7 All-Natural Tips to Improve Focus & Concentration

Is there anything worse than that 3pm feeling? If you’re reaching for your fifth cup of coffee by mid-afternoon, it’s high time for a change. What’s the best way to improve alertness and focus naturally?

Dietary supplements are one popular focus booster, but if you’re hoping to keep your daily routine simple, holistic, and in-line with your life as you live it ordinarily, you might be interested in learning more about how to improve focus through a naturally healthier lifestyle.

Our Best Advice for Improving Focus: 7 Tips and Tricks

Maintain a Healthy ADHD Diet

It’s totally possible to improve your concentration and to calm hyperactivity through a healthy diet – food is medicine, and a well-nourished body is calmer and much more focused. A balanced diet leaves us craving nothing, our concentration fully trained on the task at hand.

Our advice is to skip the spiel on superfoods for now; instead, work toward a more comprehensively-healthy way of living, starting with your next meal. 

A balanced, focus-healthy diet^[1] includes whole grains, omega-3 fatty acids, and produce rich in compounds like vitamin K^[2], vitamin C, and brain-healthy antioxidants. These healthy fats have been proven to be integral to the regeneration of the brain cells as we age, vital to memory and cognitive ability.

It doesn’t have to be all fish oil and green smoothies, either – in fact, your favorite dark chocolate treat might actually help you increase focus outright, on its own merit. The caffeine dark chocolate contains can help you improve mental clarity on-the-go throughout your day whenever you’re in need of a boost. The same goes for coffee and tea.

Eating well will also often net you a significant improvement in heart health in addition to helping you treat ADHD. Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels as a consequence of your new diet might also help you avoid a host of other long-term health conditions down the road, such as diabetes.

Avoid sugary foods and anything that might potentially cause an undue spike in blood sugar. Some studies suggest that artificial food colors might also^[3] disrupt focus; avoid any food sensitivities such as lactose or gluten^[4], as well. When you’re uncomfortable, your attention span will inevitably take a hit.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

The evidence backing this point is beyond conclusive^[5], especially in behavioral therapy for children.

Adequate sleep is essential for physical health, concentration, mood, and cognitive performance. If you have trouble sleeping at night, you can try a non caffeinated herbal tea, a hot bath, or a good meal.

Avoid stimulants if you struggle with sleep, especially in the early afternoon, and try to block time out daily for exercise. Yoga is one especially effective^[6] way to improve your quality of sleep every night. You can watch videos online if you’re interested in trying it out for yourself. 

Keep Your Mind Occupied and Active

Our brains are just like any of the muscles that we can work out at the gym. Regular exposure to challenging tasks and even fun puzzles and games^[7] can improve cognitive performance in as little as ten weeks^[8].

It’s a choose-your-own-adventure type of situation – anything that gets your brain moving can be a great way to increase concentration, no medications required. Video games, creative activities, things like sudoku and crossword puzzles, and skill-building challenges like learning to code or draw all qualify.

Exercise Regularly

Daily cardio and strength training are two of the most effective alternative therapies for those who would like to improve behavior and concentration naturally, without medications. 

The conductors of this study^[9] were able to follow and provide medical advice to 120 trial participants with dementia. Over the course of a year, they were able to increase the size of each subject’s hippocampus by 2% on average, all through aerobic exercise. 

The hippocampus is the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory; these results were achieved through light exercise like walking and stretching, a routine that people of any fitness level can commit to. Even a short walk with your family might be enough^[10] to improve concentration for everybody involved.

Spend Time Around Plants

Emerging evidence^[11] shows that access to green space has a significantly positive effect on the mental health and emotional well-being of children. 

These studies are compelling more and more urban planners to provide plenty of green spaces in places like hospitals and inner-city areas; even simple touches like office plants have been shown to encourage productivity and good conduct in a professional setting^[12].

Meditation and Gratitude

Mindfulness meditation practices have been shown to bolster cognitive ability^[13], lengthen the attention span, and, of course, calm your mind, leaving you much less restless throughout your day.

This approach is incredibly flexible and can be tailored around your routine and responsibilities; try taking a short mindfulness pause at your desk the next time you’re feeling stressed at the office. If you have time in the morning or in the evening every day to sit down and ruminate, the ritual might be able to help you reduce feelings of anxiety and daily fatigue^[14].

Sometimes, You Just Need a Break

It’s simple, but it’s so true. Burnout is the worst, but it’s easy to avoid when you learn to listen to your body when it’s time to give it a rest.

You don’t need to go on vacation – a trip to the break room^[15] with a cup of coffee might be more than enough to get you back on your feet and on with your day.

If you ever catch yourself twiddling your thumbs and spinning your wheels, that’s one surefire sign that you need a moment to yourself. Step outside, have a snack, and grab a fresh cup of water. You’ll be feeling as good as new in no time.

All-Natural Way To Improved Focus 

Medication for concentration isn’t always the way to go. You don’t necessarily need a doctor to provide medical advice on how to stay focused throughout your day. The solution is often right at your fingertips. 

The the seven pieces of advice above are all clinically proven to be more than effective against a soul-rending case of the Mondays. We invite you to give any or all of them a try the next time you need a quick pick-me-up at a moment’s notice.

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