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The Lost Art of Attention: Why Your Mind Needs Space to Think, Feel, and Create
- Prachi Deshpande
- Nov 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 23
In today’s world, attention has become our most fragile resource. There is a perpetual draining of our attention throughout the day. This is not because we spend too much time on screens but because our senses are constantly being pulled outward.
Our day is rife with notifications, conversations, noise, lights, tasks, and the list goes on. Even the subtle hum of “what’s next?” keeps the mind from landing in one place.
In Āyurveda, this is called ati-yoga of the senses — the overuse and overstimulation of our sensory organs. Whenever a sense is overused, the mind becomes disturbed, fragmented, and depleted.
This is why we feel scattered even when we’re not “too busy.”
This is why small tasks feel overwhelming.
This is why the simplest decisions can feel heavy.
It is not a personality trait, but rather the nature of a mind that receives too much and digests too little.
The Mind Needs “Digestive” Space
The mind thrives when there is space — pauses between thoughts, moments between tasks, silence between actions.
When the senses push outward constantly, the mind doesn’t get a chance to:
process
integrate
reflect
nourish itself
When your attention is scattered, your mental digestive capacity weakens. You lose the power to discriminate, to understand, to create, to feel deeply. Unwelcomed and unnecessary stress rises because there is no inner clarity to make decisions that support your wellbeing.
Why Āsana, Prāṇāyāma, and Meditation Truly Work
Contrary to popular belief, these practices are not about achieving a blank mind.
The mind cannot stop thinking. Thought is to the mind what heat is to fire.
Instead, all these practices aim at something else:
Reducing the number of thoughts
Lengthening the space between thoughts
Slowing the speed of thoughts
Redirecting senses inward instead of outward
Modern Life Leaves No Space
Most of us jump from one stimulation to another:
from message to email
from conversation to podcast
from task to news
from thought to more thoughts
The mind becomes like a bazaar, a crowded marketplace, loud, busy, jostling, restless.
In such a state, our creativity collapses, attention shortens and we lose the ability to be with ourselves.
Your Creativity Needs Empty Space
But if the seed is not healthy or if you sow too close, then nothing can sprout.
If you look back and reflect then you will realise that every fresh idea you’ve ever had — the truly inspired ones — arrived when you paused:
in the shower
on a walk
during yoga
staring out of a window
while sipping tea
in that quiet moment before sleep
Never in the middle of noise. Never in the middle of stimulation.
The Practice: Give Your Senses a Break
Here are gentle, accessible ways to begin reclaiming your attention:
1. One Sense at a Time
Try doing one daily activity with only one primary sense engaged:
eat without screens
walk without headphones
shower without music
workout in silence
This single practice can dramatically soften mental overstimulation.
2. Micro-pauses
Every hour, close your eyes for 30 seconds.This interrupts sensory overload and gives the mind a moment to inhale peace.
3. Watch Your Mind, Not Your Phone
Whenever you feel the urge to reach for your device, pause and observe:“What am I trying to avoid feeling right now?”
4. Enter Boredom Intentionally
Boredom is not your enemy but your doorway into clarity. Allowing yourself to be bored is allowing your mind to reset.
5. Make Silence a Friend
5 minutes of silence a day is enough to begin changing your inner landscape. It includes mean no reading or listening.
A Final Reminder
Your mind is not meant to be a battlefield of unending thoughts.
Nor is your attention meant to be torn into a thousand fragments.
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