How to Develop Mental Stamina

Mental stamina, the ability to remain focused on a task, is an important part of success in many vocations and avocations. Though widely misconstrued as an inborn talent, focus is a skill that can be learned and improved upon. Just as with other skills, other factors can affect success such as environment, energy levels and physiological state.

Instructions

Internal Factors

• 1

  Eat right. Solid nutrition is a key element in increasing mental stamina. Like other parts of your body, the brain needs certain key nutrients in order to function at peak performance. Avoid processed sugars and eat enough protein and iron. Take a multivitamin daily for the same reasons.

• 2

  Get adequate rest. Start with 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night and add periods of relaxation throughout the day. Even a five minute walk around your building can bring your brain up to a higher level of function.

• 3

  Spend time outdoors. A recent study suggests that an hour outside daily can be as effective as a dose of ritalin to children with attention deficits. What works for a child's brain can be helpful for an adult.

Practice Concentration

• 4

  Play games that require concentration, such as chess or checkers. Avoid video games for this purpose, as most engage the mind too fully. Instead of building focus, the test your ability to switch rapidly between tasks.

• 5

  Read a book that holds your interest only moderately. Each time your mind begins to wander, force yourself to concentrate for the remainder of the page. When you finish the page, close the book and move on. If you do this daily, you will find yourself able to read more and more pages without losing focus.

• 6

  Meditate frequently. This doesn't have to be a complex yoga pose or a deep self-hypnosis. Simply sit and empty your mind. Keeping your mind free of thought takes more concentration than many complex tasks. As with the book exercise, meditate until your mind begins to wander, then focus for a few moments longer before moving on.

Practice Breathing

• 7

  Breathe into the bottom of your belly, filling your torso until you've topped off your lungs.

• 8

  Breathe out in the opposite fashion, from top to bottom as if pouring out a pitcher.

• 9

  Practice this breathing style consciously for several breaths whenever it occurs to you. Proper breathing floods your body with oxygen, which helps the brain function. Breathing practice also relaxes your mind, which again helps the brain to function.