Reclaiming Focus Through Creativity

Image Courtesy of Tim Mossholder via Unsplash

Have you noticed you are less able to focus on tasks? Are phone notifications pulling you away? How often do you find yourself zoning out on social media? The rapid pace of technology advancement may well not be advancement at all when it comes to human health, creativity, and overall wellbeing.

I have heard more and more people speak about the inability to focus, high distractibility, and feeling quite overwhelmed with their pace of life and to do list. What happens in the brain when we are constantly pulled into distraction and how do we reclaim our capacity to focus?

There are 2 key centers of the brain that get hijacked by technology and the rapid pace of life we find ourselves in. It is important to note that social media in particular, but also AI technology is driven by mimicking slot machines that capture our attention. The developers have admitted to the ways they have tapped into the brain's addiction centers. What are the two key brain centers being triggered by technology?

1. Tapping into dopamine centers of the brain: dopamine is a brain molecule that is very sensitive to seeking out reward and pleasure. You have likely heard about dopamine hits. What are those hits exactly? Well, dopamine runs on anticipation of reward, therefore it doesn't matter if the end reward is meaningful or positive, because it's the anticipation that keeps us in a dopamine craving state.

2. Triggering stress responses: Let's face it, social media thrives on triggering our fears, anger, jealousy, and envy. The developers have admitted that the more a post can trigger anger or aggression, the higher it ranks in their alogrithms. All of these triggers leave us locked into lower consciousness fueled by our false ego. Conditioned narratives of not being good enough, worthy enough, or needing to dehumanize others to make ourselves feel better fill our headspace and ultimately leaves us lost, lonely, and distracted.

I recently submitted an article on the dangers of AI and was truly amazed when the editors came back with my needing to limit the article to around 500 words because that's all the attention span their readers have these days. And, these are people who are following a spiritual path which encourages 2 hours a day of meditation! What has happened to our capacity to focus, critically think and ponder? How do we reclaim these abilities?

Creativity is an Act of Rebellion

Let's now shift our focus to the antidote for ever decreasing attention spans. Creativity is a key driver of reclaiming our capacity to critically think, become resourceful, and to increase overall flexibility needed to smoothly navigate life's ever changing demands.

1. Dopamine thrives on creativity. Think about the rewards you receive when you have created something new and original. How did your body and energy respond? What about coming up with a unique solution to a problem? The act of tapping into our creativity helps ignite this critical reward center of the brain. Now, even if our creation isn't the best, the attention we place on pursuing creativity is enough to activate sensations of satisfaction.

2. Multiple parts of the brain are activated: When stuck in the stress response, most of the critical thinking and problem solving parts of the brain are shut down. Creativity brings these critical aspects back online through tapping into all areas of the brain. Creativity helps us slow down long enough to get the reactive part of the brain out of the way through bringing us back to the present moment, allowing time to consciously ponder, and stimulating novel solutions to problems our stressed out mind couldn't access.

In a day and age where answers are now seemingly at our fingertips, choosing the slow path of pondering, creating, and innovating seems to be an act of rebellion. I could let AI offer me a framework for this blog post, but that would diminish my ability to sustain focus, tap into higher parts of my brain, and offer something of real value through also bringing on board my deeper passions and values. Tapping into my creative energy offers far greater internal fulfillment than I would achieve by having technology spit out something for me.

Have you found yourself so overloaded with information that you don't know what to do with it all? During my last group workshop, a comment was made, "this is great information. Now, the critical factor is taking time to actually take this information and put it into action." That comment was spot on. So, the question I have for you is, how would taking time to pause, ponder, and reflect support your ability to translate that information into deeper transformation?

The art of creation is rooted in curiosity, pondering life's mysteries, and asking questions that may not have rapid answers. This is how we both slow down the pace of life and reclaim our ability to focus. It seems paradoxical to think that slowing down may be the key to reclaiming our time in this fast-paced world, but when we are caught in overwhelm, the courageous act of slowing down is the key to reclaiming our capacity to access creative solutions.

How would choosing to focus on a creative pursuit impact your life? What activity already sparks that opportunity to slow down and become present? How can you add more of that to your life?

We will cover these topics and more in my upcoming group workshop on June 18th. This is a free women's Zoom event, so make sure you register and save your spot today! Details and registration can be found here: nourishedheartswellness.com/events

Curious to see how coaching can help you access your creative side? Book your free 30-minute discovery call here: nourishedheartswellness.com/book-online

In loving service,

Dr. Stephanie Nartaki Heinhold