Managing Monkey Mind

Do you feel like your brain is going a million directions at one time and it’s hard to actually get anything done?  

I’m seeing this A LOT in my patients.  There are lots of questions about ADHD diagnoses, nutrient deficiencies playing a role, blood sugar regulation, sleep support...  These absolutely ALL can play a role and are important to look at as part of this picture, but there’s another key piece that people don’t realize.

Most people CAN’T actually multitask.  Only about 2.5 % of people seem to be able to effectively do that.  Everyone else is task switching - jumping from one task to the next.  As we do more switching from task to task - we actually become less efficient and lose more time between them.  It also makes it very difficult to be mindful and truly present in the moment which is really important for your mood and productivity.

Many of my patients have a lot of responsibility.  They’re managing households, teams at work, children’s activities, classrooms, etc.  This requires their brain to be in many directions at one time.  

We need to PRACTICE slowing down, PRACTICE single tasking, so we can remind our brain how to do this efficiently.  I challenge you to choose one household task and just do that.  When unloading the dishwasher - don’t pause to put the milk back in the fridge or to empty a dirty plate into the garbage, don’t turn on your podcast or your music.  Instead, focus on that one task at hand and move a little bit slower in your kitchen, reminding your brain to slow down.

Another really important piece is to look at technology and how it inhibits single-tasking.  When you’re trying to get a project done, the e-mail pop up about swimming registration may not be enough to get you to open the email and register for classes, but it certainly is enough for you to lose focus for a moment and distract and overwhelm you.  Even seeing the little light on your phone showing you that there’s a message is enough for your brain to struggle to focus on the task at hand.  I want you to think hard about what notifications you actually NEED to get your job done and manage your responsibilities.  What happens if you don’t see that email immediately at 8pm at night?  Technology can be fantastic and efficient in so many ways, but we need to be intentional to not allow it to contribute to overwhelm and inaction!

I challenge you to try these things and report back, it’s not easy, but it makes it so much easier on your brain when we’re actively trying to single-task!