I can still hear mom’s voice telling my brother to focus. He was always distracted, always off on another thought, always thinking and doing something other than mom wanted. Bob truly has one of those monkey brains.
School and work were tough for Bob. His mind always seemed to want to change the subject. Most people seem to have some trouble with focusing and can be distracted from what they know is important. It’s very human to have a monkey brain!
Bob is doing much better recently since he found a new hobby: meditation. Bob is learning to quiet his mind, to let his mind relax. This skill is simple but life-changing for most people. When Angel V. Shannon spoke about focus and distractions recently, she had these comments on using meditation to improve focus:
Using Meditation To Improve Focus
We all can learn to focus our minds and reduce the impact of distractions. Developing this skill involves some practice. Here’s how to learn that skill, step-by-step, through meditation. Meditation may sound difficult and intimidating but it is really simple to start. Here are the first steps to meditating:
- Your first mediation session will be short, only 2 or 3 minutes. For that time, we will focus on relaxation.
- Find a comfortable location to sit quietly without distractions. Put both feet on the floor, balance your body, and settle in comfortably. Most people find it helpful to close their eyes.
- Focus on breathing in and out. Feel the air fill your lungs, energize your body, and then flow back out. Let go of other concerns for these moments. Let your breathing become your whole world.
- Naturally, your monkey brain will try to distract you. That’s normal…. But not what we are doing right now. Just focus back to your breathing. Everything else can wait this short time.
Over time, you will find that you can relax your brain and reduce distractions just by breathing. Try to practice this skill for a few minutes a day. Gradually, you will focus more easily and meditate longer.
The day-to-day detours.
Meditation – monkey mind…. Always that little dancing monkey over there that’s like, “come over here and check this” is always a distraction of some kind
You can train your mind to ignore distractions. It isn’t just useful in meditation, it’s useful in your daily life.
Rein in those distractions and detours. It takes practice.