More Concentration: 6 Tips and Neuroathletic Exercises

Reading time: 7 min.

The many hours we spend in front of screens every day make it increasingly difficult to concentrate on individual tasks or topics. The flood of images and sounds that continuously bombard us from smartphones and the like makes it harder and harder to focus our thoughts. This problem doesn't just affect adults – many students also suffer from digital overload. With smart concentration training and targeted concentration exercises, you can overcome concentration weaknesses. We'll show you 6 simple tips and 9 exercises that can instantly boost your concentration – for adults and children.

Causes of Concentration Problems

Instead of productive multitasking, constantly jumping between different tasks and activities leads us to only superficially process things and feel overwhelmed more quickly. This gives us the feeling that we can't properly finish anything. The result: digital overload. A state in which the sheer abundance of information literally overwhelms us. Those who consciously avoid multitasking create space for more concentration and thus work more effectively. But what other strategies and concentration exercises are there to deal with the many stimuli?

Digital Resilience through a Healthy Lifestyle

There are a number of strategies to arm yourself against the negative influences of the digital world. A healthy lifestyle with regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and a balanced diet forms a good foundation for better concentration. In addition, it helps to consciously integrate digital breaks into daily life to relieve the brain and recharge with short health exercises. This creates a good basis for improved concentration.

6 Tips for More Concentration and Productivity

Neurotrainer Luise Walther has put together 6 tips for you to help you concentrate more easily, increase your productivity, and bring more concentration and focus into your daily life. Because concentration is not just a matter of the head, but the result of many factors such as breathing, movement, perception, and posture. This is where neuroathletics comes in. The tips are suitable for adults, students, and even younger children for working, learning, playing, and many different daily tasks.

1. Breaks as a creativity booster

Breaks for more performance? What sounds strange has long been scientifically proven. Since humans have a limited attention span, it is advisable to regularly schedule short breaks during work to be able to concentrate better overall.

A useful method to implement this is the Pomodoro Technique. Here, you work concentrated for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. These fixed time limits help you to complete tasks more efficiently and prevent you from getting lost in a task or matter for too long. This helps with many concentration weaknesses and prevents concentration disorders from occurring in the first place.

2. Small Exercises Amidst Daily Stress

Sports and exercise are important for reducing stress and recovering the mind. If you don't have much time and find motivation difficult, you can use reaction boards to integrate simple exercises into your daily routine. The boards show you arrows in different directions. This allows you to take an active break according to your individual preference and, for example, train your eyes, jaw, tongue, arms, or legs. There are no limits to your imagination. It is best to hang the boards visibly at your workplace. This way, you will be reminded to do the concentration exercises.

Head and Leg Training

Stand in front of the board. For an upward arrow, go onto your tiptoes; for a downward arrow, go into a squat; for a rightward arrow, lift your right heel; and for a leftward arrow, lift your left heel.

Training for Eyes and Neck

For neck mobilization, make a pure head movement with your gaze fixed on the center of the VOR board. Make the following head movements: Up-right, up-center, up-left, right, a short stop in the center, left, down-right, down-center, down-left.

3. More Concentration Through Breathing

The way we breathe significantly influences our mental performance. Through deep and conscious breathing, more oxygen enters the lungs, is transported into the bloodstream, and finally reaches our brain. The increased supply promotes energy production there, thus reducing concentration problems. Breathing exercises can work for children and adults alike. Try these two exercises for more focus:

Ladder Breathing

Stand upright, knees relaxed. Place your hands on your stomach and breathe deeply in and out through your nose. Focus on breathing into your hands, into your abdominal area. Now place your hands on your rib cage and breathe deeply in and out through your nose into your hands, into your rib cage. Then place your hands on your chest, breathe deeply in and out through your nose into your hands, into your chest.

Sigh Breathing

Breathe in maximally through your nose, take two more gulps of air, then breathe out maximally, slowly, and evenly through your mouth.

4. The Right Color

If you have difficulty tearing yourself away from the PC, colored glasses can help you increase your attention. It is believed that the different colors in the spectrum of sunlight have a unique effect on our psychological state and our body. Each color is linked to different emotions and moods. For example, green is often associated with nature and serenity, which can have a calming effect and help reduce stress. Yellow, on the other hand, is perceived as energizing, which promotes concentration and has an uplifting effect for many people.

5. Digital Detox

It is important to consciously schedule tech-free periods into your daily routine to conduct a digital detox. Avoid constantly checking your emails or social networks and turn off your phone when you don't need it. By freeing yourself from constant digital distraction, you avoid concentration disorders and can work more productively – studies also show this studies.

6. More Focus Through Sound

Another effective method to improve your focus and concentration is the targeted listening to sounds at specific frequencies that activate the so-called "gamma rhythm" in the brain. They are also called "gamma brainwaves". These brainwaves increase your attention, promote your creativity, and can improve cognitive processing ability and memory.

But how do you hear these frequencies? A bone conduction headphone helps you with this. It transmits sound not through the ear, but directly to the skull bones and the inner ear via vibrations. Practical in the office: Since the headphones do not sit on your ears, but behind them, you can still perceive ambient noises such as a ringing phone.

8 Neuroathletic Exercises for Lack of Concentration, Focus, and Stress

Is your concentration waning, your focus slipping, and do you quickly feel overwhelmed? Then it's time to get your brain really moving – in the truest sense of the word. With targeted exercises, you can train the ability to concentrate better, reduce stress, and get your brain back into play mode – no matter if it's for learning, working, or in everyday life. Here you will find 9 simple neuroathletic exercises that are an effective method to develop more concentration and gradually improve your focus:

Breathing Relaxation

Place one hand on your belly button and the other hand on your sternum. As you inhale, push your hands, and thus your skin and tissue, upwards. As you exhale, push both hands evenly downwards again. Repeat the exercise once more.

 

Breathing with Superband

Tie the Super Band around you at the level of your rib cage. Breathe evenly in and out through your nose against the band's resistance for at least two minutes. If the breathing feels comfortable, you can perform this exercise for up to thirty minutes.

 

Breathing with the Breathing Belt

Fasten the breathing belt with light resistance around your abdomen, directly below the ribs. Breathe in and out against the resistance of the breathing belt for at least two to five minutes, completely relaxed.

 

Eye Focus

Look with both eyes at a letter on the Vision Stick. Fixate on the letter and keep your eyes on the stick. Adjust the distance so that you see the letter clearly. If your eyes get tired, end the exercise.

 

Eye Spirals

Focus with both eyes on a letter on the Vision Stick and follow the spiral movement of your hand with both eyes. Choose a smooth speed that is comfortable for you and keep your eyes on the letter the entire time.

 

Lunges with Arrow Board

Stand in front of the board. Follow the arrow direction with your lunges: Arrow up means step forward. Arrow down means step backward. Arrow right means step to the right. Arrow left means step to the left.

 

Gaze Stabilization with VOR Board

Stand in front of the VOR board. With a calm head position, jump with both eyes in the following directions on the VOR board: up-right, up-center, up-left, right, stay in the center, left, down-right, down-center, down-left.

 

Shoulder Mobilization with Arrow Board

Stand in front of the board with arms extended forward. Follow the arrow direction with your arms: Arrow up, both arms up. Arrow down, both arms down. Arrow right, right arm to the right, and Arrow left, left arm to the left.

 

Conclusion: More Concentration Through Simple Exercises

The challenges of the digital world can severely impair our ability to concentrate. Various factors play a role in this. With the right strategies and exercises, you can actively counteract concentration problems and weaknesses.

Neuroathletics offers children and adults an innovative and effective way to increase both physical and mental performance and thus achieve all (learning) goals. Integrating simple breaks, active movement exercises, and conscious breathing techniques can work wonders. Use the power of colors and targeted digital detox to regain your mental clarity. Effective neuroathletic exercises can help you restore the balance between your brain and body.

So: take the step and discover the potential within you with these concentration exercises – you'll be surprised how easy it can be to optimize your concentration and productivity with just a few exercises. Say goodbye to concentration weaknesses and procrastination!