What Does It Mean to Control Your Attention?
William James, the father of modern psychology, believed that the capacity to bring back your wandering attention voluntarily is the root of judgment, character, and will. He also recognized that our ability to focus and flex attention is trainable and that almost anyone can improve with practice.
One of the most effective ways to improve attention control is a mindfulness practice.
Control of your attention involves intentionally placing your attention where you desire and remaining focused without being distracted. By consciously choosing where you place attention, you’re saying what you’re doing is important. For example, choosing to stay focused in a conversation, not letting your attention be drawn to your internal dialogue, says, “This person and this conversation are important.”
Attention is about more than just the things we focus on. It is also about the things that we miss. We know that attention is both selective and limited. It sometimes works just like we want, and other times we struggle to control it. Here are a few benefits of the ability to control your attention.
Allows you the ability to pause before you respond and be less reactive.
Helps you become more aware of your thoughts and how they impact your actions and your view of the world.
Provides insights into unhelpful rumination and worry which causes us unnecessary stress.
And finally, when we can focus on the present, we experience more positive emotions, such as joy, love, kindness, compassion, and inspiration, which “restore and replenish” us. In a nutshell, awareness and attention are pretty much at the root of all positive changes.
One of the first steps in learning how to gain control of your attention begins with realizing just how much our minds wander. Researchers estimate that we are only present about half the time. This means our attention is focused on the past or the future instead of the present. When our attention is not focused on the present, it’s like what’s happening here and now didn’t happen. We often think there’s something wrong with our memory when it’s more likely that our minds missed what happened while thinking about the past or the future. Consider that your attention is much like a camera. Whatever it’s focused on is what’s remembered and experienced.
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Your Inner Dialogue
As you begin your mindful practice, you’ll become aware of your constant inner dialogue and how much your attention wanders. You may even feel a little frustrated that you can’t control it. Everyone feels this way.
The reason is that we have conditioned ourselves to be constant thinkers. Making this transition to a quiet mind may feel a little uncomfortable. However, with practice, you will experience what it’s like to become aware of your wandering attention and learn some techniques to help you live more in the present.
Just know that everyone has thoughts, which may seem like they’re continuous. That’s perfectly normal. However, every time you notice that your attention has drifted and you’re able to release your thoughts, you’re building attention strength and rewiring your brain to be more present so you can enjoy everything life has to offer. If you’d like to experience some practices to boost your attention, check out the Levelhead for Real Life app. It has quick and easy micro-lessons to help.