In her book, RAPT, Winifred Gallagher
writes about attention and the focused life. What we attend to creates our
experience. The mind becomes shaped by what it imposes on itself. Rapt means:
engrossed, absorbed, fascinated and "carried away."
When we concentrate, we affect the
brain. This increases our chances of having an experience we want rather than
enduring a negative one. Researchers have discovered that focus on positive
emotions regulates our emotional states.
When confronted with a negative
situation, if we switch thoughts and dwell on compassion, joy, and gratitude,
this may strengthen neurons in the left prefrontal cortex. As a result, we interrupt disturbing
messages from the fear-oriented amygdala.
Writers benefit from living a focused
life. We can choose to avoid a fragmented, distracted state of mind. If we reach
out and explore positivity in each moment, more ideas arise for prose and
poetry.
For a day notice negative thoughts
that travel in your mind. Choose two positive thoughts to replace each. Write them
down. At the end of the day write about the experience.
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