A work-related question -- ACT and mental concentration

[Guest guest]

I'm looking for some guidance about a particular problem I've been

having with ACT.

One of my goals is to be more effective in my worklife, to not be

distracted by dysfunctional thoughts while I'm trying to get work

done – and to get more work done as a result.

I am a writer and also a teacher and both of these things demand a

lot of mental concentration. As a writer, especially, I'm forced to

spend a lot of time alone with my own thoughts. I find that to do any

decent work, my mind has to be operating at a pretty full capacity.

If I start getting besieged by irrational, distracting, dysfunctional

thoughts, I'm screwed – and I end up getting nothing done at all.

I have found ACT to be extremely helpful if it involves activities

which DON'T DEMAND THE FULL USE OF MY MIND . For instance, I can

turn off my mind and keep a distance from my distracting thoughts

and - I can go visit an ailing relative, or do physical work, or

spend time with my girlfriend despite intrusive and irrational

thoughts, or go to a meeting I don't want to attend, etc.

But if I'm doing work where I really have to make a mental effort --

if I really need to enlist my mind in order to get some work done

(and it doesn't have to be writing, it could be doing my taxes) ,

THEN I find it virtually impossible just to " accept " my dysfunctional

thoughts -- since they literally BLOCK OUT my other thoughts and make

it impossible to think clearly.

In the past, I have found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy useful in

SHORT bursts as a way of dealing with this problem,

Using CBT, I can vanquish my dysfunctional thoughts for 15 minute,

or 30 minute, or 45 minute periods -- and get some work done. But I

realize that this is only dealing with the problem in a superficial

way -- the dysfunctional thoughts always come back and have to be

swatted away again.

I am eager to apply ACT to this problem -- if there is way to do it.

If anyone has dealt with this type of situation – i.e. trying to do

mental work while being distracted by dysfunctional thoughts -- I

would love to hear how you handled it and if you found ACT helpful.

Thank you.

Andy

[Guest guest]

Hi Andy,

Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you, but I have the same problem. I am an engineer and need to think a lot for my job. Other thoughts come and distract me from work. Right now I am supposed to work, but I am sitting and reading all the great emails on this forum, and after being done with reading, I will start doing some work, and then get distracted by some other thought that is lurking in the back of my mind already.

And the analytical way of thinking that my job requires and is part of my personality, too, gets in the way of actively living my life in the here and now because I analyze everything to death.

I hope you don't mind that I join you in this email, because I need some good advice and insight on this topic (amongst many more) myself.

Thank you all very much!

-

[Guest guest]

Andy's post is an extremely interesting one. Since I don't experience

the problem quite the way he does, and thus don't have an obvious

solution to offer, I wasn't going to respond at first - but 's

post has got me even more interested.

I too am a writer - I do mostly marketing writing, plus book writing

and editing. My problems in conventional psychological terms are

depression and anxiety - I alternate between the two. Behaviorally, I

have a lot of fear ( & thus avoidance) of pursuing the sort of writing

I really value. Since I am also a freelancer, this kind of avoidance

of risk is crippling & has taken a toll on my career and also my

finances.

I find that in my work, my avoidance manifests as anxious or

discouraged thoughts, coupled with behavioral predispositions to avoid

these thoughts in various ways, usually by avoiding the project at

hand. Inevitably my deadlines force me to get to work anyway, but I'm

not as productive as I might be.

When I do get involved in a project - e.g. writing or editing a

particular section of a book - I find I can still slip into a " flow "

state in spite of myself. It's more the getting started that is the

problem.

I also think that when it comes to dysfunctional thoughts as I work,

the real issue for me is that such thoughts arise as part of my

strategy of avoidance. So to solve it, I'm going to have to address

the avoidance, not just the thoughts as thoughts.

My approach so far has consisted of looking at what I value in the

work domain and why I've been avoiding it; how my self-conception ties

in to this avoidance; how my past history has reinforced fear of

rejection & thus fear of risk; etc. I am working with this stuff

mostly through introspective visualization - e.g. various forms of the

" tin can monster exercise. " I have found it helpful, though I still

have a lot more work to do.

So what I would say is, look at the function of the dysfunctional

thoughts, and address that function - rather than try to cope with the

thoughts on an ad hoc basis.

I have to run out the door right now to a writers' conference here in

NYC - part of pursuing my scary values! But I will check back into

this thread later - I'm curious to hear what more of what people have

to say on this subject.

>

> Hi Andy,

>

> Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you, but I have the same

problem.

> I am an engineer and need to think a lot for my job. Other thoughts

come

> and distract me from work. Right now I am supposed to work, but I am

> sitting and reading all the great emails on this forum, and after

being done

> with reading, I will start doing some work, and then get distracted

by some

> other thought that is lurking in the back of my mind already.

>

> And the analytical way of thinking that my job requires and is part

of my

> personality, too, gets in the way of actively living my life in the

here and

> now because I analyze everything to death.

>

> I hope you don't mind that I join you in this email, because I need some

> good advice and insight on this topic (amongst many more) myself.

>

> Thank you all very much!

> -

>

[Guest guest]

Sitting meditation (Zazen) as described in our ACT workbook is not

an instant cure, but if practiced over time has the added benifit of

being able to concentrate our mind both on and off of the cushion.

Through this mindfulness practice we may be able to " catch "

ourselves sooner when we wonder off and bring our focus once again

on the task at hand. It's like any other physical excersize that if

we practice daily we gain strength and endurance -- in this case

turning our mind into an alley.

There are a zillion books out there that can describe this better,

but ultimately it's about trying this out for yourself and seeing if

it works for you over time.

~EM

>

> I'm looking for some guidance about a particular problem I've been

> having with ACT.

> One of my goals is to be more effective in my worklife, to not be

> distracted by dysfunctional thoughts while I'm trying to get work

> done – and to get more work done as a result.

>

> I am a writer and also a teacher and both of these things demand a

> lot of mental concentration. As a writer, especially, I'm forced

to

> spend a lot of time alone with my own thoughts. I find that to do

any

> decent work, my mind has to be operating at a pretty full

capacity.

> If I start getting besieged by irrational, distracting,

dysfunctional

> thoughts, I'm screwed – and I end up getting nothing done at all.

>

> I have found ACT to be extremely helpful if it involves activities

> which DON'T DEMAND THE FULL USE OF MY MIND . For instance, I can

> turn off my mind and keep a distance from my distracting thoughts

> and - I can go visit an ailing relative, or do physical work, or

> spend time with my girlfriend despite intrusive and irrational

> thoughts, or go to a meeting I don't want to attend, etc.

>

> But if I'm doing work where I really have to make a mental effort -

-

> if I really need to enlist my mind in order to get some work done

> (and it doesn't have to be writing, it could be doing my taxes) ,

> THEN I find it virtually impossible just to " accept " my

dysfunctional

> thoughts -- since they literally BLOCK OUT my other thoughts and

make

> it impossible to think clearly.

>

> In the past, I have found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy useful in

> SHORT bursts as a way of dealing with this problem,

> Using CBT, I can vanquish my dysfunctional thoughts for 15

minute,

> or 30 minute, or 45 minute periods -- and get some work done. But

I

> realize that this is only dealing with the problem in a

superficial

> way -- the dysfunctional thoughts always come back and have to be

> swatted away again.

> I am eager to apply ACT to this problem -- if there is way to do

it.

>

> If anyone has dealt with this type of situation – i.e. trying to

do

> mental work while being distracted by dysfunctional thoughts -- I

> would love to hear how you handled it and if you found ACT helpful.

>

> Thank you.

>

> Andy

>

[Guest guest]

Meditation is indeed a great way to practice paying attention.

However, after spending the last 2 months practicing meditation (I

have never done this before) using the program by Dr. Jon Kabat-

Zinn, I would like to share what has helped me.

There are a number of ways to practice meditation, or really what it

is about is learning to be present. While the sitting has been very

helpful, what has also work extremely well is yoga meditation. Doing

very basic yoga and then while you are in that position

concentrating on how your body is feeling at that moment. I had some

very important discoveries about myself while doing this. And they

were mental discoveries not physical.

I'm not trying to say that I am better, because I am how I am right

now. I am no longer trying to get better, or feel better or trying

to change or get rid of my thoughts. I practice now so I can learn

how to live and feel fully in the present moment.

What other reason is there? Yesterdays gone and tomorrows a fantasy.

All we have is right now. Learn how to live right now and let the

rest take care of itself.

Greg

> >

> > I'm looking for some guidance about a particular problem I've

been

> > having with ACT.

> > One of my goals is to be more effective in my worklife, to not

be

> > distracted by dysfunctional thoughts while I'm trying to get

work

> > done – and to get more work done as a result.

> >

> > I am a writer and also a teacher and both of these things demand

a

> > lot of mental concentration. As a writer, especially, I'm

forced

> to

> > spend a lot of time alone with my own thoughts. I find that to

do

> any

> > decent work, my mind has to be operating at a pretty full

> capacity.

> > If I start getting besieged by irrational, distracting,

> dysfunctional

> > thoughts, I'm screwed – and I end up getting nothing done at

all.

> >

> > I have found ACT to be extremely helpful if it involves

activities

> > which DON'T DEMAND THE FULL USE OF MY MIND . For instance, I

can

> > turn off my mind and keep a distance from my distracting

thoughts

> > and - I can go visit an ailing relative, or do physical work,

or

> > spend time with my girlfriend despite intrusive and irrational

> > thoughts, or go to a meeting I don't want to attend, etc.

> >

> > But if I'm doing work where I really have to make a mental

effort -

> -

> > if I really need to enlist my mind in order to get some work

done

> > (and it doesn't have to be writing, it could be doing my

taxes) ,

> > THEN I find it virtually impossible just to " accept " my

> dysfunctional

> > thoughts -- since they literally BLOCK OUT my other thoughts and

> make

> > it impossible to think clearly.

> >

> > In the past, I have found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy useful in

> > SHORT bursts as a way of dealing with this problem,

> > Using CBT, I can vanquish my dysfunctional thoughts for 15

> minute,

> > or 30 minute, or 45 minute periods -- and get some work done.

But

> I

> > realize that this is only dealing with the problem in a

> superficial

> > way -- the dysfunctional thoughts always come back and have to

be

> > swatted away again.

> > I am eager to apply ACT to this problem -- if there is way to do

> it.

> >

> > If anyone has dealt with this type of situation – i.e. trying to

> do

> > mental work while being distracted by dysfunctional thoughts --

I

> > would love to hear how you handled it and if you found ACT

helpful.

> >

> > Thank you.

> >

> > Andy

> >

>