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Attention and focus may be at the top of every employer’s list and every woman’s dating requirements. We live in a society that highly values attention and praises anyone who can focus long enough to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Yet, many of us continue to struggle with both. Mindfulness is viewed as something that would be nice but very few are actually mastering the practice of being present and attentive in the here and now. With stress and overwhelm overtaking us at every turn in the day our minds are flooded and vulnerable to digital attacks and sabotage initiated by our own self. Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at University of Miami and author of the new book, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day. She’s joining Lisa to dispel the rumours that improving your attention and meditation skills means that you have to clear your mind. She’s calling it out, and giving simple strategies and techniques you can start using before this episode ends. It’s time to take back your attention, regain your focus and do it in 3 simple steps.

SHOW NOTES:

Attention | Amishi reveals while attention can be a superpower it is vulnerable too [0:36]
Prioritized Info |How attention systems helps to prioritize information into subsystems [5:08]
Flashlight Focus | Spotlight information like a flashlight versus not focusing on something [7:17]
Suppressing Memories | Amishi shares ways to stop thinking about troubled memories [10:46]
Floodlight Focus | Information that is not limited but has a broad and receptive range [12:49]
Emotional Overwhelm | Strategy to manage emotions and overwhelm from 3rd person [15:32]
Hijacked Focus | When we create a simulated reality and are not in the present [20:29]
Mindfulness Practice | Ways that mindfulness in 12 minutes a day empowers you [25:32]
Executive Control | Amishi on the power of your mind’s attention being guided by goals [29:51]
Overriding Attention | Mindfulness of your attention requires initiating executive control [32:20]
Meditation | How mindfulness meditation is about staying present without the extra story [34:34]
Rumination Spiral | Time traveling in your mind and tips to break the lapse in attention [39:02]
Becoming Aware | Amishi shares simple exercise to find your attention flashlight [43:05]
Wandering Mind | Amishi on why you don’t need to clear your mind, redirect instead [49:35]
Well Wishing Practice | Deliberately speak to deep care and concern to yourself [52:55]

QUOTES:

“Whatever it is that we pay attention to recalibrates the entirety of the way the brain operates.” [1:49]

“Trying to suppress certain information actually brings it more saliently in your mind.” [10:12]

“Our default is always to simulate reality, make assumptions, conceptually elaborate, emotionally react, and then mentally time travel.” [20:38]

“If I can practice becoming more aware, moment by moment, I will have more opportunities to intervene, to best advantage what I want to succeed and do in my life.” [34:05]

“Mindfulness meditation is about being in the present moment without a story about it.” [37:03]

“We typically cannot think ourselves out of mental challenge. We've got to do something with our attention that is not thinking.” [41:43]

“The moment you've noticed your mind has wandered away. That's a win! That's the successful moment. If you had never noticed that your mind had wandered away, would you ever have been able to get it back?” [50:10]

Follow Amishi Jha:
Website: https://amishi.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/AmishiPJha
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amishijha
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amishipjha/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amishi.jha