Studies suggest that our minds wander at least 30% of the time! Mind wandering occurs when we lose focus on the task at hand and start thinking about another idea or topic. Most of the time, we are not aware that we are mind wandering since we do it quite frequently. I know that as I am sitting in class, sometimes I am actually thinking about what I should do after class. Though I am physically sitting in the chair and my professor is lecturing to the students, how much am I actually absorbing?
Picture of Brain by Liz Henry via Flickr Creative Commons
Actually, mind wandering has its positive and negative effects. Some positive effects are that it promotes creative thinking and allows us to multitask, (i.e. shift our focus from one idea to another). However there seems to be more negative effects such as causing unhappiness and affecting our immune cells! We can become unhappy when we constantly mind wander because it may produce fear, decrease our ability to focus and blur our vision about the future. Additionally, in a recent study, researchers found that telomeres of immune cells (granulocytes and lymphocytes) shorten when the participants were mind-wandering. The length of these telomeres predicts an aging body, and affects a person’s vulnerability to diseases and clinical stress syndromes.
So how can we limit our mind wandering and stay in the present moment?
We can focus on our surroundings that are present right now such as the smell of the environment, the sounds that are projecting around us and the processes that occur in our inner body such as our breathing. Also, if there is someone around us that seems to be in the vibe of the presence, maybe we take away some of that optimism or excitement that they have. Furthermore, some things that we can do alone are reading a fictional novel, doing yoga, and doing meditation.
Yoga for beginners by synergybyjasmine via Flickr Creative Commons
Good luck in achieving an healthier mind, everyone!
