Many of us can relate to that sluggish trap we fall into, unable to think clearly, or accomplish anything.Throughout this holiday season I for one have found it especially difficult to concentrate; something about break seems to have stripped the desire to do pretty much anything productive with my life, including writing.
Writers block; every writer's nightmare, is primarily induced by a flustered mind. You know, when we know exactly what we're thinking, but somehow forget how to string words along the page. At the root of issues like writers block, lies the inability to concentrate.
So how do our brains get distracted?
Our brain, as described by David Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow, is divided into two essential processing systems; system 1 and system 2.
While system 1, in brief, controls the processing of involuntary stimuli, and our response to such events, system 2 controls conscious processing and responding.
System 1 can be described in terms of the automatic flinch arachne-phobic's undergo in response to a spider, or to anything that looks like a spider, triggering the same automatic response. The arachne-phobic's involuntary response isn't the result of them consciously processing and evaluating the spider's image or existence. Their brains automatically kick into fight or flight, that too, unconsciously.
System 2 may be described in terms of anything we do voluntarily; studying for an exam, walking to class, etc.
To remain focused, system 2 is continuously pinned against sensory (things happening around someone), and emotional (thoughts within the mind) distractions.
Emotional distractions are credited as the worst, as it is justifiably increasingly difficult to run away from one's own thoughts. More often than not, we find ourselves engulfed by our inner troubles and only focused on that "horrible thing that happened a week ago"that made us feel depressed for whatever reason.
Our brains are actually hardwired to focus on the inner issues at hand instead of our other responsibilities, so that we may solve them. If we think about this from an evolutionary perspective, we focus on the primary issues in order to resolve them, and as self absorbed individuals, our brain's have evolved to place our inner conflicts above external ones.Thus, trying to accomplish remotely anything while undergoing some form of emotional trauma is nearly implausible and unlikely.
So how do we ensure that system 2 wins?
The obvious answers lie along the classic, holistic list of activities such as meditating, spending quality time in nature, and partaking in an activity of relaxation or of interest. All such activities balance neuro-chemicals and kick the brain into a calm state of mind, which eventually enables clearer thinking, and effective concentration.
I for one took a great nap before writing this.
