Returning. Strengthening

Millions of us will return to school this month and next, and we’ll be asked to direct our attention and energy to the completion of tasks that require focus and persistence. Even those of us not formally returning to an educational setting are expected to sustain our attention: on projects for work, on budgeting and bill payment at home, even on “Honey do” tasks our partner is rattling off, or on a loved one’s recap of their day. And many of us will realize that focus can be hard!

One of the challenges of a wandering mind comes from our inability to notice it. It tiptoes out of the room we’ve placed it in so surreptitiously that substantial periods of time can pass before we realize it’s gone walk-about.

So, the first step in improving our ability to focus on a task at hand is to become aware when we aren’t focused. That’s one reason that meditation can be so frustrating in the beginning - we become painfully aware of how often our mind wanders (about every 5 seconds, according to science, by the way. Feel better?)

The second step is is to redirect our attention back to what we wanted to focus on.

Notice the wandering. Return. Repeat. And repeat. And repeat….

One point often gets overlooked as we try to focus and catch our minds wandering off: we tend to see the wandering mind as a failure. But really, the wandering mind gives us a chance to strengthen our ability to focus: each time we notice our mind has wandered, and gently but firmly escort it back to the task at hand, we have strengthened our ability to focus; we have strengthened our mindfulness muscle. The more we practice, the more quickly we catch the mind trying to sneak away - it might be an arm’s length away rather already than down the block - and the more easily we can guide it back.

In a formal practice, it can be helpful to offer ourselves the words, “Returning. Strengthening.” whenever we nudge our attention back in place, to remind ourselves that these aren’t moments of failure, they are opportunities for change.

May each and every one of us understand our power to persist,
Your CMP family