Physiological Attention - Attention is an indispensable attribute of our brain and can suffer from certain criticalities such as deficit, hyperactivity or dysfunctionality; moreover, attention when it manages to be clear, stable and constructive becomes concentration. The current context often acts on our attention in a negative way, accentuating its criticalities; the neuroplasticity of the brain, which is also present in adults although to a lesser extent than in children, does the rest, i.e. it sediments these 'bad habits'. But the opposite can also happen, i.e. we can train our attention to be clearer, more stable and constructive, thus reducing distractions and fragmentation, in fact enhancing our concentration and thus increasing our productivity without suffering the side effects.
Emotional Lens - When we are unable to keep our concentration, emotions are also very likely to take over. According to Paul Ekman, an emotion is a brief, involuntary and complex response to a stimulus (internal or external), manifested through physiological, cognitive, expressive and subjective components. In other words, we cannot control emotions but recognise them and interpret the message they are giving us. We can 'use' emotion by reading it as a symptom of our own deep reaction to something that has happened around us. If we can recognise our deep-rooted belief that has acted as a bridge between triggering event and emotion we can then also question it to generate a different effect. This is what Seligman's ABCDE model (Adversity, Belief, Consequences, Disputation and Effect) suggests.
Psychological Lens - Berne, the father of Transactional Analysis, has developed the 5 blocking urges to be understood as dysfunctional behavioural patterns that we tend to deploy when faced with particularly complex or stressful situations. Be perfect, be strong, please, hurry and strive represent five different ways of responding to the reality that stresses us. The problem is that these responses are energising for us and, for others, problematic to handle. Acknowledging them means taking the first step in order to be able to grant ourselves so-called permissions, i.e. concessions or 'exemptions' to alleviate the impact of the urge. In being perfect, we might sometimes tell ourselves that the best is the enemy of the good and that timeliness perhaps represents a greater value than perfection in that specific circumstance.
As you may have guessed, I have shown you the tip of three icebergs corresponding to the three lenses that in fact also become levers of action. I hope I have hinted at the underlying depths in terms of opportunities for us human beings who at this moment in history have adapted to a truly complex and pressing condition without having evolved to cope with it.
Bringing back the locus of control within ourselves, rereading reality through these three lenses and using them as levers for better governance of ourselves and the effects we generate on others and situations could help us regain balance, effectiveness, productivity (whatever that means) and self-esteem.
