“How do I stop my racing mind?”

This is a common client request and a question that has become more frequent.

It’s difficult to focus on ‘stopping’ or lessening something, without also understanding what is the thing we want more of – (granted - knowing what we don’t want is usually an easier place to start)!

When we explore this, it often brings about a desired state of mental stillness or ‘space’ and the ability to retain focus. It seems focus and attention are becoming more elusive – Why? Our world is full of interruptions and we cater for the lack of attention span with 30 second reels and short form podcasts to get snippets of info because we can’t handle too much!

We have so many different channels of information; email, internet, social media, podcasts, blogs, radio etc etc. And we are often doubling up with a few at one time - it’s overload! There’s always more – more information to be discovered, more news to be abreast of.

Is it any wonder we can’t concentrate for any length of time – we practice distraction and live at 100mph. Our brain is full to the brim of inputs and information to decipher – so when we might stop consuming information and go to bed – our mind races, or we fall unconscious and wake up processing in the early hours.

How can we avoid getting caught in this modern-day trap? – and it is a carefully constructed trap for our attention – so we can’t blame ourselves if we are in it!

The first step to change is always raising the awareness –

What are the things that draw us in, which doesn’t serve us/align with our goals and values?

When do we find ourselves flicking channels/scrolling?

What is the main source/s of distraction?

The easy answer is to stop! But we know these behaviours hit some addictive circuitry in our brains, so it isn’t always easy to break the habit.

We know smartphones are one of the biggest contributors – Incidentally, there was a study recently that took the internet off phones for 2 weeks (allowing calls/texts and internet usage still on desktops). Subjects experienced improvement in their ability to retain attention (plus improvements in mental health and subjective wellbeing).

Some suggested considerations:

• ‘Airplane mode’ is a great tool – this is usually accessed via a simple swipe up or down - we can then become intentional about our phone use.

• Use apps to turn off the internet, if you need to be available via phone/text

• Tech holidays - Depending on where you are at - maybe begin with a portion of your morning, an evening, progressing to a day?!

• And/or simply having a draw where you put your phone out of sight when you are at home, so it doesn’t lure you in (we know just the presence of the phone divides our attention!)

• Have a phone curfew time when we put it away for the night

Rather than merely avoidance of distraction, how do we practice focus/attention – a form of stillness?

There’s been many indications boredom is good for creativity but our impulse is to fill these moments.

When do we have an opportunity to allow for boredom - It might be in a queue for a few minutes, driving without having the radio/music on for a few moments.

Where do you already have the opportunity to focus?

• Watching your chosen TV programme or film, reading a book – can we have phone out of sight?

• Doing chores – washing the car, washing the pots, cleaning, cutting the grass – allowing a light focus but allows thoughts to wander.

• Many people say taking a shower, taking a walk, being out in the garden are great times for solving problems, getting ideas and generally allowing for a settling of thought.

  
  

‘Auto-tasks’ like this where we don’t need to engage a great deal of cognitive power and allows thoughts to wander can be great for mental processing. If thoughts remain ‘unfiled’ they are likely to float about around the brain, creating the feeling of ‘mental mess’.

I often love to listen to a podcast whilst doing chores, but my headphones have broken and it has been good to go without!

And finally, what would you like to use your attention for? What would you like to get completely absorbed in?

• Learning something new; music, a language, reading

• A hobby – painting,

• Feeling fully present and immersed yourself with your friends/family

  
  

In the past, we would not have had as many distractions but humans across many different cultures understood the value of practicing some sort of focus – ie. prayer, meditation. Across many practices, the starting point and/or ‘anchor’ is so often the breath. We may be biased, but we agree it is a great tool for a focus exercise, which can also bring about other body-wide benefits.

Our Monday nights FREE offering; Breathing Space is a great place to start – I lead 15-20 minutes of a simple breathing exercise to help promote calm in the body. To find out more and to join (you can do this simply as and when you are able) click here.

Our Breathing Space Deeper Dive programme starting next Tuesday 24th June, 8pm on Zoom will explore these concepts and more. We are offering a discounted price; £20 off, meaning it will be £75 (rather than full price £95) with the code BREATHINGSPACE20. To sign up, or find out more, then click here.

Catherine Jackson MRSPH

(Health Coach) - Find out more about health coaching