The ability to stay concentrated on what you’re doing and ignore the distractions counts among the most basic skills in anyone’s mental toolbox. If one trains self to enhance their mental focus level, huge possibilities can open in their education, career, family and management capabilities.
But first check your strength of focus: suppose you are writing your work report or a normal priority email, suddenly your Facebook Messenger blinks telling you that you have received a new chat message. What do you do? Stay with that urgent task? Or check that message?
The answer to this dilemma will be determined by certain neurons in your prefrontal cortex of the brain, one of the cortex’s jobs is settling such conflicts, and managing our priorities in general.
Do you know that there are simple but way effective moves to strengthen our focus? The ability to focus is like a mental muscle. The more we work it out, the stronger it becomes, just like how the body strength increases when you go to a regular gym.
A research was done by Emory University, it’s found that the best way to increase mind’s focus is in the ability to pay attention to breathing flow of the body. Practice it with daily meditation or you can even practice momentarily when you face distractions or difficulty to concentrate.
1) So whenever you face concentration issues, focus on your breathing in and out flow. Don’t force yourself to focus but just watch it smoothly.
2) Then Notice that your mind is wandered off.
3) Disengage from that train of thoughts.
4) Bring your focus back to your breath and hold it there for next 2-3 minutes.
Every time your mind wanders off, you struggle with your focus, repeat that basic mental rep again and again.
That’s the way to strengthen the brain’s circuitry, centered in the prefrontal cortex just behind the forehead, that both puts your attention where you want it to go, and brings it back when you wander off.
Written by Shivani Misri Sadhoo, The eminent psychologist in Delhi
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