wandering mind is a devil's workshop

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What is Mind-Wandering?

Mind wandering is the state of the mind which drags us away from the moment and we start thinking about the past and the future. What we think can be pretty random and unrelated. Most importantly mind wandering is not an intentional state of the mind. We’re not using our creative imagination to problem solve, or create new ideas but the mind is on autopilot. Our mind pulls us away against our wishes. When the thoughts are in the past we ruminate, fret, judge, evaluate, and at times get lost in pleasant memories and if the mind runs to the future we plan, worry, and fantasize, None of this is important and helpful for us.

The Negative Impacts of Mind-Wandering

Mind-wandering has been shown to have a number of negative impacts on our daily lives.

1. Mind wandering impacts our working memory. All of us have had this experience while reading or listening to something none of it registered because our mind was somewhere else.

2. Mind wandering depletes attentional stability and we are more prone to errors. Mind wandering impacts physical productivity because with mind wandering we have to exert more effort to be in the present which leads to mental exhaustion and physical tiredness.

3. Mind wandering can increase anxiety and lead to mental exhaustion. Additionally, research suggests that people who are prone to mind-wandering are also more likely to be dissatisfied with their lives and experience decreased happiness overall. When the mind is wandering it's hard to savour the present moment.

The current lifestyle further exacerbates this problem. Constantly being dragged into various stimuli leads to greater mind wandering unless we have trained our minds to cut the clutter and have high attentional stability.

How to Stay Focused and Present?

Apart from the other benefits mindfulness has, it has also been proven very effective in reducing mind wandering. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with an open and non-judgmental attitude. An integrated mindfulness practice during the day could be frequently reminding yourself to feel your breath or the sensations in your body for a few moments. This helps us in recovering the wandering mind. While writing this blog, my mind wandered a bit and I did the same practice :-)

It can also be helpful to set aside some time each day for “mindful meditation” – where you do a practice like Body-scan or mindful breathing. Whenever the mind runs away from the breath or body sensations keep repeatedly bringing it back without being forceful. This builds our attentional muscles.

Attention is an expensive resource and in a world of distractions building attentional stability must be a priority. Letting our minds on a free leash can deprive us of honouring our potential.

How do you handle mind wandering? Have you explored mindfulness yet?