How To Give Your Brain A Break Without The Guilt

Have you noticed that lately, you have the attention span of a goldfish? According to a study by Microsoft, the average human being now has an attention span of eight seconds (yes, goldfish are believed to have an attention span of 9 seconds)—a decrease from the average attention span of 12 seconds almost 20 years ago. More distressing is the fact that a newly recognized disorder called attention deficit trait (ADT) is reaching epidemic proportions in the workplace. Marked by agitation, distractibility and impatience, ADT prevents employees from making intelligent decisions, setting priorities and managing their time. The cause of these phenomena? Human beings are bombarded with too much information.

Information overload is a major problem for society today. The onslaught of new content being created and disseminated daily via the Internet is overwhelming. So much so that Mitchell Kapor, the founder of Lotus Development Corporation who designed the “killer application” Lotus 1-2-3, is famously quoted as saying that “getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” According to psychologist and attention expert Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., author of Find Your Focus Zone: An Effective New Plan to Defeat Distraction and Overload, information overload can cause forgetfulness, fatigue and difficulty with focus. Not only that but some sources estimate that your brain makes up to 35,000 decisions a day, leading to mental fatigue. The increased stress and anxiety we feel from trying to process too much information in today’s hyper-connected world is undeniable.

With email and social media following us wherever we go, it’s more important than ever to let our brains take a break. According to Hortense le Gentil, author of the upcoming book Aligned: Connecting Your True Self with the Leader You’re Meant to Be, “Breaks allow you to check in with yourself and refuel. Checking in helps you align with yourself as you step back, get some distance, remind yourself of your 'why,' and examine whether your thoughts, your words and your actions are congruent.” Gentil offers three valuable tips to reclaim mental space in your daily life so you can make room for your intuition and stay connected with your aligned self.

1. Practice mindfulness
2. Embrace meditation
3. Mindfulness techniques in action

Read the full article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2019/09/11/how-to-give-your-brain-a-break-without-the-guilt/#32dcaaad4b2f