Page 8 - Attention Hijacked: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Brain from Tech

incredible gift. But we often don’t even realize it’s happening, and
that flitting about takes us away from how we interact with the world
in real time. Mindfulness gives us a way to pause and check in with
ourselves, turning research into me-search.
We can then take this skill of intentionally directing our attention
and shine the spotlight right on our tech habits. The good news is
that our brains are designed to rewire themselves through a process
called neuroplasticity. It actually changes the physical structures of our
brains. Though it may require some effort, even those of us who feel
addicted to our tech can change neuropathways and regain a sense of
agency. Chapter 5 offers some general guidelines about how to apply
mindfulness to your tech usage. It gives you a survey to more closely
examine how you use technology and how it might be impacting you.
Chapter 6 invites you to think about the specifics of how your
attention gets hijacked, along with ways you can create more balance
in your life. If you are newer to owning a phone or to technology
in general, this is still a great section to explore, to prepare you for
challenges that may arise in the future. You get to role-play some of
the scenarios without experiencing the damage that can happen.
Finally, in chapter 7, we look at living your best life. Are you
happy with the ways your life is unfolding, with and without your
phone? Are you getting enough playtime, physical time, downtime,
and sleep time? Are you content with yourself? Do you have things
you like to do and people you like to be with?
Throughout this book, you’ll see big-picture journal prompts
in the margins. These are great ways to gain clarity about how
technology functions in your life. You can use them one at a time or
collectively. So grab your journal, a pen and paper—or even a Google
Doc if that’s going to make it happen—and get writing. Or you might
discuss the ideas with friends, teachers, or parents.
By the end of this book, you should have a much better sense of
the ways you engage with technology, how it impacts you, and what
to do to create healthier habits. I hope you will feel empowered,

10 Attention Hijacked