Understanding Anxiety, Part III: The Role of Attention

«Well, when that happens to me, I start cleaning. I get on with the housework and before I know it, my nerves have calmed down…»

«I find listening to music really helps. I put it on and listen for a while, and then I leave it playing in the background…»

«Last week I had a similar situation, but I went out for a walk and it helped me relax…»

The Role of Attention

We’ve all surely heard (or experienced) stories like these, where when we talk about our nerves, people can’t help but tell us how they face (and heroically solve) these kinds of situations. Or similar situations, because although they might seem alike, it’s very rare that it’s actually the same situation, or that other people will respond exactly the same way as we do. And what do all these situations have in common? Basically, in all of them, stimuli are introduced to focus our attention on things other than what’s causing us anxiety, putting what’s worrying us to one side. These types of behaviours can allow us to clear our heads and put our problem aside, allowing our nerves to regulate and decrease in the background while we give ourselves time to breathe, to think about something else, or simply to not think about anything.

The classic example of going out for a cigarette is perfect in this sense because, although nicotine is a stimulant of the nervous system, going out for a cigarette can actually relax us. And this happens for two reasons: firstly, the tobacco calms the anxiety that the nicotine itself generates. This is why it creates addiction: first, it creates a need for nicotine, and then it makes you feel bad if you don’t consume it. The second point is that when you go out for a cigarette, you GO out for a cigarette. No, beyond calming the anxiety that the tobacco itself generates, smoking doesn’t relax you, it doesn’t calm your mood or reduce your anger. Leaving the situation that makes you nervous, that gives you anxiety, leaving the situation that angers you and giving yourself some time is what relaxes you, calms your mood, or helps reduce your anger. And this is why, at a certain point, attention-focusing techniques can be so useful.

In this sense, we can use different strategies aimed at focusing attention, from meditation or sport to cleaning or knitting. Obviously, each of these will be more or less suitable depending on the personality, learning history, and context of each of us. It’s recommended at first to consider which ones we have used naturally throughout our lives, and to seek a qualified professional if we want to learn or develop these or other techniques of attentional management and regulation.