How to Heal From Directed Attention Fatigue; Go Into Nature
Our brains are overworked and overtired. We spend all day working and with technology at our fingertips, we never give our brains a break from directed intense focus. This can lead to attention fatigue, and it may be damaging your mental and physical health. But there may be an easy solution right outside your door.
When it comes to our brains there are different types of attention. Remember the last time you concentrated on a singular task, like taking a test or working on a complicated project? After a certain amount of time in that highly concentrated state, people often describe themselves as brain tired or even brain dead.
Our minds are like muscles, they can get overworked when concentrating for too long. This can lead to stress, weight gain, burnout, and anxiety. The good news is our brains can disconnect and recharge.
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5 Warning Signs of Chronic Stress You Can’t Afford to Ignore
Stress is fine in small doses–in fact, it’s a natural and necessary hormonal response that encourages your body and mind to activate appropriately when required. We can avoid danger, perform at a high level, maintain sharp focus, and react swiftly to urgent situations all thanks to our quick-acting stress response system.
When functioning normally, the stress response shuts down or “deactivates” automatically. For example, you might be anxious about giving a presentation at work; once it’s over, however, your worries vanish. Your heart may pound before competing in a road race; after crossing the finish line you are quickly able to unwind. If you run a stop sign, it might take a bit of driving before you stop sweating, but you’ll be happily singing to the radio just a few blocks later.
These are examples of how short-term functional stress can help us with performance, attention and safety. Chronic stress is different; it builds up slowly over time. What happens is this: stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) are released, over and over again, in non-threatening situations or by a series of inappropriate triggers. When your autonomic nervous system is activated continuously or repeatedly by “false alarms,” it forgets how and when to turn itself off. A body overloaded with adrenaline and cortisol is a body suffering from chronic stress.
