Feeling Overwhelmed? Discover 4 Tips for Staying Focussed
The modern way of life in the west does not set us up to focus. We are constantly pinged, dinged, tagged and drawn to different sources of stimulus competing for our attention; we all have a to-do list longer than our arm’s length with items that we know we’ll never get done; and, we’ve been living through a hugely testing time. Unfortunately, the result of misfiring our attention is disappointing and can leave us feeling overwhelmed.
We spoke to Life and Leadership Coach, Caitlin Cockerton (PhD, CPCC), to get some advice on how to focus during challenging times and avoid the paralysis that comes from feeling torn between the multiple responsibilities of life, work and parenthood.
1) Ditch the idea of multitasking
To understand how the human mind pays attention – the process by which our brain decides what’s important out of the constant stream of information it receives – it’s helpful to take a quick look at science.
Dr Amishi Jha, a Neuroscientist and Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, is an expert on this and explains that our focus is like a torch – wherever you point it, that area becomes brighter, delivering high-quality data back to your brain.
When we’ve got our ‘torch’ focused on the right things, we can offer a huge amount of our mental computing power to that thing while the rest fades into the background. The problem is that we think we are cleverer than we are and we believe that we can ‘multitask’.
Dr Jha’s research, however, leads us to a different conclusion. We can’t focus on multiple things at once – we have merely become accustomed to switching our focus, almost constantly! This means the one torch of focus energy we have (which is finite!) is darting all over the place, trying to shine its light on 10 things in the span of a minute. This doesn’t give us the bandwidth to really process, think and act effectively. Our computing power isn’t built for it and we wind up in a scattered, foggy state of overwhelm – kind of like our mind’s own ‘spinning wheel of doom’ when our laptop cops out!
2) Retrain your focus
Firstly, this step is about developing your focused attention – training it, like a muscle. A basic mindful practice of noticing where your attention goes will give you a sense of the degree to which you are stretching your brain’s power across too many things.
The next thing is to focus on one thing for short and manageable amounts of time. Two to three minutes of mindful breathing where you notice the breath; a walk in nature where you look at the flora as if you’ve never seen it before, appreciating all its intricacies; even washing your hands and really attending to the sensations of the water, soap, foam and so on. Research shows that even a few minutes of mindful practice a day helps to strengthen our focus and allows us to be more present in all aspects of life.
3) Tune inwards
Next, create a time to tune into that inner voice. You know the one, it’s always with you, and it’s often telling you that you want more or less of something, or that something is not quite right, or that there are yearnings worthy of your attention. If writing things down is your thing, journal in this time. If the simple act of conversing in your own mind is more your thing, do that; if a deep chat with a friend allows you to listen to what’s inside, make that time. Here are some prompts that could be helpful to focus on that inner voice. Try to engage with each question singularly, with real attention and patience in allowing your answers to surface.
- What do I really want?
- What is the most important part of that desire right now?
- What am I really good at?
- What work do I find meaningful / aspirational / impactful?
- What daily, little joys can I be more mindful with?
- What do the things that bring me joy say about me?
- What do I need to let go of? What does harmony look and feel like to me?
4) Commit to small changes
Finally, as you notice that inner listening brings recurrent subjects and clear themes to the fore, make a choice about starting a small, focused action around one thing that feels really important to you. Maybe there’s a passion that needs more time in your life, a skill that could be developed further with a course, or a thorny problem that you can solve one little bit of.
Remember that we don’t have to drop everything, change everything, do backflips and 180s to make changes that bring more fulfilment. In fact, small, measurable changes in what we focus on is what our brains have the capacity to give high-quality processing to. With consistency, this better, fuller engagement in things that matter is at the heart of leading a life that feels aligned with who you want to be and the mark you want to leave.
Caitlin Cockerton is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach, and founder of Great Heights Pathways. Together with AliKats Mountain Holidays, Caitlin runs seasonal Back to Nature weekend retreats in the French Alps where like-minded adventurers come together to engage in personal development work as well as trekking, yoga, forest bathing, wild swimming and other delights. The four-night fully inclusive group retreats take advantage of the stunning mountain seasons, and include Summer Flourishing (23-27 June 2022), Autumn Harvest (12-16 October 2022) and Winter Wonderland (26-30 January 2023).
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