I just read an interesting article on the CBC website about research into the relationship between a wandering mind and happiness. Their conclusion – that a wandering mind causes unhappiness – is not entirely a surprise, but I wonder about their categorization of “unhappiness.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” talks about how we are happiest when we are fully focused on a task we enjoy. Personally, I’ve encountered this: When I’m deeply focused on a challenging problem at work, or when I’m working on a fun project at home, I do the work eagerly and afterward I come away feeling great: upbeat, energized.
And I can certainly believe that the corollary would hold: When we are not fully focused on a task we enjoy, we would not feel that “flow,” that energy, that happiness. But actual unhappiness? Caused by a wandering mind? “Lack of happiness” maybe… I wonder if they’re reading a wee bit too much into the correlation.
Nonetheless, the article has re-inspired me to work on improving my focus (which has been sorely lacking of late). I definitely believe that meditation can help with that, and I’d love to work meditation into my daily schedule. Of course, I’m already trying to work yoga and weight-training into my daily schedule. Maybe I’ll redouble my efforts to use the yoga as active meditation – try to fully focus on the yoga itself, and bring my mind back to my practice if it wanders.
So, how’s your focus?
