What can be done to break this “loop”? – Constant distraction with new digital impressions can prevent us from processing thoughts and feelings. Many people don’t realize it until they go to sleep, explains associate professor in clinical psychology at UiO Line Indrevoll Stänicke. Line Indrevoll Stänicke is professor of clinical psychology. Photo: University of Oslo – Then there will be so much to think about because they haven’t let it slip. Many people avoid thinking all day, and struggle to sleep because all the thoughts come at once. Illustration: Alexander Slotten / news The psychologist explains that many people may think they are physically tired, when they are actually mentally tired because they are filled with many impressions. – Many people seek distraction because they are tired. And are tired because they are constantly distracted. This is a loop many people can identify with, he says. What do these constant distractions do to us, and how do you break the “loop”? Constant distraction means that we don’t get to process thoughts and feelings, says psychologist Stänicke. Illustration: Alexander Slotten / news Stänicke is clear that it can often be nice to distract yourself and disconnect by getting new impressions. But not always. – Have you experienced something that needs to be processed, or are you troubled, or struggle with difficult emotions. Or perhaps you have experienced something demanding relationally. Then you should not only distract yourself from this. She points out that distraction can be an escape from such things. – You must be aware of why you need this distraction all the time, advises Stänicke. Photo: Alexander Slotten / news Are you really physically or mentally tired? – You may think that your body is tired and you need to relax. And then the distractions come easily. But if you are mentally tired, lying on the sofa with TikTok and YouTube is not always what you need, she says. It can be useful to try to feel whether you are physically or mentally tired. – When you get home from school or work, and you feel tired in the head, you may need another activity than taking in more impressions. Continuing to stare at a screen after 8 hours of screen time at school or work is not what the brain needs to relax. – What we may need then is to use the body, do a physical activity, make something, or be with someone. The body processes a lot of psychological content and can also help us deal with difficult emotions. – I work on a screen and I also come home and look at a screen more. This is very much a part of our time, says the psychologist. Illustration: Alexander Slotten / news She is particularly interested in how art, listening to music, or creating something yourself, is a good way to deal with difficult emotions and process them. Or to get to know yourself better. – If you know there is something that is difficult, that you would rather not think about, then as a clinician I would think that it might be nice to find a way to be in the difficult situation. – Not just talking about it, but for example drawing, making pictures, photographing, dancing or singing. Or play music that expresses the difficult. All of these can be ways of processing through the body’s expression channels. Be with yourself in the difficult feelings and let them be expressed. Andreas Ervik is a media researcher, with a PhD from the University of Oslo where he wrote about distractions. He has written the book Becoming Human Amid Diversions, which is about distractions in our digital culture. Andreas Ervik has written a doctorate in distractions, and is an artist as well as a researcher. Photo: Andreas Ervik – Distractions have gotten an undeserved bad reputation, he says. Start the day with pictures of cute animals – There are so many wonderful weird and exciting distractions available today, says Ervik enthusiastically. He is not primarily concerned with finding out what the problem with distractions is, but rather what we can learn from the way our attention is drawn to things other than what we think we should be paying attention to. – Pictures and videos of cute animals make us both more focused and friendly towards each other, says the researcher. Photo: @Bassethoundclubs Not all distractions are negative. Ervik refers to research that says that looking at cute animals is good for our brains. – Everyone should really start their working day by scrolling through pictures of cute animals on the internet, he recommends. He does not believe that distractions on a societal level are necessarily about escaping emotions and difficult thoughts, although they are also used for that. This concern about new media, new ways of being distracted, goes all the way back to antiquity, the researcher points out. – Socrates was worried that the written word would distract from the conversation. The philosophers of ancient Greece were also skeptical of scary new technology, such as the written word. Illustration: Alexander Slotten / news Our brains are not meant to focus all the time, as today’s society idealises. Being distracted is in many ways more natural than focusing intensely on npe for our consciousness, explains the researcher. – You can think that you are engrossed in something, which is nice, or think that you are dependent on something, which is a more negative interpretation. Ervik is himself an artist in addition to being a researcher. He believes art is a great way to get into a flow zone, where you can escape from distractions. But he explains that he uses distractions consciously in his art. Ervik also makes art. This sculpture is from a project that explored the longing for the office during the pandemic. Photo: Andreas Ervik – Art is a good way for me to get into a flow zone. This means that you are very purposefully aware of what you are doing. – I find this flow zone very fascinating, says psychology professor Stänicke. She encourages you to find an activity where you feel that you are losing time and space. “Oh shit, has it been an hour?” You don’t notice you’re hungry or anything like that. You feel energized after doing it. You feel satisfied. Inspired by the distractions Ervik sees distractions as a source of artistic inspiration. – You can research quite a lot of different things and learn quite a lot about what is happening in society, which can trigger ideas and opportunities, says the media researcher. – The artistic here is not necessarily a protection mechanism, but the artistic means that you can process the impressions you get productively. Making Tiktok videos is also one way of doing it. As long as you don’t do it just for attention, but as a way of expressing yourself, he says. Philosophy and craft In the book “The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction”, philosopher Matthew Crawford writes about the value of working with your hands to counteract the distractions that constantly demand your attention. He believes that we live in a time where we are constantly addressed. An attention economy, where attention is a limited resource that many fight for. And the players are getting better at designing content that is impossible to resist. He believes that craftsmanship in all its forms is a good antidote to this. Working with the hands, whether painting, repairing, building or shaping. When we are totally engrossed, we do not allow ourselves to be distracted. Crawford has put his own thoughts into practice. He himself is a motorcycle repairman as well as a philosopher.
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Why am I watching TV and scrolling on my phone at the same time? – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
