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how to get mentally sharp

bighooter

bighooter

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 31, 2008
Messages
1,660
What are the best ways to get a sharp mind?

My severe depression has aged my brain dramatically I have the brain of like a 69year old.

I honestly feel like a vegetable somedays.

At school I was very funny and reasonably wity I know why this was and its because I was sharp.

Am I totall destroyed for the rest of my life or is there hope?

I do sudoko occasionally and have just started to read books.

What else is there I can do?
Is there any special books I can buy or anything?
 
Cut back significantly or all together on drinking/drug use.

Get enough sleep (8 hours a night of uninterrupted sleep).

Do things that involve critical thinking and memory work; University classes, playing an instrument, reading, etc...

Basically you want to challenge your brain to perform in ways it hasn't in a while, the more you do something the brain remodels to make that process easier and quicker (the brain has a finite amount of 'resources' which it delegates to different tasks depending on how often you use them).
 
learn formal logic

take a class where you'll be forced to talk with other intelligent people

meditate

practice a sport that requires intense concentration

piracetam

meet new friends that are cerebral/intelligent
 
piracetam

lsd

sleep

meditation

eat only organic foods

take an hour or two to just think deeply

read a book that you enjoy

you were probably ok in school because you were doing school work that challenges your brain

listen to complicated electronic music

do things that you enjoy

you are totally ok
 
wizekrak said:
Get enough sleep (8 hours a night of uninterrupted sleep).
Click to expand...

Cant say this enough. Make sure to get b/w 7-9 hours no more no less b/c less will lead to sleep deprivation and more will cause laziness which will perpetuate your depression. This of course varies from person to person only you know what is the right amount.

Also exercise is important. Not 2 weeks but 2 months uninterrupted and I guarantee you will see a noticeable improvement in not only your physical appearance but also your spiritual well being. Vigorous exercise (cardio & resistance) not briskly walking around the block for 30 min each day.

Lastly, this off topic but out of curiosity whats up w/ your avatar? Isnt that the psycho from the school killings in Illinois about a year back. Its kinda weird and I find generally creepy. But alas i guess to each its own.

Good luck
 
cheers people I appreciate the help

@ Arnold yes i have taken ginseng (and gingko biloba) and have recently started just taking it again (i heard you have to cycle it otherwise you become to stimulated).
Anyway I definatly think it helped but my depression was so severe that it didnt really have any effect due to always feeling lethargic apart from when i was excercising.

As for sleep I am not sleeping aswell lately but I am mainly weight lifting.
Last year I was running 5miles a day and having the best sleep of my life.
However I was so depressed I didnt feel any real benefit from it other than sleep.

But I think tbh now that I am on anti depressants if I start running again then maybe I will feel alot better overall.

I just had a 5mile run this morning and done it in 30minutes and 5 secs.

As for the avatar i'm sorry if it offends anyone really I am if anyone wants me to take it off then I will.
But currently (not as much now the citalopram is kicking in) my mentality feels like his must of been.
I've honestly had some terrible dark thoughts but im changing my life;
no more alcohol/drugs
read more
learn more
keep on taking my meds
 
Have a nutritious smoothie for breakfast. That usually helps my mind and keeps me more alert throughout the day. You can use fruit, vegetables, protein mix, milk, and anything else you want.
 
I agree actually. Although piracetam I believe is prescribed off-label in europe for depression, I wouldn't bank on it.

Piracetam will simply make you more jumpy and edgy (over-cholinated).
 
I would suggest trying sobriety LOL, at least for a good few months. and submerging yourself in information. read read read read....doesn't have to just be books. i read mostly online or basically whatever the hell seems interesting to me. ever use google reader or anything? watch and see as much as you can around you and try to learn from it. people who read and watch and absorb information have more to talk about and expand upon. being sharp doesn't always mean talking or doing. you can just be listening and absorbing as much as you can, and digesting it in your own mind.
 
Im also suffering from a lack of mental sharpness and this thread has given me a few top ideas, thanks guys.

I think the sport/musical instruments are for me, physical excercise seems to promote a healthy mind for me at least.
 
your brain is a muscle-work it out!

play games that require you to think (dont stop at sudoko-challenge yourself further)

read, read, read-go a little beyond what you feel is your "level"

surround yourself with people of higher intelligence than yourself and instigate stimulating conversation, even if just to listen to what they have to say.

learn a new language

meditate
 
One of my professors suggested when studying/reading, to walk around every 15 minutes to get the blood flowing. He also believed that your mind was just like other parts of your body and it needed to be exercised.

I am doing organic chemistry this semester, which is hard for me :-/ but maybe you could pick up a book that is a challenging read?
 
Gaian Planes said:
learn formal logic

take a class where you'll be forced to talk with other intelligent people

meditate

practice a sport that requires intense concentration

piracetam

meet new friends that are cerebral/intelligent
Click to expand...

Listen to this advice..When I'm enrolled and engaged in a college class that is full of smart people and interesting thought provoking topics..I'm sharp as a tack...

Exercise is also a god send and so is cycling on and off of Piracetam, but with your depression/anxiety issues, piracetam can make that worse....

After a semester of reading college textbooks, im more verbally articulate and have a better sense of mental well-being.
 
Don't just read books that will make you smart. There are alot of smart people that aren't very funny or witty. Read / Watch / Listen to media that have a positive fun vibe for you. "Funny and witty" is an infectious state as much as anything else.
 
For strictly keeping the mind sharp, try dividing numbers in your head (start with smaller numbers, like 15/11= 1.3636.... to start). Also, perhaps learn some music theory, or at least, learn how to play an instrument.

Also, for the most part, I don't think wittiness can be learned...
 
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