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Is your train of thought constantly derailing?
It’s no wonder that attention spans have dwindled in the age of information overload, with news, videos, notifications and ads constantly competing for our time.
For example, the average attention span on a screen dropped from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to just 47 seconds in recent years, one researcher found.
Stress, anxiety and sleep deprivation are among the top reasons for a short attention span, according to a new survey of 1,000 US adults commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
These findings don’t surprise Dr. Evita Singh, a psychiatrist with Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health.
When her patients express concern about their ability to focus, “there’s a good chance that it ends up being because they’re so stressed out or they’re anxious.”
To help them easily remember how to improve their attention span and overall focus, Singh developed a tool called “Take Five.”
- T — Take breaks often.
- A — Actively engage in just one task at hand.
- K — Keep distractions to a minimum.
- E — Eliminate multitasking.
- Five — Spend five minutes refocusing with a small workout, mindfulness or an enjoyable activity.
“Sometimes these small adjustments can go a long way in daily life,” Singh told The Post.
She encourages aiming for a five- to 10-minute tech break at least once an hour, especially if you’re aimlessly scrolling through social media.
Digital devices are a big source of distraction and enable multitasking, which Singh stresses can be detrimental to attention spans.
Research suggests that the brain isn’t well-suited to process several streams of information at once. The result is typically decreased focus, increased distractibility and reduced cognitive performance.
“When people are multitasking, when they have so many things in their mind that they’re thinking about, they can get exhausted,” Singh explained. “And then it’s really hard to enjoy things, which can then lead to depression or anxiety.”
Surprisingly, 25% of the respondents to the Ohio State survey said they don’t have trouble with their attention span.
Not that short attention spans are all bad.
“At times when there is just way too much information to sort through, a shorter attention span may help an individual move through this information faster,” Singh said.
“However, the concern is about how much they are actually getting out of the information to then move forward with it.”
Singh imagines that attention spans will continue to shrink, noting the trend towards shorter videos to fill the need for quick, easily digestible content. She hopes “Take Five” helps people train their brains to focus better.
If the method is not a good fit or a lack of focus is affecting your daily life, Singh recommends seeking help from a mental health professional.