Clearing Your Frazzled Brain and Regaining Focus
1. Start STOPping.
According to Jha, mindfulness is “a mental mode characterized by attention to present-moment experience without judgment, elaboration, or emotional reactivity.” Meditation also involves breathing and focus exercises.
As you go about your day, use environment cues such as a stoplight, a grocery line, or an elevator to show up mindfully.
S: If you’re physically stopped — try to mentally stop as well.
T: Take a breath. Become aware of your breath by focusing on the sensory experience.
O: Observe. Be aware of yourself and the world around you.
P: Proceed. Keep moving forward.
2. Power through the distraction.
You should force yourself to stay focused on the task at hand despite distractions for five minutes. During this time, you might struggle to produce quality work — especially if your concentration level is low. However, the key is not to automatically succumb to distractions. Keep doing this whenever your focus begins to slip. Why? The more you practice, the easier it will be to remain focused. As your mental endurance grows, you’ll be able to focus for longer periods of time.
3. Do nothing for two minutes.
The fact that you have multiple tasks on your plate may drive you to finish them as soon as possible. The problem with that? There’s a greater chance of making mistakes or getting distracted.
Taking a few minutes to sit at your desk and do nothing works extremely well to increase your productivity and reduce the chances of making mistakes. What’s more, you should take a break if you notice symptoms like daydreaming or drifting after a prolonged period of work.
4. Control your self-talk.
According to Cecille Ahrens, a psychotherapist, and owner of Transcend Therapy in San Diego, it’s essential to be aware of your self-talk, including “the things we tell ourselves [and] the unchecked stories we have in our heads. "Her recommendation is to learn how to control how you talk to yourself so that you do not spiral into worry. “If you find yourself saying or thinking ‘I’m never going to finish this,’ see if you can replace it with a more supportive statement like ’I am doing my best, one day at a time,” she said.
5. Adopt the 5×5 rule.
This rule is based on a pretty simple concept. Don’t spend more than five minutes obsessing over something that won’t matter five years from now. In theory, it sounds easy. Unfortunately, in reality, it’s easy to get distracted by little things that don’t matter in the long run.
6. Engage in ART.
“In 1989, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan proposed a theory called attention restoration theory (ART) that explains why many of us experience cognitive (mental) fatigue and how ‘green experiences’ can help us restore our cognitive functioning,” writes Shawn M. Burn, Ph.D. for Psychology Today.
Modern life requires what ART refers to as directed attention or voluntary attention. As we do many things, we need to concentrate, focus, and block out “task-irrelevant stimuli.”
Nature (Green) Experiences Counter DAF
ART also suggests that, in addition to soft fascination, “natural environments are also restorative because they often give us a sense of being away, says Dr. Burn. Environments like this give us the feeling of taking a break from the routines and responsibilities of daily life.
Maximize the Restorative Effects of Your Green Experience
- Avoid using your smartphones unless you need to take a few photos.
- While in nature, engage in minimal conversation.
- “Thought-stopping.” Tell yourself, “Stop, I’ll think about that later.” or set aside time to problem-solve so you don’t prevent restoration.
- Discovering places in your community or nearby your workplace that provide a variety of services. An example is soft fascination, like watching a sunset or watching the clouds roll in.
7. Get to the root cause.
Whenever you’re having trouble concentrating, take a timeout and identify the cause. The problem could be caused by a number of factors. A few common reasons include having too much on your plate, avoiding difficult tasks, or not being interested in what you do.
8. Eat an apple a day.
International scientists have hypothesized that mammals’ brain structure and function might be shaped by diet. Their study examined whether bioactive factors (natural compounds) found in apples affect hippocampal neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells) in adult mice. High concentrations of natural compounds in the fruit, including quercetin and DHBA, may improve brain function.
9. Become a lion tamer.
Among his most popular blog posts, productivity and creativity expert James Clear compares focusing to taming lions. Clear points out that “The classic image of a lion tamer is one of an entertainer holding a whip and a chair. The whip gets all of the attention, but it’s mostly for show.” Using the Pomodoro technique, you can accomplish the above. To begin, clear your work area of distractions and get comfortable. After you have set a timer for 25 minutes, concentrate as hard as you can on the task at hand for the entire period. Just as in meditation, if your mind wanders, stop and return to the task at hand. After the time has expired, take a break. During the day, you can do as many 25-minute blocks as you wish.
10. Practice the 3-2-1 technique.
In any context, professional or personal, this technique can be effective for grounding. If you find that your focus is slipping or you are tempted to stop paying attention, ask yourself:
- Currently, what are three things that I see? In the workplace, it might be your computer, desk, or coffee cup.
- What are the two things I’ve done recently? Using this method, you will be able to refocus on where you are in terms of completing the task. You might reply, “I responded to a Slack message and cleaned my desktop,” if you are preparing your child’s lunch.
- For my task to be accomplished, what should I focus on? Or, “What’s important now?” (or WIN).
Read the complete article available at Thrive Global!
Reflection:
What are your thoughts on these techniques?
#Focus #Attention #Brain #Coping
If you liked this article, you might also like, "How ‘Deep Work’ Can Help You Focus, Reduce Stress, and Be More Productive"
@comfortableNight4463
HI Night,
The 3-2-1 techinque is a great way to cope with things and helps distract your mind as well.
@Asher I'm glad you like that technique! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
