Tools for Improving Focus and Attention Span | Dr. Rick Hanson, Being Well
@RickHanson and I explore how we can improve focus and fix our attention spans in a world that is constantly trying to distract us. We discuss common reasons it’s hard to focus and three key interventions that can help most people. Rick teaches approaches from mindfulness practice, and I explain how we can improve focus motivation and distress tolerance. Topics include ADHD, the role of dopamine, expanding the “Goldilocks Zone,” the practice of doing hard things, and how we can become less reliant on willpower.
Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
2:55 Deliberate focus
5:25 Three key areas where we seek focus
9:20 Self-belief and inner turmoil
14:35 Three factors for sustaining focus
21:00 The goldilocks zone, physical health, and emotional preoccupation
24:15 If you struggle with meditation/mindfulness...
32:10 Willpower vs. motivation
39:40 Quieting the mind
41:15 Decreasing the reward value of our distractions
48:40 Being present with others
53:25 ‘Going wide’, self-compassion, and other tactics for completing tasks
1:01:40 Choice and rumination
1:05:45 Recap
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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.
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I'm not a clinician, and what I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice.
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