This week I had several conversations about attention. Particularly about how our attention can get hijacked. I also attended a webinar by a colleague on attention training. Attention was certainly a focus for me this week. Both attention and attention degradation - how we lose our attention. Attention is our superpower, but certain factors can derail our ability to engage our attention.

Let’s start with the definition of attention. Attention is our ability to hold our focus. We can all hold our focus for a length of time. Typically, the length of time we are attentive depends on certain factors. For example, as I write (type) this article, I am focused on it. My attention is wholly on writing this article. But I am also aware of ‘random’ thoughts that are whizzing by wanting my attention as I write. So far, none of these thoughts have been able to take me away from typing. But I know at some point one of them will grab my attention.

Can I predict the time, and thought that will catch my attention and take me away from my writing?

I believe I can! And so can you for your context.

But first a bit of theory on how our brains work with regards to attention. I refer to Peak Mind by Amishi Jha’s research on attention. She says that our attention is constant. It is always there but degrades over time because of brain wandering. NOT because of mental fatigue from using our cognitive resources but because it is our essential survival mechanism. She argues that if we try to sustain focus for too long our attention will scatter off because we are BIOLOGICALLY predisposed to do so.

And that makes sense. It’s a type of internal alert system inherited from our forefathers to ensure our survival. If we are too focused on the tiger in front of us, we may not be aware of the other tigers in the vicinity. Remember, the brain’s fundamental function is to keep us alive and well. But we also live in a different world today compared to our forefathers. Our environment is different. It is more supportive in allowing us to train our attention to help us work and live more effectively. Attention helps us and our brain adapt and evolve.

But how?

Maybe the thoughts that are whizzing by in my head are subconsciously alerting me to things that need my attention! And ironically a couple of them do. And they fall into the 2 key categories that Jha talks about in her book.

Inner landscape – most stressors we have are not external. They are internal “weeds”. Try hard to whack them down only for them to bounce back. We can escape our weeds for a while but if we don’t address them, they ‘bounce’ back. These include fear, uncertainty, ruminating, effects from not feeling physically or emotionally well, and more. The inner weeds need to be addressed to stop our attention from being hijacked.

Cognitive closure – wanting to achieve a resolution to something confusing, unsettling, or even ambiguous. Many of us experience this. We leave conversations ‘hanging’ or unresolved which then hijack our attention because it remains an open loop in our subconscious wanting resolution.

Earlier this week, my husband, Markus, had a high fever following a meal at a restaurant. Though he did not have any other food poisoning symptoms we put it down to food poisoning or a severe food allergy. It took longer than expected to fade away and my brain kept wondering if we missed something. I was getting alerts whilst writing, wanting my attention.

And here’s another irony. And this makes sense too. Relaxation as an antidote to attention degradation does NOT work! Because relaxation does not address the reasons our attention is degrading. Trying to suppress or not think about a polar bear makes our brains think about polar bears! Rather than suppressing them, we are better off accepting and allowing them. This takes conscious effort. But trying to suppress something keeps it in our working memory longer impacting our ability to hold our focus.

So, if you are having trouble focusing on one thing, check your inner landscape and look for any open cognitive loops. A good place to start to reduce attention degradation.

As always, you can reach me at yoga@yoganesadurai.com