We live in a society that encourages multi-tasking. I told my therapist that every job I had where I worked for someone else required multi-tasking at times. Our society is a fast-food one that wants everything now. Look at all of the videos of people getting mad at fast-food workers because their food is a little late. We want instant gratification. We mistakenly think that we are more productive when we multitask.
Studies show the opposite. Researchers tested 200 participants using a driving simulator, with some of them performing an auditory version of the operation span (OSPAN) task. The majority performing dual tasks showed “significant performance decrements.” Only 2.5 percent showed no performance decrements. A 2016 meta-analysis found that multitasking has “negative effects on cognitive outcomes.”
“The more we multitask, the less we actually accomplish because we slowly lose our ability to focus enough to learn,” said Cynthia Kubu, Ph.D.
The opposite of multitasking
Multitasking is stressful, and as survivors of trauma, we have enough stress. We don’t need to add more to our lives. Thankfully, there is an alternative to multitasking, called one-mindfully. It is doing one thing at a time. When you practice one-mindfully, you notice and let go of any distractions. Prioritize what you need to do. Ask yourself, “What’s most important in this moment?” When you are distracted, notice the urge, but don’t give in to it.
“One-mindfully is the practice of coming back until you’ve done what you need to do.” Pa Kou Vue, my therapist
Marsha Linehan, the creator of dialectical behavioral therapy, suggests ways to practice one-mindfully in her DBT Skills Training Manual:
Do one thing at a time. Notice the desire to be half-present, to be somewhere else, to go somewhere else in your mind, to do something else, to multitask—and then come back to one thing at a time.
Let go of distractions. If other actions, thoughts, and strong feelings distract you, then go back to what you are doing.
Concentrate your mind. If you find you are doing two things at once, stop and go back to one thing at a time.
Embracing the moment
I am learning that embracing the moment enhances my life, even if that moment is tough. I have been feeling sad lately. I lost two friends this year, one to a heart attack and the other to murder. I am also not numbing my emotions and stuffing them down. The sadness I buried as a child has come up. Whenever I feel sad, I allow myself to just feel it. If I am overwhelmed by sadness, I take at least five minutes to meditate.
My favorite meditation this week is turning on the sound of a stream through Insight Timer and picturing my thoughts and emotions as leaves that drop into a stream and flow away. By the time I am finished, even if it is only five minutes, I am not overwhelmed any longer. I am calmer and more relaxed.
“When you practice one-mindfully, you will notice the urge to do something else, and you have to let go of the distractions.” Pa Kou Vue
Resources
DBT Skills Training Manual by Marsha Linehan
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Thank you for sharing dear Gina. I love to listen to scripture on Youtube and just relax when I find myself getting stressed. I also enjoy doing crafts. One thing at a time is good advice. Love you <3
I love the paragraph on multi-tasking so true
Sal