Low concentration levels, lack of focus, lack of creativity, scattered, jaded? Me too.
Like never before our nervous systems are in a constant state of stimulation.
69% of employees are experiencing burnout symptoms while working from home, according to Monster.
The stress, financial anxieties, and being thrust into remote work is all taking its toll, but few are taking time off work to rest and restore.
When we are operating with high levels of arousal in our environment – i.e. perhaps like now when we have continued exposure to lots of video calls, increased screen time, schooling kids, constantly fluctuating and new challenges, and general baseline anxiety of negative information and data from news sources – even the most seemingly simple of tasks become very difficult. Normal tasks like going to the supermarket which may have been meditatively boring or perhaps even pleasurable in the past are now stressful experiences.
I personally have a concentration span of approximately 10 minutes and anything creative feels like an enormous challenge.
Understanding arousal and impact on performance…
According to Yerkes-Dodson Law, when we are dealing with a difficult task we generally need to be in a state of low arousal. Think about driving – if you are driving in bad weather, or we get lost, the first thing that we do is most likely turn the radio down – we need low arousal for difficult tasks. We do things to lower the amount of sensory stimulation we are exposed to so that we perform well.
Each of us has a baseline arousal level for each set of tasks- easy, moderate or difficult. What may seem very hard to me, something that I’m a novice at, I would need low levels of arousal in order to do it well. But someone who has been doing that thing for many, many years – this will now be a moderate or easy task – will do better with higher levels of arousal when performing the same task.
However, high, consistent levels of arousal are often associated with someone who is not performing, feeling scattered, anxious, depressed and have a reduced capacity to cope with seemingly “normal” day to day activities.
Life is more complex than usual at the moment – so we are constantly having to give all of our effort to even the most simple of tasks. And when we don’t do well at seemingly “easy tasks” the negative thoughts begin – we feel bad and guilty for not performing at our “normal” levels.
That ruminative and stressful thinking maintains not only depressive symptoms but also a high level of arousal. And so it becomes a cycle. Our Sympathetic Nervous System – our fight and flight response – is constantly in play and we feel burnt out.
Breaking the cycle
So how can we break the cycle and bring our baseline back to a more optimal level?
- Reducing negative self talk will help decrease your stress levels. Notice when you are beating yourself up for not “nailing” quarantine! Absolutely everyone is finding it challenging in some way.
- Have a nap, a siesta even in the middle of the afternoon – get more sleep in general and go to bed earlier! And don’t feel ‘bad’ about it – it’s your nervous system trying to find a more even balance.
- Say “no” without feeling guilty! Tune in to how you feel after certain video calls – can you learn to say no if they leave you feeling more wired or more jaded?
- Sometimes you may not be able to ‘settle in’ – notice how you feel and meet your anxiety where it is – go for a run, do a HIIT class, have a dance in the kitchen with your kids and shake the cobwebs and ruminative thinking out of your system.
- Turn off screens at least an hour before bed, dim the lights, have a ritual that will help you start to tune out of the noise of your day – light a candle, read a book, play some relaxing non stimulating music, have a bath, make sure your bed linen is clean and fresh – make it a relaxing place to be.
- Try breathing for a count of 4 and exhaling for a count of 5 or even 6 – elongate your exhale to allow your parasympathetic nervous system to kick in – the system that allows us to rest and digest.
- A routine that you repeat every day will ensure the task becomes, sooner rather than later, ‘easy’ and you will feel less stimulated and more able to calm the mind and therefore perform better.
Where are you personally on this level of arousal? What things do you do to help break the cycle?
Alex is a Director at Inclusive Consulting and a Yoga Medicine registered yoga teacher with a special interest in yoga, mindfulness and mental health.
