Work stress is a very common issue these days, and to counter it we have equal number of solutions to practice.
The first and the foremost being-avoiding distractions which in turn is about being focused.
As a beginner, new to the concept and practice of meditation and mindfulness, I would struggle to sit still for a set duration, the more I tried to stay focused the more I found myself all scattered with a monkey mind that which refused to settle down.
My struggle to stay focused – went on for a long period of time, until I learnt the very foundation of it.
What I’m about to share with you is the neuroscience behind –Focus ,so that you become aware of it and in doing so adapt the best way that which suits you best.
Let us first understand what goes into the process -when we try to focus.
There are several key brain regions that get involved in the process,they are as follows;
a. Prefrontal Cortex (PFC):
- The PFC, particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), plays a central role in executive functions, including maintaining attention, planning, and decision-making.
- It helps suppress distractions and regulate task-oriented behavior.
b. Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC):
- Acts as a monitoring system, detecting conflicts or distractions and signaling the PFC to reallocate attention.
- It’s involved in error detection and sustaining effortful attention.
c. Parietal Cortex:
- Processes sensory input and shifts attention to relevant stimuli.
- The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) helps focus on specific tasks by enhancing visual and spatial attention.
d. Thalamus:
- Acts as a sensory relay station, filtering information before it reaches the cortex.
- Enhances signals related to important stimuli while suppressing irrelevant ones.
e. Basal Ganglia:
- Plays a role in initiating and maintaining focus by regulating goal-directed behaviors.
f. Default Mode Network (DMN):
- Effective focus requires suppressing DMN activity.
- A network of brain regions active during rest and mind-wandering.
It is a complex interplay of many areas of the brain that collectively help us find our attention and focus, and as we understood from the workings of our DMN, it needs to be suppressed when we try to Focus!
Recent research studies have found that while focus on one end is helpful however, if we constantly focus on one point, after a certain period it does not actually bring in any productive results, on the contrary our mind may start to react in a complete opposite way, making us more anxious and impulsive.
Too much fixation on being focus beyond a point will bring in more harm to our Brain and may be detrimental to our mental health.
What we actually need is a balance.
Balance of focus and re-focus works very similar to the principal of rest and play.
So,
next time when you find you are on a 100-day streak with your focus or meditation practice, giving it a break for a few days will help the focus circuits of your brain to relax and rejuvenate.
Remember nothing in excess is ever good.
To learn more about it and beyond it , click here
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© Mehnaz Amjad 2017-2025
Mehnaz Amjad | Coach
Hyderabad, India.