I was reading an article in an American Medical Journal a few days ago that talked about how keeping your mind active and improving your concentration will help you as you get older. The focus of the study was looking at how people aged 70 plus could ensure their minds stay active by improving their concentration. There are simple meditations techniques that you can use to improve your concentration that if you practice regularly will ensure your mind will maintain is stature.
There are two meditation techniques for improving concentration that are easy to use. The first technique is using the number meditation technique; the second technique is using the object visualization meditation technique.
The Number Meditation Technique:
The first step in this meditation process is to find a comfortable place to sit and close your eyes. The potential distractions are a big issue with this technique because you will be challenged by noise both internally and externally. With both of these techniques I recommend that you do NOT use meditation music.
The next step in this meditation technique is to ensure that your back is straight, with good posture. Start by breathing slowly and lightly. As you are breathing on the exhaled breath visualize the number one in your mind. When you see the number then breathe in. Whilst you are focusing on the number one, breathe out and then visualize the number two. Continue breathing and visualizing each number till you reach one hundred. Once you reach one hundred then you may stop the meditation session.
Here is the catch, you cannot continue to the next number until you only have focus to the previous number. If at any time during your visualization that your mind wanders or starts thinking about something else, you must stop the counting process and start from the number one again.
The objective of using this technique is to help maintain your concentration and ensure that you maintain the focus on the numbers you are counting. You need to practice this technique till you are able count to one hundred without losing focus on the first go. Continue to practice this technique till you have mastered it.
Once you have mastered this technique and have control over your focus, the next step is to use the object visualization technique.
The Object Visualization Technique:
The object visualization technique is designed to help you visualize an object. To start this technique, begin your meditation just as you would any other meditation session.
The first step is visualizing a common object that you know like a flower, a car or a cup. You will find that when you first try the object visualization technique that using a simple object will make life easier to help maintain focus and concentration during the meditation session.
During your meditation session you need to visualize the object by literally drawing it with your mind. Start with an outline, making sure it looks as beautiful as possible. Visualize its shape of the object, the color of the object, any pictures or colors on the object, the texture of the object such as whether it is smooth or rough. Whether there are any words on the object and then rotate the object on a 3D axis. As you are visualizing the object, test to see if the object has a distinct smell in your mind. Visualize that smell clearly in your mind.
Now during the visualization meditation session, should at any point you lose focus and visualize on anything else. Simply stop the visualization process and start again by redrawing the object in your mind. Continue this process for a period of ten minutes each day, till you are able to visualize the object without distraction. You should continue using this technique till you can meditate up to twenty minutes a day using this meditation technique.
The number meditation technique and object visualization meditation technique are designed to help program your mind to concentrate. The more you practice this mediation technique the better your concentration will become and the easier it will be to attain focus during your meditation sessions.
In our times today wherein multitasking is a common thing, it is so easy to lose your focus. We have to juggle many different tasks that focusing your attention on a certain task seem impossible. The end result for lack of concentration and focus? Lesser quality when it comes to your task.
Why Are Focus and Concentration Difficult?
Focus is a very essential skill towards success. After all, there can be several internal and external discussions within your working environment. However, focus is not just essential in the workplace; it also applies to many other aspects of your life, whether at school, at home, and in your personal relationships.
Sometimes, people lose focus and concentration because they are easily distracted by different factors, either internal or external. Hence, in order to address the problem with focus, you must first identify what are these influential factors:
External:
1.Noise from direct environment 2.Unconducive situations for work, among others.
Internal:
1.Negative thoughts 2.Fear of failure 3.Over-thinking a strategy 4.Lack of self confidence
Ways To Improving
Improving your focus and concentration starts with recognizing what is preventing you from turning your attention towards necessary matters. When you focus your attention towards unimportant matters, you are not just wasting the opportunity to work on the task at hand but also losing precious time.
Therefore, it is important that you create that mindset that will enable you to focus and be productive. Here are some you can follow:
1.Learn to push yourself. When you have important or urgent tasks to accomplish, it is important that you learn to create a mindset that enables you to firm up your willpower. When your body or mind initially protests, you need to acquire the second will that will keep you going with your task. This often results when a task overwhelms you that you look for an outlet or "break" from the pressure of the task.
2.Focus is focus. When you have multiple tasks, learn how to identify the most important ones. Then, you can work on those tasks first. Doing your tasks one at a time will help maintain your focus on that one task. Then, you can also expect improved quality.
3.Quit procrastinating. This habit will definitely drag your level of productivity down. Learning how to overcome procrastination will enable you to achieve more in less time.
The Benefits Of Your Improvement
Experts believe that those who know how to effectively keep their concentration and focus where they ought to be are the ones more bound for success. This ensures that you are maximizing your skills and resources. This is indeed more beneficial as compared to wasting them on things that you;'d rather not be doing.
Successful people are the ones who know how to control their current thoughts and maintain their concentration in it. Hence, improving concentration and focus now will consequently improve your chances for success in the future.
Both Chris Le Roy & Larry Rivera are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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