The whole and its parts

The whole & its parts

Distractions are here to stay

The number of available distractions is simply incredible.

There is the story one tells oneself. There are the thoughts and ideas that pop up and seem to be so important that one must remember them or engage in them. There are feelings adding to an impression that something is not as right as it should be. There are people calling in and asking questions. There is the rest one needs to have from challenging or exhausting tasks. There is the pleasure that one looks for when picking up the phone to see if there is a new message or something interesting in the diverse social media feeds.

There will be many more, but you get the point.

The desire to wish them away resembles the hope to have magical powers. And yet, that is how people react to distractions.

They see a colleague coming and become grumpy. They put their phone far away to make their social media feeds less accessible. They try to reject their thoughts and feelings by overlooking them.

Naturally, there are circumstances in which these reactions are perfectly normal. But turning them into a habit doesn’t solve the problem. It simply tries to push the problem away. Not only that, it also reshapes relationships by transforming the other into an intruder, someone who disturbs, or someone who has to be served despite one’s own needs. It makes it hard to have kind relationships.

One of the things a meditation practice teaches is to acknowledge whatever appears and let it go. What’s not included in that practice is the expectation that it will always work.

The point is to know that this will happen. Every time one drifts back into the distraction becomes an opportunity to let it go again.

When it’s more than a thought and feeling one can deal with by oneself acknowledging isn’t enough. What’s needed then is a quick assessment of the situation, the ability to then choose one’s priorities and act on them.

Other people also know how it is to be distracted or disturbed by one’s activity.

Help them understand when you will be available to them or how long you can engage in their request if you do so immediately.

 

 

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