The Art of Healing

Improving Your Focus With Meditation

July 19, 2021 Charlyce Davis
The Art of Healing
Improving Your Focus With Meditation
Show Notes Transcript

What is Trouble Focusing? Is all trouble focusing ADD or ADHD?
In this podcast, we discuss trouble with focus, and how this differs from the clinical diagnosis of ADD/ADHD.

Symptoms of ADHD/ADD include:

  • Inattention
  • Hyperactivity
  • Hyperactivity
  • Impulsivity
  • Symptoms affect at least 2 domains of life (work/home/relationships)

Why do you have trouble focusing? Some of the reasons can include:

  • Screen time
  • Social Media
  • Lifestyle?
    • Being over scheduled
    • Lack of sleep
    • Over reliance on stimulants?

Meditation can do more than calm anxiety.  Meditation can help with focus. 
The book I mentioned is:
Daniel H. Pink: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing


Ready to start your meditation journey?

The book, "21 Day Meditation Journey-Your Journey  Inner Journey To Health and Wellness" is now available on Amazon. 


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Speaker 1:

Hello, and welcome back to the Art of Healing Podcast. This is Charli. Thank you so much for joining me. As always, I hope wherever you're listening, you are well. If you are driving, I hope you're being safe. If you are at work, I hope it's a happy, productive day. If you're at home, I hope you're happy and well. So this podcast episode is meditation to Improve Focus. And in particular, I wanted to discuss a diagnosis that is likely growing in frequency, unfortunately growing in intensity. Um, and then I want to touch on how, uh, meditation can help all of us focus. So what does it mean if you have trouble focusing? Um, what does that actually mean and when is it actually a diagnosis? When is it actually a problem? So, um, I'm finding that in my practice, and I think many listeners probably know that I am a practicing physician, that more individuals, um, seem to be coming in to discuss trouble, focusing on task, trouble focusing at work, um, just significant issues that are impacting their life and their productivity. And, um, I think being human, we all have times that we have trouble focusing. Um, absolutely that's just part of the human condition. So the way that I interpret, interpret trouble focusing in, in myself is, for instance, um, when it is time for me to complete, um, you know, probably, um, I find the most significant trouble focusing when it's time to complete a task that I just don't wanna do. So my medical practice, that's probably gonna be administrative work, paperwork, and my home practice, it's probably gonna be, um, managing bills, managing the things that I perceive aren't fun,<laugh>, and they don't have like intermediate reward, so it's gonna be hard to focus on them, but they have to be done, they're necessary. So I think we all have tasks in parts of our days that are parts of our nights that we can't wait to get to. You can't wait to look, you look forward to them. And there are some things that are absolutely necessary. They're just not fun, but just gotta do'em. And that's where our ability to focus really, we need that, where there's not an immediate reward, we've got to do this thing. So how do we make this happen? I definitely find in myself that if I haven't slept well, um, I will definitely have trouble focusing. I definitely know and, um, am learning to work with my own energy more. Um, that, um, there are certain times a day where I focus is not available to me. So as I'm deciding what tasks need to be done, there are some tasks that there's certain times a day, I am a morning person. Um, I function best in the morning, um, afternoons, late afternoons usually about the time when, um, I'm transitioning to work and home, my focus is gone. And so, um, over the years, I've decided those are hours of the days that unless it's absolutely, you know, has something that has to be done, not necessarily so much with my, my work, uh, working with patients, um, is stimulating. So one thing I'll say is when you're working in patient care, or I personally find that I don't have trouble focusing on patients because of the nature of the work, so that I never worry about, but it's those little task administrative things, little things that, um, they don't necessarily be done right this minute. So I can, and I have over, you know, I've been practicing for almost 15 years, so some things I know they can wait a little bit until my brain's a little bit brighter and a little bit more weight, a little bit more oxygen flow going to the, the, uh, to the brain. So, um, oh, and also I should mention to you readers, uh, I'd like to read, uh, and suspect many of you do, and I'm listening to a book on Audible that, um, and I'm, I'm still just, um, probably a little bit, maybe not even halfway through it, but Daniel h Pink, uh, win the Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. Um, listening to this book right now also is helping me to understand that for many of us, they're gonna be times a day where you're, your productivity and performance are peak and the times that they're not. So when we're trying to decide if we have trouble focusing, um, that's something to consider is looking at what you do, what must be done, when it has to be done, how it must be done. So it may be that you're having trouble focusing on a task that doesn't give you a bunch of rewards, you're doing the task at the wrong time of day. So possibly can that be done at a different time of day, maybe? And, um, then your approach even to the task, maybe there is some reward to the task that you've just sort of forgotten about. So, of course, trouble focusing, is it just a lifestyle? Is it just, uh, your schedule? This is different from the clinical diagnosis of A D H D or a d d. Um, so of course patients are approaching me because they are concerned that they have a D H D or a d d. Now, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of every podcast, and at this point I would like to reaffirm that disclaimer that this is just educational purposes. This isn't offering any sort of diagnosis. And also to reaffirm that I am not a psychiatrist, I am an internal medicine doctor. So this topic I am increasingly having to learn about in my own practice because many patients are starting to feel pressure and they're questioning if they have a clinical diagnosis of a D D or A D H D. And, um, I, I do often remind patients that, um, when it comes to diagnosis of a psychiatric nature, there is a whole specialty of, um, specialists that do this just for a living. And so I don't take it lightly. And although I can do some of the initial assessments, this is a point, and especially when patients approach me, I do prefer they see a psychiatrist. So, um, a d h ADHD is remarkable for a combination of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and symptoms that affect at least two domains of that person's life. And those domains are work, home or relationships. So the resources I have available, because being a clinical practice, I do have to lean on clinical documentations tell me that this disorder is primarily developmental. So it's most prevalent in childhood. However, um, there's been some question and some concern, and I believe some ongoing research. But I'm gonna be frank, I have not, um, tapped into much of that research, uh, simply just because I don't have the time at this point. But, um, the increasing frequency of, um, diagnosis in adulthood is happening and many adults being concerned, they weren't diagnosed appropriately as children. So trouble focusing possibly because of lifestyle, the task required a number of, of measures. Um, that's something that can probably be managed just with some lifestyle change. Um, I've been reading what some psychiatrists say and how they offer some treatment as well, some psychologists, and I am seeing quite a few that mention that. Uh, cognitive behavioral therapy is very, very helpful for, um, a possible diagnosis of a d D or a d h adhd. Um, of course many individuals are seeking medication, um, being an internal medicine practice, medications are frequently prescribed. So, um, medications, are they helpful? Will every patient need them? And I'm gonna stop there because, um, I don't believe every patient needs medication treatment. Um, even if the diagnosis is finally made by a qualified psychiatrist of a D D or A D H D, um, I'm a firm believer that, um, there can be things that can be done, um, to help with some of those symptoms or even if medications are pursued, I still think some, um, psych psychological assistance, some cognitive behavioral therapy, some lifestyle modification. And, um, the topics of my content, I haven't quite broached them yet, but we will be, um, approaching the nutrition so that you make sure you're consuming a high quality diet that doesn't create sugar spikes, that doesn't raise your norepinephrine or epinephrine levels inappropriately. So a good high quality, um, functional medicine type diet to support your thinking. So, um, so we've got focus maybe just as an issue of lifestyle, then possibly the clinical diagnosis, which of course, um, is requires, um, I would strongly recommend evaluation by a psychiatrist. So at some point, and as I'd mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, we all have trouble with our focus, um, because that is human conditioning. I mean, that's part of just being human that, um, and I frequently, I'll tell my patients this, that of all the living species on this planet, we have a pretty interesting position that we've, um, positions ourself is pretty much an apex predator. We did it with our brains. We out, we can outthink most species on the planet. Um, but probably we've done this at the expense of having, um, a nervous system that's going to lean towards being overactive. That's always looking and seeking patterns that may not be there. So, um, so part of human humanness being human is that there will be times you simply don't have much focus. Some people may be blessed with more focus than others, um, and that's a blessing, but that might even come at an expense because, for instance, if you're, if someone can focus on a task such as, um, uh, uh, you know, someone that can write for hours and hours and doesn't feel the need to get up, cuz they're so inspired and they're so under their work, that's beautiful. Except what if they haven't walked? What if they haven't gotten any steps? They haven't used their cardiovascular system, they haven't used their muscular system, they haven't been moving oxygen very well, cuz they're not challenging the body. So of course there's balancing everything, but I, I think you can understand what I'm saying. But, um, things that are going to worsen your focus. So no matter where you might be in this issue, if you're wondering if you have a clinical diagnosis that maybe was missed as a child or if maybe you just have a lifestyle that's not really supporting you, there's um, schedules and habits and external factors that are sort of interrupting where you feel you could be more productive. Um, so one of the factors of course is screen time, time on screens. Unfortunately this plagues all of us, but um, you know, we've, we've all shifted towards a, um, a lifestyle of, you know, so much of our content and our interactions and our lives are online and there can be many blessings behind that. But of course, just the screen time likely disrupts your focus. Definitely too much screen time, especially late in the evenings going to disrupt your sleep. Um, I really don't know of many anyone that's able to look at a computer screen or look at a, um, phone screen without having their sleep interrupted. There are blue blockers and blue screen filters on your, your PC on your camera, or sorry, on your computer and on your phone. But we as humans can't, um, take on too much light the hours before sleep because your pineal gland will not understand that it's time to produce melatonin and that it's time to sleep. So definitely too much green time will disrupt your overall brain's performance. I have not looked up the studies exactly yet, so I can share my my own feelings about this. But, um, and because I, I do have a, the blessing in my practice of I, um, do get to work with younger individuals. I do have patients that are, um, you know, younger adults that, um, social media and the nature of the newsfeeds of social media can alter your brain's patterns of focus so that your brain starts to lean towards more of a rapid fire, high reward system and your brain sort of loses that modeling of, um, the desire to sit and read a one or two paragraphs or a chapter because your brain's sort of used to a constant stream of information, the necessities of social media. Do we need it? What does it fit in our lives? That's a difficult question. I've been really blessed in my own practice that I've had some of my younger patients educate me on the topic of social media, social media as an addiction and ways to manage that. Um, and that's, I've actually had to lean on some of my patients that are in their late teens, early twenties that have, you know, taught me that, you know, this is what it can do, this is what I'm noticing. Um, and then they've ref, you know, reflected to me the effects that it's had on their mood and especially their focus. Um, you know, in my own life, cuz I'm an older individual, been in practice for nearly 15 years and, um, and I don't have kids, I've had to really ask them quite, you know, frequently like, oh, how, you know, so this, this is what social media means to you. Cuz um, for my generation, I don't know that it has so much importance. I'll say for me, um, because there were times in my life then it didn't exist and it did exist. So I, I don't probably tune in as as much. Um, so I had mentioned also in the beginning we were discussing just, you know, what does it mean to have trouble focusing, um, lifestyle? So, um, when, uh, when my patients, um, are discussing with me, you know, these symptoms and we're trying to parse out if they're having trouble indeed among multiple areas of their life, um, one of the things I'll ask them is, um, you know, what does your schedule look like? And that's what can get pretty interesting because, um, for able bodied adult humans who are capable of multiple tasks and being extremely productive, who are sandwiched, you know, raising children or grandchildren, caring for parents or grandparents, um, may have responsibilities towards extended family on top of work and then maybe trying to socialize. Um, it's very, that's working get really interesting because when we start to look at someone's schedule, if they have to hit the ground running at seven in the morning and they don't stop all day and they go until 10:00 PM at night, they throw themselves in the bed and they're tired, then they can't sleep. And if you see where it's going with this, that if your average day, if it actually looks like every minute of your average day is scheduled or structured, you got a problem. And I know this sounds a little bit harsh, but I I can say this because honestly cuz I, I I treat a lot of patients and if it does look like every moment of your day is scheduled or structured, um, then it is time to take a step back to do an audit and really start to figure out which of those task obligations, meetings, appointments, activities are necessary, what must be done, what is the time to prune or cut from your schedule. Because, um, although again, we as humans and are, you know, able bodied, multi-functional, um, according to the other Richard Weber and other metaphysical authors, we are multi-dimensional. We can, we can get a lot done. Um, that doesn't mean you gotta do it all the time. Um, no<laugh> no, it does not mean you need to be doing something all the time. So, um, if you just, if you, however you keep your schedule, if you're thinking, gosh, I can't focus, so I would just maybe tell you, you know, one of the ways either if you keep a schedule, maybe start looking at it or maybe just quiz yourself on like, what does a Wednesday look like? And look at what you know comes up every Wednesday and start to make a list of it and then you can step back. The question I typically will ask my patients is, okay for each individual task, if this doesn't get done, I need you to write down the number of people that will die if this task doesn't get done. I know that sounds harsh, uh, but, um, the reason why I put it that way is that task that you probably perceive as so very important is it always so very important, particularly if you've gotten sort of, um, painted yourself into a hole with having every moment of your day scheduled. So if you're having symptoms, you're not feeling well, you're not focusing and you're looking at those tasks and you are piecing out each one and you discover some of them really aren't so important, maybe you've decided they're important or maybe you've placed so much importance on them, the others around you have decided they're important. But, um, it may turn out that task isn't needed. It's not necessary. It won't hurt anyone if you drop it. Matter of fact, maybe you just should drop it. Um, so I mean, of course it's, it sounds so harsh, but I do question patients that way because, um, by the time they're telling me, I know their stress levels are really high and because of, you know, like their position in life is family leader or maybe leader at work, um, I understand that they are trying to feel all their responsibilities, but someone has to sort of offer them permission that something you're gonna fail at. So we're gonna, gonna let something up, we're gonna purposely fail and let this thing go and let it die. So it may be something like, um, you know, this, you know, memo that I feel like I've gotta send out to everyone. Well, if no one's reading it and you hate writing it and you're getting up at six 30 in the morning to do it, and it's not effective anyway, if you don't write the memo, who is going to suffer immense harm if you don't do it. And at that point it may be time to cut it if we can get you some time back for yourself. And of course, um, many patients who are wondering if they need treatment or questioning if they need treatment, um, most of the prescriptions for a d d or a d h ADHD after the clinical diagnosis has been made or stimulants. However, um, many of us consume stimulants in the form of teas or coffee on a regular basis. Now there are, um, you know, a whole bunch of studies on the health benefits of tea. I did a talk on it many years ago, especially green tea. And there's some studies that show that coffee has some health benefits, keeps the liver healthy and the nervous system healthy, but all things in moderation. So, um, we don't want to necessarily be relying on these in the afternoon or the evening if you sleep at night or if you are a work overnight, sort of the same deal if you may consume your stimulants before your shift that night, but you don't want to be doing those too close to your bedtime. And if you find you're consuming a lot of them, this may be impacting your nervous system in ways that are not supporting your focus and it may actually be time to back off. So one of the recommendations that I frequently offer, and of course if you're a listener, you know that I, I love to discuss meditation as an activity, as a habit, as a healing modality, one of my favorites. So, um, and I will often, I I will actually advise almost every patient that no matter where you are on the spectrum, maybe you're overscheduled trouble focusing, maybe you're tired because it's just time for a break because you're suffering from burnout. Um, there is a podcast several months back where a guest and I, Brandy Gibson and I discussed burnout. Um, so maybe there's some factors that, you know, you can't control. Um, but can meditation play a role? Absolutely. So in my own daily, um, runnings and, and things and when I'm in practice and even like when I'm off work, um, so because I've learned from the book that I mentioned before by Daniel h Pink Wyn, the Science of Perfect Timing, um, I believe I'm what's called a lark. I think I'm an early lark, so I know that myself, I am very productive and I'm the most hopeful and happiest in the mornings. Um, late mornings I can kind of my team, but afternoon I can feel myself wanting to slow down. And definitely by evening I, I must slow down. But during my day, um, if there's a quiet moment, I think catching five minutes of breath work, five minutes of a body scan or five minutes of, um, see I like to do my breath work meditation, I'll do a body scan or, um, if I have a little bit more time, I'll do a nine minute reiki session. Um, and I think some blisters, and of course I'm a reiki master in which I just perform reiki on my head, my heart, and my belly. And I'll do that even on a really good day where I'm feeling like very focused. I will still try to find a break if I can't in between patients or even like if I'm leaving work to let the, the circuits of the brain just relax. Um, if you are considering, if meditation can help, and especially if you're thinking, well, I can't focus, I really can't sit still. So how would I do that? Um, I would definitely say, um, meditations you may want to look out for, um, anything that focuses on the breath. So most of your really popular, um, meditation apps all have breath work, meditations, um, anything that focuses on the body. And I'd mentioned the body scan meditation. And that's basically where you're taking your focus to different parts of your body. You don't do anything fancy, you just acknowledge that it's there and the learning to observe your thoughts. So there should be a number of meditations in which you would settle into your, your body with some breath work. And then you take a few minutes to actually gather all of the thoughts that are racing through your head and then you observe them. So, um, and there's probably far more, but those are from my my student perspective, I would try to focus on those three. And I have always advised my patients, my Reiki clients, that if you are dealing with any issue, but particularly with focus, just try five minutes. And um, what I'll tell you is that in that five minutes it may feel like it doesn't work, but if you will come back every day, I think you'll find some benefit and there's no sacrifice in that five minutes. There's definitely no sacrifice in taking away five minutes of your day if you have more time to devote. Perfect. Um, I think some meditation instructors would recommend certain times of day to meditate. Um, I would just say when you can, if it's in the morning, perfect. If it's at lunch, beautiful. If it's at bedtime, that's perfect. Um, and um, and I often, frequently recommend that if you notice that things are going too fast, starting to, you know, and I need to do something, um, it may be that you have to learn to meditate in your car before you go into work, or you may have to take a few minutes in the bathroom, three minutes in the bathroom, never inconveniences anyone, but if you open your mind to getting in touch with yourself that way, um, you'll find that your focus will start to come back to you. And I think your, the quietness that you start to go in your brain will definitely realign you with what's necessary in your life. So, as always, thank you so much for joining me. Um, you know, and I'm creating these podcasts always think they're gonna be really short. Um, cuz I'm actually naturally an introvert and I'm, I'm surprised at this topic, which, um, and I mentioned my disclaimer before, I am not an expert in in focus A d D or a D H D, but I'm surprised that this podcast turned out to be so long cuz it's a topic. I I think it's, it's important, it's very important. Um, as always, I'm Charli this is the Art of Healing podcast. I have so much gratitude for you spending your time with me today. Um, if you are listening and you are wanting to take some steps, if you are, see your path of meditation ahead and you wanna take the first step, um, my book, the 21 Day Meditation Journey is available on Amazon. Um, it was a, it was a joy to create this book. I I just love it. Um, it's short, it's simple, and um, it could definitely be part of your tool book. It's, you can get an ebook, which you could actually have on your phone, which you could take with you, or you can order a print copy and it's nice and compact and you can take along with you if you're thinking you wanna start some meditation, you're not sure where. That's definitely a place to start. I also have a course that goes along with it, which if you, uh, visit my website, uh, healing arts health and wellness.com is available. Um, so thank you all so much for listening. Um, and I will be in touch next week. Thank you. Bye-bye.