducing your multitasking you can decrease your stress and cortisol levels. Another note is that continued high levels of stress hormones damage the brain cells that are involved in forming new memories. If you notice that you are feeling spacey when you are stressed it is because you are losing some of your ability to concentrate and remember.
Impulsiveness is a classic symptom of ADHD in children. Just as a child may dart out in front of a car, an adult may spend their days darting mentally or physically. Generally they find it difficult to think before acting so they accomplish much less than they would have had they focused on one task at a time.
While mltitasking this creates overload, poor focus and distractibility. One loses the ability to filter out the less important stimuli that keeps us on tract. Our attention span becomes shorter and shorter.
The combination of impuslivenenss and distractibility sets the stage for impuslive-addictive behavior. This is like being addicted to drugs or aclohol. This releases endorphins, adrenaline and dopamine. This is like being addicted to drugs or alchol. When the withdrawal feelings start one feels uneasy or anxious. Of course we do not like these feelings and they make us uncomfortable so the process starts all over.
By creating a healthy diet one can overcome many of these symptoms and improve their health and lifestyle. Planning ahead is really the best way to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Have fruits and vegetables ready to eat in the refrigerator. Help stabilize your blood sugar by eating a little protein at each meal. This in turn, will help curve mood swings. Add high-fiber foods and nonstarchy vegetables like dark leafy greens, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peppers, carrots, kale and leeks as well as fruits like apples, kiwi, melons and berries will help with your memroy too.
Drink plenty of water and teas to keep the system flushed and hydrated. Avoid caffeine, sugar, soft drinks as much as possible. Many of these contain artificial sweetners which may contribute to imuplsive behaviors.
If you are able incorporate fresh fish into your diet to help with the anti-inflammatory response.
There are some supplements that are known to be helpful like Omega-3 which are found in fish oil, flax and chia. These help reduce inflammation in the body and brain. GABA which is gamma aminobutyric acid, helps the brain remove non-important information, i.e., distractions. B complex vitamins are essential for all areas of the body including reducing poor attention, twitchiness, physical agression and moodiness. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may help to restore normal brain levels of GABA as well a the body's reserves of gluathione.
So by cleaning up your diet, breathing, taking time to resist the urge to multi-task you may begin to feel less restless and more calm. This will take time, but the payoff is well worth it.
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