The Internet Ruined My Brain: How I Fixed My Focus

My attention was a mess - here’s now I improved it.

Books Mentioned (Affiliate Links!):

To make your life easier:
0:00 Intro
3:23 Explore vs Exploit Attention
15:57 The Roots of Attentional Anxiety
23:51 Saving Attention for Later

If you want to stay in touch:

Or leave a comment, I (try to) read 100% of comments :)

[somospocosun]

I talk to my brain. I speak to it loudly. I tell it we are not in danger, tasks are good for us, it doesn't need to save us from them. At night I say "You did a good job today. Tomorrow there's a lot to do, so please rest. I love U."

[FilipSimonovski]

Glad to see there are others who tend to rewatch things until they memorize each and every single line

[matthewglenguir]

your video quality has been absolutely phenomenal lately

[beatrizsfsilva]

Seeing this after spending the day procrastinating instead of studying for an upcoming exam brings on a whole new level of guilt... but it's comforting to know that it's a universal problem

[bilyanaboneva]

as someone (one of many) who has been struggling with attention due to an addiction to scrolling and has been reading all sorts of materials to understand why my brain functions like this - this video has been the most insightful source of information i've come across in a very long time. You've completely shifted my perspective on journaling - i usually think of it as a chore, but you've made me realize the benefits in a way i've never even thought of. Endless thanks and I wish you all the best, don't let imposter syndrome get to you <3

[riellka]

I realised just recently how well I'm doing since your ending sentence: "don't believe everything you think" has embedded in my brain. Thank you for every single video, Elizabeth, you've really changed the way I think and generally exist - more for myself, less for others.

[-_M___M_-]

I've never heard anxiety described more precisely.

[heartofananthropologist]

WOW. I have been struggling to finish my PhD dissertation for about five years. Much of this video resonated for me very strongly, but especially the Miracle Question and the Dialogue with Works made me tear up. I really think they might help me finally push through. Thank you so much!🙏

[Pierre-gkky]

You do an excellent job of explaining pretty complicated topics, give yourself props for that. You are adding a lot of value to the world.

[nocturnus]

Love how this type of open journaling is [sounds like] a partial derivative of traversing the labyrinth.

[MarwaEssam-gfxh]

Not only are you my kind of human, but also you are a true human who looks at common problems and tries to find accessible and applicable solutions to counter them. And this is so rare to find in our selfish world❤. Sending my love Elsie.

[cameron]

I had never heard of the orientation response, but that makes a lot of sense, when constantly changing context tires me out and loses my focus. Thanks for putting words to that!

[danysolerl]

OMG Elizabeth... you just hit every nail every time. But I have never heard a better explanation on anxiety and how to deal with it before. Big BIG THANK YOU

[Complecx]

Dialogue with Works reminds me of how Hans Zimmer writes his pieces for a lady and how he uses the music to take her away from her 9-5 job. It was in the latest Netflix documentary. I was happy to hear his views aligned with his teachings in the masterclass project he was apart of. Thanks for the video, it was a nice perspective shift and will definitely add some more thought to each word I write as I plan ahead to something new.

Your a pretty awesome person, and I hope everyone in this community can enjoy their summer.

[a]

Amazing video. So informative, researched, engaging, and with a bunch of studies I haven’t ever heard before! The part on narrative flow and presence was so accurate to my anxiety, I can’t believe I have never heard it explained that way before. I am about to rewatch this video and take notes! 📝 Your content is in a class of its own. 👏

[rinciel]

Elizabeth!! You've reminded me of my love for journaling and how effective it has been in helping me go through life in tough times, sprinkled with self-loathing here and there! You are so eloquent, and your bravery for vulnerability is beautiful, it enabled me to see that hey, there are people who had similar struggles as me.

Journaling/writing has been a tremendous help but I would also like to point out that it could be a tool that encourages rumination, even more than what I already tend to do. And there are times where I was way too anxious that I didn't have the capacity for coherent thoughts, much less an ability to properly hold a pen down and write.

It took me too long to realize that sometimes, I just needed to breathe. And accept that I don't need to have everything figured out /right now/. I feel that I do best when I strike the balance between conscious processing such as journaling, self-talk, therapy, and the unconscious, such as breathing, taking a walk, singing, dancing, staring out at trees or the night sky for just a bit too long, and-- sleeping! The body keeps the score, after all.

I'm wondering if this is an area that you have an interest in exploring? I absolutely adored how you described thought and cognitive processes, it made me super curious if you were to talk about your findings about topics that are less about cognition itself, and more about how the physical realm perceived by the body influenced cognition.

Thank you for existing, Elizabeth!!🌱

[Agent_Orange_Peel]

Another great video. You always put so much work and research into your videos. It’s very apparent. Thank you. I always look forward to your posts.

[qmuhammadahmed]

There isn't one moment in your videos when I want them to be over. Absolutely adore how you explain your thoughts.

[robertpeek]

Love this video! The background music chosen is fantastic!❤

[rih]

Your video’s aesthetics are to die for. The visuals the sound effects and background, and you yourself are amazing. Thank you for this high quality content that we are lacking nowadays.