The Dangers of Attention Fatigue

Attention fatigue, sometimes referred to as DAF (Directed Attention Fatigue), occurs when you overuse your brain’s filtering ability. “Directed attention” (or voluntary attention) is the intentional and specific concentration on an object, in contrast to “involuntary attention,” which is attention that requires no effort. Typically, our brain’s filtering ability helps us deal with distractions, in order to maintain attention on a task.

In simple words, attention fatigue is a result of your brain being bombarded with “too much” – too much information, too much stimulation, too much stress, etc. While attention fatigue is not permanent or incurable, it can still impact your day-to-day functioning.

Attention fatigue inhibits various brain processes, such as executive functioning, which usually helps with planning ahead, making decisions, and exercising good judgment. Confusion, restlessness, forgetfulness, and short-tempers are more likely to occur as well. People also report feeling more impulsive, reckless, and unattuned to social cues when experiencing attention fatigue.

If you ever feel like your brain is overloaded, you may be experiencing attention fatigue. In this case, it’s important to let your brain rest and recover. One of the best ways to achieve this is through the practice of soft fascination.

What is Soft Fascination?

First, let us differentiate between “hard” and “soft” fascination.

• Hard Fascination: When you focus your attention on an activity that is highly stimulating
• Soft Fascination: When your attention is maintained by an activity that is less stimulating

Another important distinction between the two is that soft fascination provides the opportunity to reflect and introspect. In contrast, with hard fascination, you are typically too absorbed in the activity to pause and take a breath. In other words, hard fascination helps to entertain and reduce boredom, while soft fascination entails reflecting on and making sense of the activity.

Soft fascination is frequently researched in relation to Attention Restoration Theory (ART), a psychological concept that exposure to nature helps the brain in restoring its ability to focus and concentrate. Spending time out in nature helps relax the brain’s frontal lobe, which alleviates the symptoms of attention fatigue. Nature is ideal for practicing soft fascination because it is just stimulating enough to gently engage the brain without forcing hard concentration. The natural sounds and scenery coax our involuntary attention without requiring any intentional focus. Moreover, ART theorizes that exercising involuntary attention helps restore directed attention and any fatigue it has caused.

How to Practice Soft Fascination

As mentioned above, the best recommended practice for soft fascination is to go out into nature. Listen to the soft sounds – the chirping birds, the rustling leaves, the murmuring river – to take in the scenery. Notice the different colors, shapes, sounds, and smells. Environments that encourage soft fascination through exploring – such as hiking, or taking a walk in the forest – will gently stimulate your attention. At the same time, it still allows room for introspection and quiet thought. This allows for the opportunity to reflect on personal problems without any distractions that may dominate the attention.

If you don’t have easy access to nature, it is still worthwhile to just listen to the sounds of nature. The internet has various resources for all sorts of nature sounds, such as lightning storms or rainforest ambiance. Try to find something that you like, lie down, and close your eyes.

Mindfulness in Soft Fascination

If soft fascination still feels like a foreign concept, consider practicing mindfulness first. Mindfulness can help you become more accustomed to the practice of soft fascination, allowing for an experience akin to meditation.

Use Soft Fascination to Your Advantage

Your brain needs some idle time in order to rest and recover. This is especially true if you are constantly overstimulated on a daily basis through smartphones, TVs, and the internet. Sometimes, even reading a book requires too much effort from the brain. Moreover, pushing yourself too hard is never a good idea. Prolonged attention fatigue can cause functional issues that may lead to even more stress and anxiety. It’s important to let your brain rest when it needs a break.

If you ever feel overwhelmed from having too much on your plate, try to find some time to practice soft fascination!

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References:

Ackerman, C. E. (2020, September 11). What is Kaplan’s Attention Restoration Theory (ART)? Benefits + Criticisms. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/attention-restoration-theory/

Basu, A., Duvall, J., & Kaplan, R. (2018). Attention Restoration Theory: Exploring the Role of Soft Fascination and Mental Bandwidth. Environment and Behavior, 51(9-10), 1055-1081. doi: 10.1177/0013916518774400

Kaplan, S., & Berman, M. G. (2010). Directed Attention as a Common Resource for Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(1), 43-57. doi: 10.1177/1745691609356784

Ellison, M. A. (2018, March 14). Soft Fascination Allows The Mind To Wander in a Noisy, Urban World. Hiking Research. https://hikingresearch.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/soft-fascination-allows-the-mind-to-wander-in-a-noisy-urban-world/

Heid, M. (2021, June 17). How ‘Soft Fascination’ Helps Restore Your Tired Brain. Elemental. https://elemental.medium.com/how-soft-fascination-helps-restore-your-tired-brain-27669cd0be9d

Jamieson, S. (2019, November 4). Nature Exposure Helps Attention Fatigue – Dr. Susan Jamieson. Dr. Susan Jamieson Integrative Medical Practice. https://www.drsusanjamieson.com/health/attention-fatigue/

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What is Email Fatigue?

Worldwide, roughly 306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day in 2020. Email traffic is projected to increase even more each year. Moreover, according to research by Edison Software, 74% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the emails they receive. In terms of email volume, 33% feel stressed when they receive too many emails.

Email Fatigue is a term in email marketing, and describes a state where we feel overwhelmed with handling emails. Most of us have likely tried to combat email fatigue and relieve stress in one way or another. For example, closely managing inboxes, or spending hours deleting unwanted messages.

The Effects of Email Engagement

The University of British Columbia published a 2014 study that tested the frequency of email-checking and its effects on wellbeing. For one week, 124 adult participants limited their email-checking to three times a day. Then, for the following week, they checked their emails for an unlimited number of times. When email usage was limited, participants felt less stress, tension, and were less distracted by incoming emails. With lower stress levels, their overall health and wellbeing also improved. Consequently, participants experienced positive outcomes such as higher mindfulness, increased self-perceived productivity, and better sleep quality.

According to a 2017 Jobvite survey, on average, 45% of Americans tend to check their email after work hours every day, many at the request of their employers. Many of us feel pressured to check our emails frequently for one reason or another. Another study found that monitoring work emails during non-work hours is detrimental to the health and wellbeing of not only employees, but their spouse and family members as well. Even when a person didn’t actually work, the expectation of availability over emails during non-work hours increased stress, which then leads to strain and conflict within family relationships.

University of California, Irvine found that it takes an average of 23 minutes and 15 seconds for someone to regain focus after a distraction. In other words, constantly tending to emails throughout the day requires multi-tasking and scatters our focus. If we are always checking our emails, we’re not only decreasing focus time, we’re also spending additional time trying to regain that focus.

Ways to Relieve Stress from Email Fatigue

Allocate a Daily Email Allowance

Each person is different in the way they need to prioritize the amount spent on emails. Consequently, each person requires different ways to relieve stress from email fatigue for their wellness.

One way to limit email engagement is by setting the times we allow ourselves to check emails throughout the day. For example, set yourself to only check and respond to emails 3 times per day: morning, afternoon, and evening. Setting specific times like 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 5:00 pm, can also be helpful.

Another way to set boundaries is by assessing how much time we really need each day for email and communication. How much time do you spend checking notifications while you’re at work, on the bus, or waiting in line? A lot of these small moments of checking can be gathered into a few time frames. Consequently, we can stay more present in what we’re doing. Once you’re done with a self-assessment, set a few brief checks (5-10 minutes max) per day where you can reply to urgent emails, but also allocate a specific amount of time in your day where you can really concentrate and deal with emails.

Try to keep the email tab closed and notifications on phones turned off otherwise for optimum stress relief!

Better Email Management

Managing emails can feel mentally overwhelming if there’s a lot to go through. Sometimes, it’s not about the time spent on emails, but a matter of how we manage our workflow dealing with emails. Try to use email managing tools, or set up a filtering system for your inbox in a way where you won’t feel overwhelmed when you check-in.

An easy way to feel less clutter is by unsubscribing. For example, spend some time going through newsletters subscriptions and social media email notification settings. Our engagement and attention are exactly what many businesses want, and they’re becoming smarter in reaching us. Therefore, cutting some of the unwanted solicitations will bring more peace to our inbox. This activity alone can be a cathartic way to relieve stress.

Take an Email Sabbatical for Your Wellness

We all need time off to disconnect and reset once in a while. For example, if constant emails are clearly affecting your health and wellbeing, an email sabbatical can be a great solution to relieve stress. Some people do this when they go on vacation. Communicate with your boss, co-workers, and collaborators in advance and finish all necessary important email communications before a sabbatical. There are ways to set emails to filter and forward to certain addresses or give automated responses so that people know when they’ll get a response. This may require some planning and understanding, but an email sabbatical can be a great way to rejuvenate!

Healthy Relationships with the Internet

Electronic communication has become so integrated into our lives, but the constant reach can tire us out. If you felt like limiting emails could help your mental health and wellbeing, this article on social media detox may also be helpful!

If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!
→ Looking to improve your mental health? Try the SELFMIND app FREE for a week!

Image: Unsplash
Reference:

Becker, W. J., Belkin, L., & Tuskey, S. (2018). Killing me softly: Electronic communications monitoring and employee and spouse well-being. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018(1), 12574. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2018.121
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4 Reasons to Try Social Media Detox

Better Sleep

Do you struggle to get resful sleep? If so, a social media detox may be essential to fixing your unhealthy sleep patters. Smartphones, computers, TVs, and most other digital devices screens emit a light called ‘blue light’. Furthermore, the sun emits the most blue light. This can be helpful during the daytime as it assists cognitive function, alertness, and adjustments to our sleep-wake cycles. However, continually exposing your eyes to blue light after dark is not recommended. For instance, it can cause symptoms of digital eye strains, mess with our sleeping cycles, and lead to a lack of sleep. Harvard researchers found that blue light suppresses melatonin (hormones that regulate sleep) twice as much as other lights do. Another study found decreased levels in melatonin, while wakefulness arose when people used their devices for just 30 minutes before bed.

Sleep and rest are essential for good health. Moreover, social media detox is essential for healthy sleep. A study from 2019 points out the positive potential of better mental health when shutting off devices and getting better sleep. As easy as it is to check social media in bed before falling asleep, it is best to keep devices away to induce deep sleep and better sleep cycles.

Less Stress and Better Mental Health

Smartphones keep us company everywhere, making it hard to detach from groups we are involved in. For example, there’s school, work, extracurricular activities, and other social obligations. When stressful environments leak into our private time, it makes feel like we need to tend to the needs of others around the clock. As a result, we may end up feeling stressful for much of the day. Therefore it is important to know how to turn away from nonessential needs that are irrelevant to the present moment. This can help decrease stress significantly.

Social Media Detox Experiments

In 2010, twelve universities world-wide participated in a universal experiment called Unplugged where they asked students to go unplugged for just 24 hours. Many turned unsuccessful with withdrawal-like symptoms when detaching from their phones. On the other hand, those who succeeded all reported the amazing benefits they experienced. For example, relaxation, peace of mind, and enhanced enjoyment from being present in the moment. Therefore, we can conclude that successful social media detox can have amazing mental benefits.

In 2015, another team of researchers in Denmark gathered more than 1000 participants to do a one week Facebook Experiment. In this study, the researchers looked at the impact of Facebook on our well-being. They found that quitting Facebook for just one week had significant positive effects. Overall, the participants’ life satisfaction increased, and emotions became more positive. A UK study in 2018 looked at over 10,000 teens and also found that longer use of social media correlated with body weight dissatisfaction, depressive symptoms, and low self-esteem. Therefore, even a short social media detox can create the mental breathing space that we deserve.

Quality Use of Time

A social media detox may be needed now more than ever. Our portable devices are so convenient and entertaining that it’s easy to get sucked into their luring appeal. With social media designed to be addictive, its ability to keep us engaged also keeps us from our will and possibilities to make better use of our time. More than half of the world population uses social media now, and some of us are so attached to the point that focusing on other activities becomes difficult. Furthermore, some may even go through withdrawal-like symptoms in extreme cases.

According to Global WebIndex’s 2020 research, “Social media users are now spending an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes per day multi networking across an average of 8 social networks and messaging apps”. Additionally, our time spent on social media keeps increasing every year. In effect, the WHO estimates that our total use in social media would sum up to 6 years 8 months within our global lifespan of 72 years. This is more than double compared to 1 hour and 2 minutes per day; the average time Americans spend eating and drinking in a day.

If you’re struggling to find the time to start a new habit, project, or commitment, you may want to look into where you’ve been investing your time. Above all, our attention time is a quality resource. So, limiting social media use and practicing the occational social media detox will open up more possibilities for activities that matter.

More Meaningful Interactions

A social media detox could also be beneficial for your personal relationships with others. Interactions we experience through social media has a different kind of nature from real-life in-person interactions. Social media can distort our sense of reality because many of us post highly curated and edited versions of our experiences. Meeting people in-person, spending time together, and understanding both the realistic highs and lows helps maintain a healthier perspective and relationship in general. Moreover, there are many socially nuanced cues we use in-person that never make it through social media. Psychologists mention this in their journal article too:

“Overreliance on technology has led to an impoverishment of social skills, leaving individuals unable to engage in meaningful conversations because such skills are being sacrificed for constant connection, resulting in short-term attention and a decreased ability to retain information. Individuals have come to be described as “alone together”: always connected via technology, but in fact isolated.”

– Daria J. Kuss & Mark D. Griffiths

The Unplugged experiment participants who attempted a social media detox for 24 hours also voiced that they experienced more meaningful social interactions. Harvard research suggests meaningful relationships correlate with longevity and better emotional, mental, and physical health. So, if you tend to reach out to people on social media, opt-in for a phone call or a face-to-face meet up to catch up next time.

How to Social Media Detox

Maybe you understand the benefits of a social media detox, but just don’t know where to start. Here are a few suggestions on how you can try:

1. Reduce Social Media Time with Apps

A social media detox could be a challenge, especially if it’s ingrained in your daily habit of checking things online. Fortunately, there are plenty of apps developed to help you through this process. For example, you could install an app controls the daily time you spend on social media sites. A social media detox doesn’t mean you have to go cold turkey. Just set a time limit to your usage to assure you aren’t spending excessive hours. An experimental study shows that just a 10-minute usage decrease per platform can be effective, so don’t be afraid to start small!

2. Try A Scheduled Fast

There are experiments that claim a social media detox of just 24 hours is effective. A one-week off Facebook experiment also showed significant results. Therefore, if you haven’t tried yet, going off social media for a set time period may lead to pleasantly surprising results. Give yourself a set duration to cut off from social media. A thoughtful reflection afterward can help you see how social media influences your day to day life.

If you are experienced in social media detox practices and want more of a challenge, I recommend a regularly scheduled fast. For example, setting just a day weekly as “Media-Free Day” or a monthly “No Social Media Week” can create healthy breaks from social media. Daily “Media-Free Hours” can also be just as helpful.

3. No Devices in the Bedroom

If your number one concern is quality sleep, prohibiting devices from your bedroom can be effective. It’s easy to get into the never-ending loop of browsing when we’re in bed, and the blue light emitting from your phone won’t help either. For instance, move your charging station to a location outside your bedroom and use an alarm clock to wake up. This will help you fall asleep better, and provide a more peaceful bed-time/morning hours. Therefore, if you’re struggling to get healthy sleep, a nighttime social media detox may be the place to start.

4. Try with a Buddy

Who says a social media detox can’t be a social activity? When trying something new, an accountability partner can make a huge difference. You’d be more motivated to keep up with goals while also having someone to discuss the challenges. Find someone who’s interested in trying with you. This shared experience can deepen your friendship while you’re at it.

While social media has brought our worlds closer than ever, the constant flow of information has diverted our quality of attention scattered. Moreover, as our digital capabilities grow exponentially towards efficiency, it becomes harder to keep up with the side effects it has on our day-to-day. For this reason, a social media detox may be the perfect way to get a much-needed break to find the peace and happiness we need.

Looking to improve your mental health?

Try the SELF MIND app FREE for 1 week!
If you’re looking for more tips on how to care for your mental health, check out some of our past blog posts!

Image: Unsplash
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