Focus and Meditation.

The importance of being present

Our world is shaped by what we choose to pay attention to.

Life can be hectic and stressful — fast paced and full of distractions. As humans we are not wired to constantly multitask, and the modern world makes that even harder. There are numerous distractions and options available to us at any one time. Focusing now seems harder than ever.

You may think you are juggling and working on things simultaneously, but in fact what you are actually doing is just switching between things constantly. The effect this has is an inability to be present — really present — and focused when we need to be. Our society now actively discourages us from being present in the moment and concentrating on what's in front of us.

There are constant mounting pressures, whether at work or at home. As humans we have a desire to find connection and to not let each other down — colleagues, our boss, friends or family. So we try to please those people we value as much as we can. But by doing so much, we get overwhelmed by how much we need to do. It becomes a constant cycle of doing, with a never-ending to-do list.

We move away from structure as we bounce from one idea to the next.

Most people only have the capacity to focus on one particular thing for around 90 minutes — and if you're reading this thinking "wow, 90 minutes — that doesn't sound too bad", that number is decreasing all the time.

Why this is an issue

The truth is, the more distracted we are, the less connected and the more overwhelmed we become. This can have a direct impact on both the body and mind — on our health, on our relationships. Often my clients will see a noticeable difference in how they start to breathe differently. Day to day our breath can be mostly quick and shallow, agitated and in the upper chest.

What can help

Focusing for a few minutes a day, while meditating, can increase productivity, make us more focused, and bring a greater sense of ease to both body and mind.

That feeling of overwhelm — where your sympathetic nervous system of fight or flight is on full alert — can be managed through meditation. You will learn the rest-and-digest response, the opposite of fight or flight. This will improve how you connect with others, how you react, and how present you feel.

Let's get real

Let's be clear: meditating will not stop your thoughts or feelings. It does not mean ridding yourself of, or controlling, the mind. In its simplest form meditation means training the mind to allow us to change our relationship to transient or intrusive thoughts and feelings — and learn to view them with a better perspective.

Often my clients will say when they first try meditation, "it's not for me, I get too distracted and lose focus." This is inevitable. You will become distracted — that's a given. It is not about stopping these thoughts; it is about being focused and present, and what matters is that you notice the distraction and bring yourself back.

Focused attention is extremely important in meditation. It can be done with many different techniques to help anchor you — a word, a phrase, an object, or even your breath. The anchor helps you whenever your mind drifts.

I often hear "I'm not really into that." People are still under the misconception that meditation is something nice to do, but without any real medical or scientific advantage. This is false. Meditation has existed in many forms over thousands of years. Scientists have rigorously tested the effect meditation can have on our brains. They now know that our brains have the capacity for neuroplasticity — that they are malleable, flexible, and change through growth. We know that meditating enhances blood flow, which reduces stress, depression, anxiety, frustration and pain. It can help with a multitude of disorders, as well as increasing happiness and heightening levels of patience, acceptance and compassion.

There will be days where meditation feels relatively easy — and days when it feels harder. The important thing is to stay with it.

How we can work together

Meditation takes many forms, and at Full Circle we can guide you through the various techniques we use. These include focused meditation, visualisation meditation, mindfulness meditation, mantra meditation and progressive relaxation meditation. We will work with you to choose the most suitable form for you and your lifestyle.

To find out how meditation can have a positive impact on your life — and for a free consultation — send me an email at Laura.Peart1980@hotmail.co.uk.