Directing the spotlight of your attention
There has been so much written about our focus being stolen by social media, about our commitment to multi-tasking (even when it has been a proven ineffective, time suck), about burnout and overwhelm due to the endless bids for our attention. It’s true. We face endless distractions and overwhelming amounts of information. This can be extra difficult if your mind is like a poorly trained dog. It barks at every squirrel. It races after other dogs. Excitedly jumps on people. When our brains aren't trained...it’s no wonder we're exhausted.
But what if you thought of your attention as a spotlight instead of a renegade dog? And instead of allowing it to swing wildly from place to place, you had control over where you direct the spotlight. You could choose to shine it on key focus areas, or the things you love most in this world. You could focus your attention on what's most important to you. You could focus on what brings you joy. At first it may feel unwieldy. You might continue swinging off topic frequently, but bring yourself back to the moment. Where am I? What am I putting my attention on in this situation? What is a distraction and what’s the real issue? What am I trying to achieve? How can I discipline myself slowly and surely to build my focus instead of shredding my attention?
Your attention spotlight could:
Shine it on what’s going well.
Shine with curiosity on what’s going wrong so you can get a better look at the problem.
Radically change what you see in the world.
Change how you lead in the world.
I’m not suggesting you stick your head in the sand or have a fake smile as you ignore the important issues we all face. But doom scrolling, channel surfing, or continuing to program your attention to look for more bad is not helping you achieve anything. See your attention as a powerful spotlight that you can control.
But how?
If directing your focus intentionally is a new practice, here's how to start:
Body connection
Reconnecting to your body can help you bring yourself back home. Try cupping your hands over your eyes gently, or connecting your fingertips together, or even doing a few small jumps.
Breath connection
Try square breathing: breath in for a count of 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4 and hold for 4.
Try making your exhales two counts longer than inhales
Or breath normally but bring your attention to your breath - where is it? Shallow? Deep? How does your breath feel at your nostrils?
Choose a focal point
Have an object or (happy) photo you use as a focal point. When you are getting distracted, ruminating or generally freaking, return your attention to the image. Notice each detail.
If you aren't a visual person, you can use music, a gong, or a bell to focus on sound. Or try a scent you find calming and centering
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