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Dr Craig Hassed MBBS, FRACGP “The faculty of voluntarily bringing ß Mind wandering to neutral topics
Senior Lecturer back a wandering attention over and ß Mind wandering to pleasant topics
Monash University over again, is the very root of ß Mind not wandering from what one
Department of General Practice judgment, character, and will. No one is currently doing
Email: craig.hassed@monash.edu is compos sui (competent) if he have
it not. An education which should You might feel tempted to answer
Mindfulness, the most scientifically improve this faculty would be the that we are happiest when the mind is
investigated form of meditation, has education par excellence.”1 wandering to pleasant topics. In fact,
been the subject of a huge growth of according to a study from Harvard
Mindfulness, in its simplest and most
interest in clinical and scientific circles University, people report being
universal sense, is a mental discipline
in recent years. The evidence is happiest while their mind is not
that involves training attention. It
suggesting that learning to pay wandering from what they are doing.2
teaches us how to use the mind in
attention may be the most important The authors of this study wrote,
a different way and to focus on the
skill we ever learn. Why? What are
things that are most useful and helpful
the health benefits of meditation? “In conclusion, a
in our lives thus helping us to live more
How are modern scientific methods
consciously and fully. human mind is a
being used to investigate meditation wandering mind, and a
and its benefits? These and other
The importance of wandering mind is an
questions will be explored in this
introductory article. attention and the cost of unhappy mind. The
inattention ability to think about
The importance of paying attention is what is not happening is
not a new concept as this quote from Which of the following was a cognitive achievement
associated with greatest self-reported
William James, the father of modern
happiness?
that comes at an
psychology, indicates.
ß Mind wandering to unpleasant emotional cost.”
topics Why would that be?
A study into the effect of mobile phone use ß Preparation for tissue repair Stress and Performance
on the chance of having a Motor Vehicle ß Mobilising inflammatory hormones
Accident (MVA) found that within 5 minutes (e.g. cortisol, cytokines, interleukins Stress is often valued as a way of increas-
of using a mobile phone the risk of a motor etc) to help repair tissues damaged ing performance and being too relaxed is
vehicle accident is over 400% higher, that is, while dealing with the threat often associated with poor performance and
we are more than four times as likely to have ß Attention centres in the brain activated lack of motivation. To that extent, stress is
an MVA.3 good, or at least better than apathy as far
The “fight or flight response” is appropriate as being productive is concerned; hence
These two studies highlight some of the and life protecting providing, it is only turned driven people often avoid meditation which
issues about inattention and the loss of on when it needs to be, it is allowed to turn they see as being counterproductive. The
focus associated with multitasking. Firstly, off when it is no longer needed and it is not relaxation associated with apathy and lack
when our mind is wandering we are not prolonged. When appropriate we do not of focus should, however, not be mistaken
paying attention to what we are doing. This experience fight or flight so much as anxiety for the relaxation associated with the inner
results in more mistakes, less efficiency, and but rather as a surge of energy, like a turbo calm and focus as a result of meditation.
less enjoyment. Secondly, what is the mind charger. When we activate it inappropriately Furthermore, too much stress is associated
doing when we are not paying attention? on the other hand we experience it as with lack of focus, poor performance and an
Well, we might be wishing to experience anxiety as all these chemicals and changes increased number of mistakes. Depressed
happiness resulting from the imagination, are being switched on with nowhere to go. and stressed hospital doctors, for example,
but this only gives us a very superficial make more than six times as many clinical
experience of the life we are actually leading When we get anxious about things that and prescribing errors compared to non-
and never leads to a stable and deeply haven’t happened yet, or have already come depressed and stressed doctors doing the
satisfying level of wellbeing. In fact, the and gone, then we activate the system same job.8
constant desire to be somewhere else inappropriately and this takes its toll over
(some other place or time) can produce a time. The results of worrying about what It is not stress but awareness (focus) and
slowly growing sense of dissatisfaction with has not happened is the main reason why an appropriate level of arousal which are
where we are here and now. Furthermore, there are more heart attacks on Monday necessary for peak performance. These are
when we are not paying attention is the time mornings prior to work than at any other not the same as the agitation or over-arousal
when the mind gets up to ‘mischief’ in the time in the week.4 associated with stress. Inner calmness is
form of worry and rumination which are at different from apathy. Peak performance is
the very heart of anxiety and depression. The name given to the long-term associated with a calm but perceptive mind
over-activation of the stress response is and a relaxed body.
ß Full Catastrophe Living: Kabat-Zinn This exercise can take anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes. It
ß Meditation, Pure and Simple: Gawler is a short punctuation in a busy day between finishing one activity and
ß Mindfulness-Based CBT: Segal et al starting another, for example before starting the car, beginning a meal, before
ß Know Thyself: Hassed an interview, or between patients. It helps to “clean the slate” making us
ß The Essence of Health: Hassed fresher for the next activity.
ß The Mindful Way Through Depression:
Williams et al The steps and principles are the same as above but just much shorter. Be
ß The Mindful Brain: Siegal aware of the body and allow the posture to be balanced and relaxed but
ß The Brain that Changes Itself: Doige upright. Let the body relax generally by taking one or two deep breaths and
ß PubMed: A database which you can breathing the tension out. The let the breath settle and allow the attention to
use to search for studies and medical rest with it. Then be aware of the environment and the sounds in it as they
research. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ come and go. Do not prolong the comma past what is appropriate for that
pubmed/ moment, then move quietly into whatever awaits you.
If you are in a busy office and it would be conspicuous to close your eyes just
keep them open but rest them on a point as you practice.