现在的人被太多事务纠缠，导致大脑像在迷雾中一样，思维迟缓、不能清晰地思考问题，注意力也难以集中，记忆力也逐渐减退。甚至出现错误、拖延或者干脆无法完成任务。脑雾还可能因睡眠不足、身体虚弱以及脑部损伤等原因而发生。如果你感到长时间的头脑不清晰和注意力不集中，应该寻求医生的帮助，以了解这些症状背后的原因，并进行适当的治疗。同时，「良好的生活方式」，例如适当的休息、饮食、运动和压力管理等，可以帮助减轻脑雾的症状。那么，日常生活中，我们该如何提高大脑清晰度呢？
A common meme online says, “My brain is like an internet browser. I have 19 tabs open, 3 are frozen, and I have no idea where the music is coming from!” Sound familiar?
网上常见的一个梗：“我的大脑就好像是个浏览器，开着19个网页，其中3个网页没有响应，还有这音乐到底TMD哪来的！” 听起来耳熟吗？
With so many things to do and think about these days, you may well find yourself lost in brain fog, and wondering what to do about it. Returning to a state of mental clarity can take time. But utilizing some strategies for reducing stress and reorganizing your thinking may help. Here are 7 habits that may help boost your mental clarity.
现如今的人要做的事和要考虑的事太多，很容易就陷入脑雾之中，不知所措。我们需要花费些许时间才能恢复到大脑清晰的状态。但运用一些减轻压力和重新组织思维的策略可能会有所帮助。以下是七个有助于提升你大脑清晰度的习惯。
Habit #1 Clear Your Mind
一、理清思绪
One habit you might want to do on a regular basis is a little mental house cleaning. When you clear your mind, you can remove unnecessary items that are clogging the system and make more room for an uncluttered way of thinking. For example, take out the garbage.
也许你想定期进行的一个习惯是：简单清理思绪。当你理清思绪时，你会清除掉那些堵塞大脑系统运转的不必要的东西，并为清晰的思考腾出更多空间。比如，清理大脑垃圾。
But how do you do that with thoughts?
那么如何理清大脑垃圾呢？
One way is to do what is known as a “brain dump.” Having a habit of writing in a journal can be helpful to pour out all of the extra thoughts and emotions that don’t need to be in the forefront of your thinking. Spend some time each day emptying your head by writing it down. Let your mind and thoughts flow and cleanse your brain. Go from having your mind full, to becoming “mindful”, by purging what you don’t need, and retaining those things that you do want to focus on.
一种可行方法是，进行所谓的“大脑倒垃圾”。养成写日记的习惯，可能有助于将大脑前沿所有不必要的额外思绪和情绪倾吐出来。每天花一些时间写下思绪，给你的大脑倒垃圾。让你的思绪自由流动，净化你的大脑。让大脑从思绪过载状态进入到“专注”状态，需要你清除不需要的垃圾，留下你想要专注的事物。
Another way to clear your mind is by using a calendar to write down important dates and appointments. By posting them in a way that can be tracked and reviewed often, you don’t have to try to remember everything. If your dentist appointment isn’t for two more weeks, you don’t have to remind yourself every day about it. Check your calendar to stay on top of what’s coming up, but let your mind be free to think of daily tasks in the meantime.
另一种理清思绪的方法是：使用日历记录重要的日期和约定。将日程张贴在你可以经常追踪和查看的地方，你就不必费力记住所有事情。如果你离与牙医的约定日期还有两周，你就不必每天提醒自己去看牙医。通过查看你的日程，使你清楚知道即将要做什么，同时又能让你的大脑有空去思考日常任务。
Habit #2 Take Regular Breaks
二、定期休息
Your brain gets worn out after several hours of repetitive activity. So give it a rest. By taking regular breaks throughout the day, you create space in your mind. If you are constantly receiving input, eventually you’ll run out of room. Your brain is like a receiving dock with ships pouring in every day with more cargo. If you don’t reroute the cargo to another bay, or ship it out to its next destination, pretty soon the ships will have no place to unload. Stop allowing new ships into your harbor until the cargo from the last group has been processed. Your harbor also needs to shut down at night so your workers can get some rest.
连续几个小时的重复活动会让你的大脑疲惫不堪，所以让大脑休息一下吧。每天定期休息，你的大脑将从容不迫。如果你接连不断接收输入，最终你的脑袋会塞得满满当当。你的大脑就像一个装满货物的港口，每天都有船只卸下货物。如果你不将货物重新分配到另一个区域，或将其发往下一个目的地，很快这些船只将无处可卸货。在上一批货物没有处理完之前，不要让新的船只进入你的港口。在夜晚时关闭你的港口，以便你的工人能休息片刻。
Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep to refresh your brain for the next day. When you sleep, your brain’s waste clearance system cleans up your central nervous system and toxic byproducts from the day’s buildup. Sleep contributes to organizing your memories, improves problem solving skills and concentration. Basically, your brain is getting you ready for the next day. Without good sleep, you may find yourself lethargic, more confused and irritable. Get plenty of sleep and take regular breaks throughout the day to promote your brain’s ability to do its job at peak performance.
保证充足的睡眠，以让你的大脑在第二天能恢复精力。当你睡觉时，大脑的废物清理系统会清理你的中枢神经系统和每天所产生的有毒副产品。睡眠有助于整理记忆，提高解决问题的能力和专注力。从根本上来说，睡眠是你的大脑正在为迎接下一天做好准备。没有良好的睡眠，你可能会感到昏昏欲睡、更加困惑和易怒。保证充足的睡眠，并且每天定期休息，以促进你的大脑在最佳状态下运转。
Habit #3 Daily Meditation
三、每日冥想
Meditation is a habit that can reap benefits every time you do it, as well as collectively over time. This practice can give you a sense of calm, peace and bring you into a state of balance. By refocusing your attention on your breath and letting go of busy thoughts, you may find yourself more grounded and less stressed. For starters, five or ten minutes of sitting in meditative silence can be helpful. And as you gain discipline and experience, you may want to increase your time to twenty or thirty minutes.
冥想是一个每次都能带来好处的习惯，随着时间的推移，收益还会逐渐积累。冥想可以让你感受到宁静、平和，带你你进入一种平衡的状态。通过重新聚焦你的注意力于呼吸，卸下繁杂的思绪，你会发现自己变得更加脚踏实地，压力也会减轻。对于刚开始冥想的人而言，静坐冥想五到十分钟可能会很有帮助，随着你的毅力和经验增长，你可能会想将冥想时间延长到二十或三十分钟。
A famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi stated, “I have so much to accomplish today that I must meditate for two hours instead of one.” He was referring to the fact that the benefits of meditation were so helpful that he would be more productive on a hectic day if he spent a little more time preparing with meditation first!
圣雄甘地说过一句著名的话：“今天我有太多事情要完成，所以我必须冥想两个小时而不是一个小时。”他指的是冥想的好处是如此之大，以至于尽管日理万机，如果他能先花时间进行冥想，他这一天会变得更加高效！
There are many books and websites dedicated to the practice of meditation. But the basic steps are to sit down, close your eyes and focus on your breath. If thoughts arise, acknowledge them and let them go, and return to focusing on your breath.
致力于冥想实践的书和网站有很多，但基本的步骤是坐下来，闭上眼睛，专注于你的呼吸。如果有思绪浮现，承认它们然后放下它们，重新专注于呼吸。
Some people like to use a timer so they won’t be distracted wondering how long they’ve been sitting there. Set a timer for five minutes and then forget about it. Just focus on your breathing. When the timer goes off, open your eyes slowly and do some gentle stretching. When you are ready, get up and carry on with your day with better clarity and mindfulness.
有些人喜欢使用计时器，这样他们就不会分心去纠结自己坐了多长时间。设置一个五分钟的计时器，然后就把计时器忘掉，只专注于你的呼吸。当计时器响起时，缓缓地睁开眼睛，做一些轻柔的伸展运动。当你准备好时，站起来，以更清晰和有意识的状态继续你的一天。
Aromatherapy can enhance your meditation practice as well as bring clarity through the sense of smell. Internist Yufang Lin, at the Cleveland Clinic, suggests that some essential oils can have rejuvenating effects. For example, peppermint may promote clearer thinking. Rosemary may enhance memory. And Citrus scents like lemon and orange may be uplifting. Diffusing oils in an area where you are working might have beneficial results on mental clarity.
芳香疗法也可以增强你的冥想效果，并通过嗅觉带来清晰感。克利夫兰诊所的内科医生Yufang Lin建议，一些精油可以让你的精神焕发活力。例如，薄荷可能有助于思维更加清晰，迷迭香可能会增强记忆力，柠檬和橙等柑橘类香味可能会让人精神振奋。在你工作的场所使用香薰精油可能会对思维清晰度产生有益影响。
Habit #4 Focus on What Matters
四、专注重要事物
If you have too many thoughts swirling around in your head fighting for your attention, focus on what matters most. It’s hard to have mental clarity when you are trying to think about too many things at one time. For example, if your mind is bogged down with your daily to-do list, write it down so you can look at it from another perspective and batch your tasks into individual groups.
如果你的脑海中思绪纷飞，争相吸引你的注意力，就专注于最重要的事情吧。一次尝试想太多很难保持思维清晰。例如，如果你的脑袋被日常待办事项所拖累，写下来，这样你可以从另一个角度看待待办事项，然后将繁重的任务分割成单独的分组。
By getting it out of your head and onto paper, you can get organized and prioritize your list. Fragmented thinking is not an effective way of accomplishing anything. So choose the most important thing first and then work on the following tasks one at a time.
将思绪从脑海中拿出来，落在纸上，你就能安排好你的清单并确定优先顺序。碎片化的思考不是完成任何事情的有效方式。因此，先选择最重要的事情，然后逐一处理后续任务。
Habit #5 Take a Walk
五、散步
A simple but very effective way to boost mental clarity is to take a walk. But how can something so easy make such a difference in how you think? Why does it seem to clear our heads?
简单有效提升思维清晰度的一个方法是：散步。但是为什么这么简单的事情能让你的思维产生如此大的变化呢？为什么散步似乎能让我们头脑清晰呢？
One reason is the fact that walking increases blood flow. When you have more blood flow reaching the brain, it stimulates the release of endorphins. These are neurochemicals that make us feel good and reduce stress and pain. Many of the great thinkers throughout history accredited long walks with inspiration and problem-solving. Walking is one of the most common ways to boost mental clarity and clear away the brain fog.
一个原因是：散步会增加血液流动。当更多的血液流向大脑时，会刺激内啡肽的释放。内啡肽是一种神经化学物质，能让我们感觉良好，减轻压力和疼痛。许多历史上的伟大思想家都认可，长时间的散步能够激发灵感和提高问题解决能力。散步是提升思维清晰度、消除脑雾的最常见方式之一。
Habit #6 Watch What You’re Consuming
六、注意你的饮食
The foods or substances you are putting into your body are affecting your thinking, either positively or negatively. Caffeinated drinks like coffee or green tea may give you a quick boost temporarily, but they won’t solve the underlying reasons for your foggy thinking.
你吃进身体的食物或物质会影响你的思维，要么有益，要么有害。咖啡因饮料如咖啡或绿茶可能会让你的精神暂时有所提振，但它们并不能从根本上解决你的脑雾。
Eating healthy foods and avoiding extra salty or sugary foods can help maintain brain health. Too many carbs and sugar can spike blood glucose levels, leaving you feeling depressed, tired and irritable. According to research, eating foods that promote brain health, like leafy green vegetables, berries, walnuts and fatty fish may help improve your mental clarity.
健康饮食并避免摄入过多的盐或糖能有助于保持大脑健康。过多的碳水化合物和糖会使血糖水平飙升，让你感到沮丧、疲倦和烦躁不安。研究表明，摄入促进大脑健康的食物，如绿叶蔬菜、浆果、核桃和富含脂肪的鱼类，可能会有助于改善你的思维清晰度。
Habit #7 Declutter the Junk Mail
七、清除垃圾信息
One more tip you might want to remember is to empty your mental “junk mail” folder. You don’t need to keep track of all the meaningless chatter that gets sent your way. For example, if someone at your office keeps telling you all of the latest gossip about your coworkers’ personal business, you can delete it from your mental file.
你可能还想记住的一个小窍门是：清空你心理档案中的“垃圾信息”。你不需要跟踪所有那些毫无意义的喋喋不休的闲言碎语。比如，如果你办公室的某人一直向你传递关于同事个人私事的最新八卦，你可以将这种闲言碎语从你的心理档案中删除。
By letting go of repetitive loops of irrelevant news you can clear the space and reserve your thinking for things that really matter. If something needs your attention, then act accordingly to address the need. But letting go of other people’s problems and social trivia will make you feel lighter and less stressed.
通过卸下那些重复的无关紧要的信息，你可以释放出心理空间，将思维保留给真正重要的事情。如果某件事需要你的注意，那么采取相应的行动来解决它。但是卸下别人的问题和社交琐事会让你感到更轻松、少些压力。
Author Cheryl Richardson wrote, “Just because some people are fueled by drama doesn’t mean you have to attend the performance.” By clearing your mind, engaging in healthy activities and relaxing self-care techniques, you may find it easier, and more likely, to maintain mental clarity to help achieve your goals.
作家谢丽尔·理查德森写道：“只因为有些人喜欢制造戏剧事件才能推动生活，并不意味着你必须参与其中。” 通过清理你的思维，参与健康的活动和放松的自我护理技巧，你可能会发现更容易、更有可能保持思维清晰，从而实现你的目标。
译制：良哥
source: The Art of Improvement
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