Information Overload 147
given situation (Gross and Thompson 2007). In this sense,
attentional deployment can be either a strategy in itself or
used as a component of other strategies, such as reappraisal
or problem solving.
Attentional deployment is considered to be a founda-
tional aspect of mindfulness practice. It has been shown to
improve not only attention skills in general but also the use
of both implicit and explicit emotion regulation processes.
It does this in two key ways. First, it helps you distract your-
self from emotional situations by shifting your attention or
by shifting your focus. For example, if you are watching a
scary scene of a movie, you might cover your eyes or look
away to shift your attention; however, if you want to alto-
gether shift your focus, you might try to think of something
unrelated to the movie, such as a fun family vacation. Second,
it’s useful for focused concentration, or devoting your full
attention to a particular activity. Essentially, you choose
exactly what to focus on so that you can purposefully regu-
late your emotions. Hopefully these two components of
attentional deployment sound familiar, given their strong
role in cultivating a more mindful approach to regulating
your emotions.
Outsmarting Anxiety Skill #5:
Reduce conscious and unconscious threats
to your emotional well-being.Suggested Practices
Before you begin the following practices, remember the
guidelines we provided in chapter 2. It’s important that you