College life is filled with so many distractions! Even when you find a quiet moment to study, chances are high that someone or something will interrupt you.
Many students I work with say “I can’t avoid all the distractions” or “I don’t know where to study so I won’t be distracted!”
It’s true that you can’t avoid all the distractions. BUT you can learn ways to minimize distractions and rebound quicker from unexpected distractions. Before we talk about how to cope with distraction, let’s talk about what distraction is.
Distraction is anything that directs our focus away from our goals.
These may be complex, simple, short-term, or long-term goals. Doing laundry may be a goal, just as studying for a test may be a goal. Distractions are sometimes external, such as the sounds and sights of our environment that can redirect our focus. Often distractions are internal, meaning thoughts and feelings drag our attention away from our goals.
Distraction is often both internal and external. For example, have you ever been taking a test, and you heard the rustling of papers and saw a student turn in their test? Perhaps this
external distraction then led to internal distracting thoughts like “Why am I not finished yet?” or “How well did they do on the test?”
Whether you know it or not, you may be training your brain to be distracted. Your thoughts, actions, and focus of attention impact the wiring and firing of brain neurotransmitters, which then impact your ability to overcome distraction in the future.
Here are some common ways that college students unintentionally train their brains to become distracted:
Using distraction to cope with boredom: Do you scroll through your phone whenever there’s a dull moment? This trains your brain to seek excitement and stimulation, making it more difficult to focus on boring tasks when you need to.
Using distraction to avoid difficult tasks: When you hit a snag in an important presentation or project, you may get off task to avoid working through the problem. This causes a temporary feeling of relief, reinforcing your desire to seek distraction when things get tough.
Using distraction to escape unpleasant emotions: Staying busy and keeping your mind occupied may prevent or cover up sad feelings. However, the feelings come back when your mind is not occupied. This makes it hard to focus on slower paced tasks and increases the desire to seek distraction. Over time, some people begin relying heavily on distraction to block out unpleasant emotions.
Are you ready to gain control of your brain and ditch distraction? I love helping college students get to the bottom of their distraction difficulty so they can have the best college experience possible! If distraction is holding you back, contact me to discuss how we can work together to help you reach your goals!