Are You Addicted to This Substance, Like I Am?
Photo by Laurynas Mereckas on Unsplash
I didn’t realize that I was addicted. Yes, I knew that I had a hard time sitting still. I knew that it was hard to concentrate on one thing at a time. I knew that my thinking could be compulsive at times. But an addict?
My symptoms: It’s hard for me to settle and concentrate on a project for long. I always want to check the news, look for new emails, check Instagram, or click on that interesting link. I even like to clean the house by letting one distraction lead me to another, until eventually the whole house is clean—rather than just getting the floors finished and being done with it.
Why this is a problem: Some situations in life require the ability to be still, to savor, to focus for extended periods. Personally, I know that when I remove distractions and set aside bigger blocks of time, I can be more creative, produce higher quality products, and solve bigger problems.
My drug of choice: Dopamine
My biggest problem: It’s free and already inside me!
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter. That’s a chemical released by a nerve cell to send a signal to the next nerve cell in a chain or pathway of neurons.
It’s called the “reward neurotransmitter," because the pleasing feeling it produces motivates us to move toward pleasure producers and new learning—two things we all enjoy.
There is nothing wrong with desiring pleasing things and new learning! However, this healthy desire can be taken too far.
I follow National Geographic on Instagram. Their stunning pictures give me pleasure, and the descriptions below often teach me new things in an area of real interest to me. I love checking Instagram, because I might see or learn something new.
But, here’s what happens:
"When dopamine levels rise, you subconsciously want more of the good feeling it gives you, so you're driven to concentrate on whatever you're doing to keep getting it," says Lucy Jo Palladino, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Find Your Focus Zone. "But when your attention starts to falter, your dopamine levels drop and you start looking for a new, pleasurable distraction to replace that dopamine hit." (CNN Health)
So, this lovely chemical both helps me learn and concentrate, but it also gets bored easily. When that happens, I’m ready for a new fix! What makes it even harder is that we get a second “shot” of dopamine when the reward is unexpected or greater than expected. (Schultz, 2015)
As a result, those news feeds, Facebook threads, Instagram photos, cyber links (including pornography), and website searches are all the more alluring. We’re so drawn to check out that new thing in our inbox, in that link, or on our feed, because we may get a double shot of dopamine if it’s an unexpected surprise.
So, what do I do?
We can learn to not respond to the draw toward the “double shot” of dopamine that comes with that “just one more click.” Concentration is a skill that can be learned, but it takes practice. Mindfulness is a simple practice of giving focused attention to one thing—practicing non-judgment when our mind wanders—and it’s scientifically proven to increase concentration, focus, and reduce stress. It also helps with pain management and can even reduce age and racial bias (Lueke & Gibson, 2015).
Photo by Anthony Tori on Unsplash
For now, try this simple exercise.
1. Choose one very small, simple thing to focus on.
the bubbles in a simmering pot
the texture of the material on your couch
the sound of a bird outside your window
the in and out of your own breath
2. Take a few deep, slow breaths.
3. Set a timer for two minutes and concentrate on just that one thing.
4. Notice what is happening in your thinking.
5. When a new, enticing thought comes that allures you with another shot of dopamine, just say to it, "I notice you, but I’m going back to concentrating on my one thing."
6. Don’t criticize yourself that you have lots of extra thoughts. Just practice being mindful of your thoughts, while being gracious to yourself.
The little things that happen in our minds make a big difference. We need to learn to pay attention to our one thing—learning how to capture our thoughts rather than letting our unnoticed dopamine drive us to “just one more click.”
Mindfulness is a practice that can make a huge difference in so many areas of our lives, not the least of which is our ability to focus, concentrate, and savor the lovely gifts and moments we’ve been given.
Works Cited:
Lueke, A., & Gibson, B. (2015). Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Implicit Age and Race Bias: The Role of Reduced Automaticity of Responding. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6(3), 284–291. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550614559651
Schultz W. Neuronal Reward and Decision Signals: From Theories to Data. Physiol Rev. 2015;95(3):853-951. doi:10.1152/physrev.00023.2014