47 – That is the number of times per day the average person checks their phone. Now combine that with negative social media news, constraints of work-life balance, or simply battling traffic on the highways or airports – the list goes on. This constant fragmentation of our time and concentration has become the new normal, and it is making us feel bombarded and overwhelmed each day.
How can we learn to be centered in a crazy world?
Our world and basic surroundings are volatile, unpredictable, and complicated. As a result, people are swimming in chaos. “Our mental and physical state have caused the sympathetic nervous system to be in overdrive,” says Rick Hanson, Ph.D. psychologist and author. “We can’t change the world, but we change our brains.” By practicing mindfulness techniques, your brain can begin to calm down to handle complicated situations. Scientific evidence illustrates through MRI scans that after 8-weeks of mindfulness practice (e.g. deep breathing, visualization, meditation, yoga, autogenic training) the amygdala shrinks. When the amygdala decreases, the thickness of the prefrontal cortex increases – the headquarters for awareness, decision-making, and concentration – all begin to light up and start impacting other systems in the body (e.g. digestion, circulatory, etc.)
If you want to feel less catatonic, depressed, angry, or annoyed, then you need to start rewiring your body’s stress response. Because if you don’t, you are pushing to the point of burnout. With time and practice, you can build a reservoir of inner strength, commitment, and a sense of going with the flow. You will learn to float instead of fighting to swim in the chaos.
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