Mindfulness Vs. Concentration: How To Understand The Differences
- Julia Radi
- 9. Sept. 2024
- 5 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 24. Sept. 2024
Do you remember when “mindfulness” became a buzzword? Since 2016, mindfulness has been invoked by everyone from top athletes to Fortune 500 companies. It seems like the one-stop solution to increase your performance, emotional wellbeing and peace of mind. But there is a problem with buzzwords: Big talk, little explanation. We hear them so often that we cannot imagine our lives without them, but do we really understand what they mean?
This blog post aims to clarify the concepts of mindfulness of concentration. This post is for you if you ever tried to practice and wondered: “Should I empty my mind? Should I try harder to concentrate? Or should I stop trying?” I hope to clear up these doubts in five easy steps. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.
Table of Contents
Understanding Mindfulness
What exactly is mindfulness? Mindfulness is a mental state in which you are fully conscious of the present moment. You are aware of what is present for you, both externally and internally. This includes your actions and surroundings, but also your inner feelings, thoughts and sensations. The quality of awareness is broad and all-encompassing. The practice of mindfulness is the process of maintaining this kind of awareness on a moment-to-moment basis.
If mindfulness is practiced as a skill, it allows you to take on the role of the mindful observer. You witness all that is present for you while noticing that you are witnessing it. Everything is acknowledged, but not reacted to or judged. You stop seeing yourself as the experiencer and your life as an experience. Instead, you become the observer of your experiencing. You recognise that your awareness simply contains whatever comes into it, just like a pond reflects whatever is directly above the surface of the water. Would you judge the quality of the water by the objects reflected in it? Let yourself meet your mind in the same non-judgemental way.
Each new moment can be a mindful moment. If your thoughts wander, you have not failed. This is just an opportunity to start again. The only thing you need to do is to kindly direct your attention back to a mindful state. Mindfulness meditation is the process of increasing your mindfulness in a formal, structured way. This is achieved through the practice of meditation. If you are a beginner, I recommend that you start with an informal practice of a few seconds and work your way up to a formal practice of several minutes.
In summary, mindfulness is the mental state of being fully aware of the present moment. This quality of consciousness is defined by a broad scope of awareness and a neutral, non-reactive attitude.
Understanding Concentration
Concentration is defined as a state in which your attention is focused on a single point. When you are concentrating, you pay attention to a single activity, object, thought or feeling. All of your mental capacities are focused on it. It is all that exists for you in that moment. All distractions are ignored. Concentration helps you to complete intricate physical tasks and complex intellectual exercises.
Concentration is the practice of maintaining a high degree of focus over time. The longer you keep concentrating on a single point, the more difficult it becomes. If you are focusing on an activity, you might stop concentrating as soon as the activity is completed. But what if the activity takes a lot of time and your attention wanders? It has happened to all of us. Then, the relevant question becomes: How long is your attention span?
I understand that many people are looking for ways to stay focused. Fortunately, there are many ways to increase your attention span, which will enable you to keep concentrating for a long time. At this point, the question arises: Is there such a thing as concentrating for too long? My answer is yes. I will illustrate the reason with my personal experience in the section “Everyday Examples.”
Concentration is the practice of focusing your attention on a single point over time. Yet, many people find that their attention span is too long or too short for the particular result they wish to achieve.
Key Differences: Mindfulness Vs. Concentration
You can see the key differences between mindfulness and concentration juxtaposed in this infographic:
Everyday Examples From My Experience: Mindfulness Vs. Concentration
You know that you are having a moment of mindfulness when you have the following experience: You observe what is happening without being judgemental or reactive towards it, while feeling fully engaged and attentive. One of the best exercises I know for heightening your awareness is the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise:
Begin by noticing five things you can see.
Then, find four things you can touch.
After that, listen carefully until you notice three distinct sounds.
Become aware of two scents.
Finally, notice one thing you can taste.
Once you have all the pieces of the puzzle, let your awareness expand until the whole scene comes together in your mind: Sights, tactile impressions, sounds, scents and taste combined in one experience. This is a generic description of a mindfulness exercise, so please take what works for you and feel free to skip or replace certain steps.
With regard to concentration, I am sure that these everyday examples are very familiar to you, since concentration is needed for every complex task... Including reading this very text! Other examples include listening to your friend, paying attention in a meeting or becoming completely absorbed in a video game.
My personal experience in school and university has shown me that I can stay focused for a very long time. Especially during exam weeks, I used to virtually disappear into my studies. I took pride in my learning skills. I brought unwavering concentration to my study sessions. But these sessions would last for hours on end. I did not even consider scheduling time for rest, relaxation or other activities. The concept was simply not known to me.
Do you know this feeling? For hours, your activity has consumed you: the video game, the book, the research, the homework assignment… Suddenly, it stops. It is done. But what has it done to you? You emerge in a haze – tired, thirsty and unsure which time it is. You might have concentrated on your activity, but you have lost your mindful awareness of your inner and outer reality.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, mindfulness is about witnessing all aspects of the present moment while concentration is about focusing your attention on a single point.
Coming back to the original questions:
“Should I empty my mind?” Neither mindfulness nor concentration require you to empty your mind of all thought. Mindfulness asks you to observe your thoughts, while concentration asks you to keep your thoughts focused on a single point.
“Should I try harder to concentrate? Or should I stop trying?” These mental states are not defined by the effort that you put into them, but rather by the quality of your attention. You can change your current level of mindfulness or your attention span through small but powerful changes. If you repeat these small changes every day, you will build a new habit of mindfulness or concentration. I am here to compassionately remind you that it takes time and repetition to master these processes.
I am offering you resources, information and guidance on these topics. Do not miss out on my future blog posts about mindfulness and concentration! They will include their benefits, tips and tricks, myths, success stories and useful examples that you can apply to your own daily life.
Let’s discuss in the comments or per email: What challenges do you face with mindfulness or concentration? What is your personal experience with it? What are your thoughts on this article? We can build a community and help each other. Let’s connect!
