Improve your emotional state by changing your focus
Our emotional state is significantly affected, for better or worse, by what we focus on.
Life presents us with a multitude of disappointments, problems and challenges, ranging from bad weather and personal struggles to global issues. We often compound our difficulties with an additional layer of emotional suffering caused solely by what we focus our attention on. This robs us of valuable mental energy that could otherwise be used to improve the circumstances of ourselves or others.
Where we focus our attention determines what information becomes available to our mind. At any given moment, our mind processes information retrieved from memory and real-time information from the external environment. Our mind obviously cannot take into account ideas that are not actively recalled from memory, nor can it utilise elements of the outside world that we are not paying attention to. Our mind always constructs the most coherent story based on the information it has. When faced with inadequate or incomplete data, it tends to jump to conclusions based on the limited evidence available to it.
We all tend to focus on the negative, some of us more than others. This tendency reflects a cognitive phenomenon known as negativity bias, where we assign more attention and weight to negative aspects than to positive ones. Furthermore, the focusing illusion causes us to overestimate the importance of these negative aspects simply because we focus our attention on them. Once we have constructed a story based on these negative aspects, confirmation bias causes us to favour information that reinforces this negative story. This confirmation bias is intensified by WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is) bias, which makes us focus only on the information available.
What we focus on significantly influences our emotional state, for better or for worse. An exaggerated fixation on negative thoughts and experiences can have a detrimental impact on our emotional well-being. For example, complaining about bad weather, constantly dwelling on past mistakes, obsessing over hypothetical future scenarios, brooding on negative experiences, engaging in self-criticism or negative self-talk, fixating on things over which we have no control, such as global conflicts or political polarisation, or excessive consumption of negative news. These fixations contribute to increased feelings of fear, stress, anxiety, anger, sadness, depression, pessimism, despair, hopelessness, or helplessness.
Changing your focus can often improve your emotional well-being. This frees up mental energy that you can use to take committed action that aligns with your life purpose and personal values. Here are several techniques to help you change your focus.
⚒️ Become aware of your focus
By becoming aware of where your attention is focused, you can better manage your inner experiences. Here are some simple questions you can ask yourself to determine where your attention is focused.
🤔 Am I fully present in the current moment? Assess whether your attention is anchored in the here and now, or elsewhere, such as in the past or future, or divided among multiple tasks or distractions.
🤔 What am I thinking about right now? Identifying your current thoughts provides valuable insights into where your attention is focused and its impact on your emotions and behaviour.
🤔 Is my focus mainly on negative aspects? Evaluate whether your attention is overly fixated on negativity.
⚒️ Practice mindfulness
Use mindfulness techniques such as focused breathing, body scanning, and awareness of thoughts and emotions, to focus your attention on the present moment. By anchoring yourself in the here and now you interrupt your focus on negativity.
⚒️ Balance your perspective
Compensate for your focus on negativity by also focusing on positivity. For example, if you dwell too much on past mistakes, balance your perspective by focusing on opportunities for growth and self-improvement. If you're worried about a future scenario, focus on possible ways the situation turns out better than you fear. If you focus mainly on the negative aspects of a situation or individual, make a list of positive aspects for a more balanced view. Balancing your perspective really helps.
⚒️ Focus on what you can control
Focusing on things you have no control over is a waste of your time and energy because you can't take action on them. Worrying about or mentally resisting situations beyond your control, such as past failures or future uncertainties, can cause stress, anxiety, and feelings of powerlessness. Accept things you have no control over as facts of life and focus on what you can control.
⚒️ Practice gratitude
Compensate for your concentration on negative aspects by focusing on aspects for which you are grateful. To cultivate gratitude, consider keeping a daily gratitude journal or writing down three things you appreciate at the beginning or end of each day.
References
Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman
The happiness trap, by Dr Russ Harris
