Sometime in middle age, we notice our processing speed slowing down. Learning new skills, adapting to change, or recovering from previously manageable demands may take more work. When we see these signs of ageing (or simply warnings of mental overload), we become concerned about staying mentally sharp. Try one of these suggestions to help your cognitive agility rebound.
Smartly and non-judgementally manage fatigue
Fatigue causes many reductions in our mental performance. Rather than thinking, “I should be mentally sharp always, no matter what,” treat mental sharpness as a resource that needs to be managed smartly and non-judgementally. Fatigue isn’t a personal failure or weakness; it’s merely a byproduct of the loads we carry. Our attitude to fatigue, and being more matter-of-fact and strategic about managing it, is critical to optimising mental performance. Be deliberate about when you push yourself to your limits. Don’t attempt peak performance constantly. Especially as we age beyond our 30s, we may notice that different types of effort, including mental and physical, may seem to draw from the same bucket of energy reserves.
Eliminate junk fatigue
We all experience stress related to our goals (eg, career) and values (eg, caring for a sick family member). However, some tension and the resulting mental or physical fatigue don’t serve our goals or values. Think of this as junk fatigue. Causes can include rumination, anxiety, disorganisation (such as spending time looking for misplaced items), or habits we continue out of obligation. Improving our ability to notice and label junk fatigue will interrupt the causes. Evidence-based solutions rather than admonishing yourself will be more effective.
Don’t major in minor things
It’s easy to seek a supplement, brain-training game, or a specific protocol to transform our mental focus and/or slow ageing. Although it might not feel exciting, the big three lifestyle factors (exercise, nutrition and sleep) will likely have a far more significant impact on how you function. If one of these areas is a bugbear for you, good habits in one or two of the big three can somewhat offset less good habits in one of the others. For example, research indicates that high physical fitness can offset some of the adverse effects of insufficient sleep.
Get a fresh perspective on your core area of expertise
As we advance in our careers, we typically spend more time in an expert role. Being very experienced in a particular type of work and deeply involved in the associated community can mean we forget to question that field’s dominant assumptions, methods and values. Exposing ourselves to influences far outside our field prompts us, as psychologist Adam Grant phrases it, to not merely answer questions but also question those answers. My favourite way to avoid thinking ruts is to become a “minor expert” in a different field. For instance, I recently took a deep dive into the methodological nuances of exercise science, which has given me a fresh perspective on psychology research. Tools like ChatGPT can also help uncover different angles on problems or projects you haven’t considered yourself.
Try deloads
Deloads are a concept from bodybuilding. They typically involve taking a week off training or doing very light training for a week. We might benefit from a deload if we’ve been grinding away at a goal or life in general and feel accumulated fatigue that doesn’t dissipate with regular rest (eg, we don’t feel rested after the weekend or a night of good sleep). For instance, take a week off from an activity that fatigues you and do yoga or meditation that week instead, or have a week of very early nights.
We can better maintain cognitive agility by thoughtfully managing fatigue and being mindful of when and why we exert our peak efforts.
