Re:

such a battle only exists if I devote mental energy towards thinking about it.

when I don't think about such a battle, for all practical purposes, it ceases to exist just as does the feud between Fred Smith and Tim Jones, two guys arguing somewhere about a topic I know not of nor care about.

I think the ability to ignore, is a test of the mind's power. It takes some more time to master than others. So consider the presence of distractions to be a test of your abilities. Once you can successfully ignore distractions, then I think you've passed a milestone. It took me a while also.