How to Use Meditation to Improve Focus
Meditation can help calm a racing mind and strengthen concentration abilities, producing feelings of calmness and peace during as well as after each session of meditation. You might even experience feelings of euphoria and wholeness afterward!
Focused meditation increases beta brainwaves, which are produced when you focus on one thing for extended periods. Furthermore, this technique trains your focus to remain on its target for extended periods.
Pick your target
There are various forms of meditation, so it’s essential that you find one that suits your goals and lifestyle best. Finding your preferred form may take some trial-and-error before finding something perfect fits you perfectly.
Engaging in mindfulness meditation, which emphasizes awareness of the present moment, can be a great way to gain focus and reduce stress. Mindfulness involves being present with yourself without judgment – being aware of thoughts and emotions without judgment as well as body sensations in real time rather than dwelling on past memories or worrying about future ones.
Mindfulness meditation begins by sitting quietly and focusing on either your natural breathing, a sound, visual image, or mantra (a repeated word). As thoughts arise, let them pass by without judgment before returning to focusing on your breath. Or you could observe subtle body sensations like an itching or tingling and name them without judgment.
Compassion and kindness meditation is another popular type of mindfulness practice, helping reduce stress while expanding empathy for others. A 2013 study demonstrated this type of practice strengthens areas of the brain related to social cognition and emotion processing, leading to a stronger sense of altruism.
Sit in a comfortable position
Sitting for long periods in an uncomfortable position is one of the main sources of distraction when meditating. Whether sitting on a chair or cross-legged, it is crucial that you find a position that supports your body and keeps your back straight. One way of doing this is noticing where support exists–such as on a chair back or your feet on the ground–then focussing on it for one minute at a time.
Once you begin practicing meditation, counting your breath cycles may be a beneficial mindfulness technique to increase focus. With its convenient portability and no setup requirements necessary to get started, counting breath cycles makes this form of mindful meditation easy to incorporate into any busy daily schedule.
Remaining aware of what’s going on now rather than dwelling on past or future events can also help keep one grounded in reality. When thoughts or emotions surface, acknowledge them without judgment before gently coming back to counting your breaths.
Breathe deeply
Meditation helps strengthen the connection between your body and mind by building it stronger, as well as relieving stress. Consistently managing stress is integral to maintaining focus.
Deep breathing can be one of the most effective techniques for increasing your ability to concentrate. Counting breath cycles is especially useful here, while one recent study linked breathing pattern with activity in the locus coeruleus – part of your brain associated with physiological responses to stress and producing norepinephrine. Engaging in mindful deep breathing sessions can restore norepinephrine production to an appropriate level, improving concentration abilities.
Create a consistent practice to help facilitate quicker entry into meditation. Start off small, perhaps 10 minutes, gradually increasing session lengths until your thoughts settle down again. Don’t get frustrated if they wander off; this is all part of the meditation experience; just bring back focus onto deep breathing techniques you are performing. Meditation can take place anywhere – sitting, loosely cross-legged on the floor, even kneeling down can work for some people.
Quiet your mind
Not everyone finds it easy to silence their inner monologue and focus on just one thing at once. When your mind wanders off into thoughts about past stressful experiences or future tasks, don’t beat yourself up; simply gently redirect back your focus onto whatever sensations the focus point is creating right now.
Meditation should become part of your everyday routine if you wish to see long-term benefits on both health and well-being. While developing this practice takes time and perseverance, incorporating it can significantly impact both areas.
Begin meditating at the same time each day, such as first thing in the morning. This will allow you to quickly achieve a meditative state. Over time, having a routine will become easier to concentrate and boost mental wellbeing.
Don’t beat yourself up
As difficult as it may be to be tough on yourself when working towards goals, self-criticism will only serve to diminish your happiness. Instead, practice self-compassion by reframing negative thoughts and reminding yourself that mistakes are natural; this can help ease setbacks while simultaneously improving focus.
Meditation practitioners typically exhibit better emotional control and lessened reactions to stress, according to one study. Long-term meditators had less activity in the amygdala region of their brain that responds to emotional triggers – giving you more breathing room in high-pressure situations like interviews and presentations.
Meditation can help reduce stress while also improving concentration and memory. Studies have revealed that just weeks of training improved participants’ focus during the verbal reasoning section of the GRE exam. Meditation doesn’t just have to mean sitting or lying down: walking meditation can also enhance focus by slowly moving mindfully while paying attention to each step, body movement and external sights, sounds and sensations around you.
