Publish at October 09 2024 Updated October 09 2024
More and more, we're in the midst of a battle for attention. Mentalist and youtuber Fabien Olicard knows a thing or two about this, having been fascinated by our brains from an early age. In this episode of the "Les Lueurs" podcast, he recounts his observations and findings on the subject of mental availability.
For a start, he's not comfortable with the idea of banishing screens. Screens are neutral tools that can be used with good or bad intentions. Instead, he suggests we reflect on our relationship with devices. Do we need, for example, to have all our notifications on all the time? Probably not, but we're so used to a world of reactance that we can't stand the boredom of activating them. Yet we have the choice to deactivate them. It might even be healthier for us and our relationships.
Nevertheless, he doesn't think we should feel guilty if we get caught up in an application. It happens to him from time to time. We just need to be aware of it, understand what's happened, and take steps to ensure that it doesn't happen very often (or at all, in the best case scenario).
An easy first step is to go for a 1-hour walk on your own or with someone without your camera. Then, to train immediate attention, use the "5-4-3-2-1" exercise: you name in your head five things you can see at the moment, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste. This psychological exercise forces the brain to refocus, and is also very good in moments of great stress for getting out of looped thoughts.
Finally, the idea is to choose where to put your attention. What do I consider essential? What would be my most appropriate communication methods? Sharing them with your network will help you avoid frustrations and the need to respond to everyone at once.
Running time: 1:02
Image: Gustavo Wandalen Corrêa from Pixabay
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