Beth Zalantai, MSc, is a clinically trained mental health professional with extensive experience delivering and supervising evidence-based psychological care. As a mom and therapist, Beth provides compassionate support for moms navigating their mental health.
In the fast-paced world we live in, your attention is constantly being pulled in different directions. For many parents, this leaves them feeling exhausted, weary, and struggling to stay focused. In this article, we'll share practical tips to help tired parents recharge their focus and prevent attention fatigue.
Attention fatigue is the depletion of your mental resources that occurs after prolonged periods of focused attention or concentration. It can happen when you engage in mentally demanding tasks or activities for an extended period without breaks or proper rest.
During pregnancy and postpartum, your brain undergoes remarkable changes. These adaptations, primarily driven by hormonal fluctuations, help you form strong attachments with your baby and become a nurturing caregiver. However, these brain changes can also make you feel "spacey" or forgetful—a phenomenon commonly referred to as "mom brain." These changes going on in your body can make you more susceptible to attention fatigue, especially when combined with sleep deprivation! Making a mistake or forgetting something is nothing to be ashamed of. These changes affect all of us!
Psychologist Stephen Kaplan from the University of Michigan observed that some activities drain your attention more than others. When you engage in tasks that are beyond your skill level or lack interest, your attention is quickly depleted. On the contrary, activities that captivate you are easy to pay attention to for long periods of time. For example, it's effortless to binge-watch your favorite TV show but challenging to focus on a lengthy instruction manual. This fascination factor explains why some tasks are more mentally taxing than others.
Dr. Kaplan explains that one way to prevent attention fatigue is to avoid any unnecessary costs to your attention. However, some things are unavoidable. As a parent, you have a lot of responsibilities to attend to!
To combat attention fatigue, Stephen and his wife, Rachel Kaplan, developed the Attention Restoration Theory (ART). This theory suggests that stepping away from your current environment and immersing yourself in nature can renew your attention. Natural environments, such as forests, parks, lakes, and green spaces, offer what the Kaplans refer to as "soft fascination." Soft fascination occurs when the environment presents stimuli that are interesting and capture your attention in a gentle, effortless manner. Examples include watching the movement of leaves, listening to birds chirping, or observing the flow of a river.
Natural environments typically involve fewer demands for directed attention, allowing the mind to wander and rest. This restorative effect allows the mental resources depleted by directed attention tasks (like work or studying) to replenish, leading to improved focus and mental well-being.
While venturing into nature is an ideal way to restore your attention, we acknowledge that it may not always be feasible. Fortunately, there are alternative techniques to recharge your focus:
Thinking continuously about the past or worrying about the future takes up a lot of your attention. Instead, you can focus on being present:
In the midst of hormonal fluctuations and profound changes to the brain, attention fatigue is quite common among moms. The science behind attention fatigue and the ART technique offer invaluable insights into revitalizing your focus. Whether it's a leisurely stroll amidst nature, practicing mindfulness, or changing up your environment, taking some time to recharge your focus can help you feel refreshed and ready to take on whatever comes your way!