And teach yourself mindfulness
I've recently started the act of purposely slowing down with my physical actions. As an overly practical person, I tend to focus too much on getting the task that's front-of-mind done and generally being as productive as possible. Though I appreciate this mindset, for it's something I've been cultivating over the past couple years, I find I end up treating everything outside the bounds of my current focus as disposable. This bring me back to my current remedy for this mindset which is to slow down when I escape my flow state.
Just after a few days of using this method I found a couple of surprising benefits.
Thankfully, the first benefit was the most intentional one; to be more mindful of the events immediately outside my productivity zone. When I rush from task to task dictated by my goals and schedule, my mindset shifts towards one of annoyance to anything outside my predefined zone of influence. With this in mind, it's easier for me to understand why I perceive a lot of outside events as annoyances or as another anxiety I need to take on. This flawed mindset marginalizes even the most insignificant event. Things as simple as a question, brief conversation or a needy pet become distractions when I'm in the mindset of the productivity. By slowing down I've allowed myself the space to experience these events, even the mundane becomes a part of life, not a distraction.
A cascading effect of the former is that experiencing and being mindful of these otherworldly events has made me appreciative for them. All I wanted out of this exercise was to stop this feeling of anxiety and annoyance, and now, moreover, I'm appreciating the spaces. It's rather intuitive; many smart individuals advise thought workers to take breaks and allow our brains to process. I can't imagine a better way to do this than to indulge in a little "distraction", if not just for the joy it brings into our lives.