Developing Focused Reflection

As a psychologist, I see many clients in my psychological counseling who are worried, think a lot about their problems and who have difficulties to calm their minds.

Our brains are constantly thinking, analyzing, commenting. This fact is easily comprehensible, especially if you try to concentrate on just one thing for a while: for example your own breath, a visual point, a specific tone or simply the page of a book.

In a fraction of a second, our focus may shift and our thoughts wander somewhere without even asking for our permission. The amount of online messages and offline stimuli we are faced with on a daily basis do not make it easier to have a clear, peaceful and focused mind.

When it comes to mental health, this fragmentation of our focus is not a good habit. Here are the causes of most of our worries, stress, anxiety, pondering, sleep problems… That can lead to depression, anxiety, etc. Because if we let our thoughts simply do as they wish, it is easy to worry. We do not pay attention to what is actually happening in our head! It’s like driving blindfolded. And then you wonder, why it goes wrong.

Have your attention ever wandered while having to focus on something else? When you begin to ponder, your imagination tells you the worst catastrophes and you continue with something else and put the thoughts aside.

How can one stop wandering and retake the control?
To regain control, it is not only necessary to notice the wandering mind and bring the focus back to the original task. Above all, it’s about questioning the thoughts of pondering.

• Find the answer to the following question:
  What are the thoughts to which your mind most wanders?
  Watch your thoughts of thought carefully for a sufficient amount of time (for example, during a meditation) and observe which topics your thoughts contain.

• Write a list of these topics and musings.
  Do you have something in common?
  Do they bring you positive or negative feelings?
  Are there any issues that you need to think about?
  Are there some things that cause you stress?
  Identify these things.

• Ask yourself the following question:
  Do you really want your mind constantly pondering these topics?
  Do these unwanted thoughts help you solve your problems efficiently and find real solutions? Or are they poisoning your mind and causing worry and dissatisfaction?

If you have identified several issues that are problematic or cause stress, it would be a good idea to take the time to think about these topics and just about them. This will give you the chance to find real solutions and explore your options.

Wandering versus focused thinking
Rather than multitasking and let your mind wander about unresolved issues, it is better to take the time to focus on your problems. Dedicate yourself to your problems and brooding thoughts and think carefully about them, instead of doing it on the side. Take 10 minutes and think about a possible problem. In this way you may be able to solve your problems and get rid of your musings.

If we make it a habit to look at our problems in a focused and focused way, and take our time to think about them, we can solve them much more efficiently. We train our attention and mindfulness, we become more efficient and experience more contentment and balance.