Distraction

 

Why do I get distracted easily? How can I stop being distracted? Distraction is ruining my life! Is being easily distracted a disorder? These kinds of questions come to our mind every time we focus on something rather that the one we're doing. Maybe you are writing a really important report and your mind stray to what you should have for dinner. Or perhaps an email notification is what draws your attention away from the task at hands. In this case, worrying or panicking won't solve the problem because that's how the human's body works.

We can only focus on a subject for an average of 12 minutes before something distract us. Even worse, it takes us whole 25 minutes to get back on course after getting distracted. Surprising right!? But why can't we focus without distraction?

Let's dive more into this; 

Our brains are amazingly complex organs that are made to take in new information and adjust to our surroundings. However, this asset can work against you. Our minds are dynamic and constantly looking for a new stimuli, which can make it easy to get distracted from the task at hand.

That's why our brains are hardwired to be distracted.

The human's ability to focus is not a constant flow but brief intervals. And between those intervals, there exactly where distraction takes place. The brain in this moment, takes a break, check the surroundings and looks for what's more important than what you're doing to focus on. If it fails to detect something, you will refocus but not before wasting valuable minutes being distracted.

Imagine this; you're working on a project when your phone beeps to alert you to something. It only takes that little beep to throw off your concentration, and you could find it more difficult to focus on again that you thought. This also applies to attention-grapping news headlines and captivating social media posts that tempt you to look away from your work and become lost in a world of distraction.

We live in a world full of distraction, so being distracted has never been your fault.

 Let's take a break here and let me ask you a question; When I tell you "Distract yourself from the problems, and you will feel better" Do I mean the negative distraction here ? Do I need you to get distracted in the negative way so that you can feel better? of course NO! You will feel worse. That's why we have to distinguish between Negative distraction and Positive distraction before taking any actions.

"Don't get distracted! Pay attention" Teachers say this whenever they catch students getting carried away with their thoughts during the lesson. And of course no teacher wants this to happen.

This suggests that being distracted is harmful to anyone's well-being in some situations.

However when someone tells you "distract yourself from the problems, and you will feel better". This highlights one advantage of distraction. It's true that we don't always have control over our minds. It does become disoriented and wanders around. Not every distraction is the same, which is a good thing. Distraction have both; Advantages and Disadvantages.

Positively escaping and diverting our attention are possible in a lot of ways for example;

Reading;

For a moment, reading is a great method to temporarily escape into a different world and reality. One of my favorite ways to take my mind off the little things in life is to curl up with a good book.

Video games;

Video games aren't exclusively for young people. I am one of the many adults I know who use their phones or laptops to play games as a form of diversion. Especially during times of waiting, boredom, and frustration, for the majority of us, our phones are never away from us. Games can be mentally demotivating or exciting. When utilized appropriately, they can help relieve stress and prove to be beneficial.

Puzzles;

It can be so productive to play puzzles. I have a lot of happy memories of working jigsaw puzzles on the table. I have always loved solving them.

Creative activities are one of the many ways we can divert our attention from difficult situations without having a negative impact on the situation we are diverting from. In a way, productive distraction promote mental tranquility and satisfaction. But we should be cautious in the circumstances we seek to divert attention from. Distractions that are good for you are only for good causes.

How to escape the Negative distraction;

We ca overcome it by using multiple techniques for example "See the task getting done";

Imagine that you have completed the work. Many people find it easy to divide the work into smaller steps to avoid distraction. Visualisations drills make those steps more concrete. When you see the final results, ask yourself, "what are the first steps to get started" and by that the vision will start to be more clear.

Behind seeing the task getting done, we have to maintain "Emotional control"; 

I consider this as a crucial step to stay away from distraction, because even our thoughts and emotions can distract us. We don't have to blame it all on media and phones.

Feeling of disappointment, such as "I wasn't selected for the promotion" or " I didn't get accepted into my top college", can be particularly distracting for some people. Giving in to the emotions can result in fairly poor work output. Failure does not indicate a lack of ability. It's just one experience; it doesn't represent your value as a person.

"Stop, Look, and Listen";

When a task isn't going well, instead of giving in to distraction, set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes and take a break. Stop when timer sounds and reassure yourself "it's okay, intelligent people can accomplish a lot in a short period of time". Examine your to-do list by gazing into your mental image. Maybe you will decide that it's enough and return to the task later. Avoid overreacting. Let logic arise above your feelings.

Final words

Distraction can be both; beneficial and detrimental, but how they affect us is all up to us. It can be more beneficial than harmful to divert your attention in productive ways for worthy causes. It all depends on what kind of distraction you are facing and what action you pick. To make the best decision, it is crucial to understand the differences between various types of distraction. Rather than eliminating distractions, all you need to do is to teach your mind to divert itself positively when necessary. Teach your brain to divert from the negative and concentrate on the good.

All love and support

Check my Focus blog post to enhance your mind abilities in focusing.