Meet Amishi Jha
Amishi Jha, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She’s also the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. She’s written a new book called “Peak Mind.” In it, she shares how we can improve our attention spans and become better focused in just 12 minutes a day.
Why Amishi Jha Is Mentally Strong
Amishi has conducted extensive research surrounding attention spans. She’s uncovered several important lessons about why we’re so distracted and the steps we can take to improve our focus. Now, she’s sharing what she’s learned and the strategies that can help. This is especially important in today’s digital world where there are so many things vying for our attention at any given moment.
What You’ll Hear on the Show
Why it seems like our attention spans have gotten so much worse The impact COVID has had on our attention span How to modify your environment in a way that makes it easier to stay on task The difference between ADHD and normal struggles with staying on task The components of attention and the flashlight analogy How to start practicing mindfulness The benefits you’ll gain from becoming more mindful How keeping a pen and paper handy can improve your focus The link between mood and attention Why it’s healthy to allow your mind to wander sometimes
What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength
Some mental health issues can affect our attention spans. Depression, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and OCD, for example, make it difficult to concentrate. Fortunately, there are steps all of us can take to improve our ability to pay attention. And when we do, we’ll be able to be more present throughout our day.
Quotes From Amishi
“A peak mind is not one in which we never experience fear, grief, sadness, uncertainty, or even ambiguity about a situation, but training the mind so that we can maneuver through those difficult circumstances with more ease instead of working against ourselves.““Fifty percent of the time, our minds are wandering.““Every moment I notice I’m distracted, I can actually do something about it. I can redirect back, or I can allow myself to wander wherever the heck I want without feeling kind of guilty about it.”
More About the Podcast
The Verywell Mind Podcast is available across all streaming platforms. If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too. If You Liked This Episode, You Might Also Like These Episodes
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