By

Sherri Fisher

The Art of Distractibility, Part VI: Be Your Own Best Friend

When I realized that I’d forgotten my mom’s birthday, the self-judgments hit me hard. “I’m a horrible daughter. And an airhead. How could I be so selfish? My mom would never be so thoughtless. I must be one of those self-absorbed millennials the news is always complaining about.” Ever had self-abasing thoughts? It’s true that...
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The Art of Distractibility, Part V: Go Through the (E)Motions

I have earned a C- on a test I was sure I’d aced. I feel my shoulders slump and my energy plummet. I hide the test and start chatting with my friends, trying to put my sadness and shame from my mind. Have you ever tried to shove away an unwanted feeling? Who hasn’t! No...
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The Art of Distractibility, Part IV: Recharge with Positive People

After an unbelievably tough day, I slump through the door. I should get to work on my assignments or chores, or at least eat a healthy dinner, but I feel way too defeated to do any of that. I just want to relax! I grab a bag of chips, flop on the sofa, and lose...
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The Art of Distractibility, Part III: Fortify with Good Thoughts

I wake up, an underslept mess because I was tossing and turning all night, pestered by regrets and worries. The morning starts in a confused fog of bad feelings and muddy thinking. I’m sullen towards everyone I see, and I’m angry at myself. I want to get things done! I want to get along with...
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The Art of Distractibility, Part II: Turn Towards Positive Thoughts

It’s my birthday. My friends serenade me as my mom brings out the birthday cake, the candles glowing. I’m about to blow them out and make a wish when the negativity hits. My birthday will be over soon, and then it’s back to chores and assignments. What if I don’t get what I wish for?...
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The Art of Distractibility, Part I: Monkey Mind to Masterpiece

Sitting with my interview file on my lap, I try hard to pay attention to my interviewer. I know it’ll be important to respond that what she’s saying, but my thoughts keep wandering. Do I look okay? Can she hear the waver in my voice? Will she smell that “everything” bagel I ate for breakfast?...
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Well-being: Fertilizer for Flourishing?

People often count on random positive events to help get them through the day. But close to half of our well-being can be affected by intentional activities, like setting goals, making choices, and developing self-regulation. So does this mean that good things in your life are not all random? Well, as a matter of fact,...
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3 Rules for Adulting™: Go Like a PRO

You’ve finished all of the work you’re going to do today. You could be like Fred Flintstone shouting “Yabba-dabba-doo!” as you rush away from your task list. But wait, you’ve forgotten something important! Tomorrow. If you just leave your desk at the stopping point of your last task, you will be completely unprepared for the...
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How to Improve Fluency and Processing Speed

We like to think that we are in charge of our choices.  But what if making a choice or decision is actually based on things that we don’t notice? Sometimes we are faced with a task that will require one or more choices. What we choose depends on what we process about the situation. This...
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For Small Wins, Think Bigger Picture

If you’re like me, when faced with the ill-defined obstacle of “all of the stuff that needs to get done,” it’s very tempting to immediately launch into action. But any sports team knows better than to attack blindly; you need a savvy strategy to succeed. A champion squad would never enter the arena without a...
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