As I begin to finish reading “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari, I see how I’m sensing the similarities I have with myself and what I’ve been reading. From critical examination to working in stressful environments in today’s society, it was a pleasing experience to have read so much information regarding important topics on the attention crisis. I’ve gained so much knowledge and insight over the last several weeks and I look forward to continue learning more as time goes on. Like I’ve always known, there is always time to learn new things and use them to an advantage that will help in the long run. As we speak, I’ve presently discovered that ADHD and children coincide with each other regarding the attention crisis. While that may be common knowledge for life in general, it’s actually more severe when it comes to lack of attention overall in the present time. 

In chapter 13 of the book, Hari points out that ADHD diagnoses have increased a lot, which is something that I can see clearly, especially with the type of work I do as a teaching assistant. He gives certain reasons as to why exactly more kids are getting diagnosed with this condition, such as lack of environmental, stress, and diet issues — something he discusses more of in Chapter 12. For the environmental and diet issues, he emphasizes that cleaner environments and a more healthy nutrition in children would be a huge way in addressing the attention crisis as a whole. 

In relation to this topic, it’s also about how children are raised these days that are causing a big rift in the attention crisis. In chapter 14, Hari used an anecdotal lead in referencing the unsupervision of children that adults do — talking about a village in Cauca, Colombia, and seeing how children aren’t supervised while they interact with the environment. He also argues that schools and parents keep encouraging extracurricular activities to a point where it limits children’s ability to explore and solve their own problems. 

To be honest, all the above-mentioned information is very accurate and they can all be resolved in so many different ways and methods. Of course, it’s all up to the parents and guardians of these children, but the attention crisis would be much different if children were raised correctly. I often hear that there could be stuff going on at home that’s causing kids to act out in school, as well as unsupervision leading to a behavior issue. 

So, I highly encourage my readers to continue learning from this book and discover unknown aspects of why we lose attention these days. As mentioned, I’ve learned a lot, not just from reading the book, but also from my current occupation and my overall mental health and well-being. I have ADD, yet I continue to move forward and take everything one day at a time. Please stay tuned as I begin writing my first white paper, going completely in-depth in addressing the attention crisis involving content creators and influencers.