{"id":32192,"date":"2016-06-23T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T13:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=32192"},"modified":"2016-06-23T08:42:21","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T15:42:21","slug":"bracketing-3-simple-steps-for-dealing-with-distraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/bracketing-3-simple-steps-for-dealing-with-distraction-0623164","title":{"rendered":"Bracketing: 3 Simple Steps for Dealing with Distraction"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"distractedAll of us become distracted sometimes. So many things compete so effectively for our attention. Multitasking is one response to this. But studies find that while multitasking carries an emotional reward\u2014we feel more productive\u2014it\u2019s actually linked to lower levels of accomplishment and productivity. We\u2019re going to look at a practice called bracketing as a more effective response to distraction.<\/p>\n

Bracketing is a simple, three-step process. The first step is to acknowledge what\u2019s distracting you. The second is to deliberately set it aside for the moment. And the third is to return to it later in order to address it.<\/p>\n

Bob (not his real name) works as a computer programmer. His department is under a lot of pressure. Unfortunately for Bob, his manager makes use of everyone\u2019s anxiety<\/a> to keep them working hard. People get called on the carpet and sometimes let go. As a result, a lot of Bob\u2019s colleagues are withdrawn and irritable<\/a>, and work is a lot less safe than it used to be. Bob is frequently engaged in low-level surveillance. It\u2019s a normal response to dangerous surroundings\u2014think of being in the forest at night, where you\u2019re alert to any noise in case it\u2019s a predator. But as a result, Bob is distracted from the very work he\u2019s pressured to complete. Simple problems are hard to solve. He wonders if he\u2019s lost his edge, if he\u2019s even in the right field.<\/p>\n

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To make things even rougher, Bob\u2019s 15-year-old daughter, Madison, has started getting into trouble at school<\/a> and he\u2019s not sure why. She seems like a happy, well-adjusted kid, but maybe he\u2019s missing something? Is it just a phase they all go through or is it a warning sign? Should he schedule a meeting with the school principal, or should he take her to see a therapist<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Bob and Vicky, his wife, have started having arguments about how to respond to Madison, as well as other issues. He\u2019s begun wondering if his marriage<\/a> is in trouble.<\/p>\n

Often when Bob is writing programming code for one of his assignments his thoughts begin revolving around his daughter, especially if he\u2019s happened to hear a story on the news about high school students. He can find himself having a brief fantasy conversation with Vicky about what the family needs, going over their last disagreement. Or he wonders if he\u2019s in the right line of work, if it\u2019s too late to start something different.<\/p>\n

These lapses aren\u2019t long, not usually more than two or three minutes. But they\u2019re enough to distract him from what he\u2019s doing. When he notices what\u2019s happening, he makes a partial effort to suppress his thoughts. \u201cI\u2019ve got to focus,\u201d he tells himself sternly. And then he begins thinking about how much pressure he\u2019s under to get this current project to QA for testing, and how he can\u2019t afford to have them send it back to him to fix something.<\/p>\n

Bob doesn\u2019t meet the criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity<\/a>, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual<\/a>. For one thing, he\u2019s able to reflect on his own behaviors. For another, his symptoms of distraction didn\u2019t start before he was 12, and they are clearly related to his current situations. Still, it would be helpful if Bob had some way of clearing his thoughts.<\/p>\n

This is where bracketing comes in.<\/p>\n

As Bob notices he\u2019s become distracted, he briefly acknowledges what\u2019s distracting him. Worry about Madison. The relationship with Vicky. Pressure at work.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging\u2014allowing yourself to notice something\u2014is a key component of mindfulness practice<\/a>. Buddhist nun and mindfulness meditation teacher Pema Ch\u00f6dr\u00f6n describes this coming back to the present as recognizing what\u2019s true in the moment without judging it.<\/p>\n

Having acknowledged these issues, Bob sets them to one side. Sounds easy, doesn\u2019t it? But how do you actually practice it?<\/p>\n

When we set something aside, the implication is \u201cfor the time being.\u201d We plan to come back to it at some point. My favorite show is about to come on, so I\u2019ll finish doing the dishes after I watch it. It\u2019s starting to rain; I\u2019ll finish the yardwork tomorrow.<\/p>\n

How Bracketing Differs from Procrastination<\/h2>\n

The difference between setting something aside and procrastination<\/a> is in commitment to the follow-through. I intend to get back to the dishes when my show is over, and when the closing credits have finished I go back out to the kitchen. When the rain stops, next day I resume mowing the lawn.<\/p>\n

This temporary setting aside is also different from thought suppression, or \u201ctrying not to think about it.\u201d Some studies show that thought suppression actually reinforces the material we\u2019re trying to suppress, which reminds us of the old saying, \u201cThrow the devil out the door and he comes in the window.\u201d Remember that the first step of this practice is to let yourself become fully aware of what\u2019s claiming some of your attention.<\/p>\n

This is the heart of this practice. This is what makes bracketing increasingly effective\u2014when we come back to what we set aside. That we make a commitment to completing our own personal work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, we schedule a specific time when we can give our attention to what\u2019s distracting us. Bob tells himself, \u201cI\u2019ll concentrate on Madison when I get home from work.\u201d He also decides to think about the situation at work when he takes his break. And he and Vicky can talk over dinner tonight\u2014not just about Madison, but about their own relationship.<\/p>\n

At this point, Bob hasn\u2019t solved his problems, but he has scheduled specific times to engage with them.<\/p>\n

The third step is to keep these appointments.<\/p>\n

On his afternoon break, he strikes up a conversation with a man in the next cubicle. The two of them decide to take a walk and stretch their legs. As they walk, they talk about how tense it\u2019s getting in the office. When Bob gets home, he sits down with Vicky and they decide to schedule a meeting with Madison\u2019s principal before considering counseling. Later that evening, when Madison gets home, Bob makes a point of checking in with her. Nothing too intense\u2014she’s not in the mood<\/a> to talk. But he establishes that he will sometimes initiate contact for no reason other than contact.<\/p>\n

This is the heart of this practice. This is what makes bracketing increasingly effective\u2014when we come back to what we set aside. That we make a commitment to completing our own personal work. Consider that these issues wouldn\u2019t come up as distractions if they weren\u2019t important in the first place.<\/p>\n

Bracketing Improves with Repetition<\/h2>\n

As with any practice, this one becomes more effective the more we repeat it. Put another way, we believe ourselves more as we keep our word to ourselves.<\/p>\n

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review<\/em> notes that the act of keeping promises to ourselves helps us be more fully realized versions of who we are. Carl Jung<\/a> uses similar language in his concept of self<\/a>\u2014the organizing principle of both the conscious and unconscious areas of the psyche<\/a>, or the \u201cblueprint\u201d of identity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this sense, keeping promises to ourselves is a way of communicating with the unconscious<\/a>. The communication is, \u201cYou, the unconscious, are worthy of respect and I, the conscious ego, am worthy of respect.\u201d The thought \u201cI will\u201d is increasingly experienced as believable, and the pressure from the unconscious that shows up as a distraction decreases.<\/p>\n

Bob gets through the week and now it\u2019s Sunday afternoon. He and Vicky are visiting Vicky\u2019s sister. Everyone\u2019s in the backyard relaxing while chicken sizzles on the barbecue. Sounds like a nice time, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

But Bob\u2019s having trouble enjoying it because he\u2019s thinking about work tomorrow. The thoughts are intrusive and keep pulling him into a fantasy version of tomorrow morning and away from the present moment, even though this moment of ease and refreshment is just what he needs. But it\u2019s almost as if he can feel it all trickling between his fingers and disappearing, leaving nothing but the apparent reality of work.<\/p>\n

So he brackets the intrusive thoughts. First he acknowledges to himself what\u2019s distracting him. This time he doesn\u2019t really need to schedule it for later, because tomorrow morning he\u2019ll be on the road to the office by 6:45. But he makes use of the formality anyway. Although there\u2019s nothing he needs to do to prepare for work, he mentally tells the office he\u2019ll see it at 8 a.m., knowing he\u2019ll keep that appointment. And then he returns to attending to the conversation, the sunlight, and the smell of chicken on the grill, which is making him hungry.<\/p>\n

Sometimes Bob wakes up in the middle of the night. His thoughts turn to different topics and become more active, so it can be hard to get back to sleep. Rather than trying to distract himself, he practices bracketing. Acknowledging whatever is present in his thoughts, whether it’s a meeting he’s not looking forward to or a medical procedure he’s been putting off, he determines when he will return to it in order to give it his full attention. And in the morning, or later in the week, or Saturday, he follows through. Again, it’s this follow-through that strengthens the practice and increases its effectiveness.<\/p>\n

We live in a culture that bombards us with claims. Sometimes the best way to assess such claims is by experiment. Try the three steps of bracketing\u2014acknowledgement, setting aside, and then returning to the issue\u2014as a tool against distraction in your own life.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/em> (5th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Publishing.<\/li>\n
  2. Ch\u00f6dr\u00f6n, P. (2012). Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change<\/em>. Boston and London: Shambhalla.<\/li>\n
  3. Gielan, M. (2010). Why Keeping Your Promise is Good for YOU. Psychology Today.<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/blog\/lights-camera-happiness\/201005\/why-keeping-your-promise-is-good-you<\/li>\n
  4. Grabmeier, J. (2012). Multitasking May Hurt Your Performance, but It Makes You Feel Better. Ohio State University.<\/em> Retrieved from http:\/\/researchnews.osu.edu\/archive\/multitask.htm<\/li>\n
  5. Jung, C. (1966). \u201cPsychology of the Transference,” Collected Works,<\/em> 16<\/em>. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.<\/li>\n
  6. Kibler, M. (2015). Treat Promises to Yourself as Seriously as Promises to Others. Harvard Business Review.<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/hbr.org\/2015\/09\/treat-promises-to-yourself-as-seriously-as-promises-to-others<\/li>\n
  7. Wenzlaff, R.M., & Wegner, D.M. (2000). Thought Suppression. National Center for Biotechnology Information.<\/em> Retrieved from http:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The practice of bracketing involves acknowledging a distraction, setting it aside, then returning to it later. But don\u2019t mistake it for procrastination.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2913,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-32192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-articles","tag-psychotherapy-practice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2913"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32192"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32192\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}