Choosing Presence in a Distracted World
Our mind, when used wisely, can be our greatest ally. Most people would have heard the phrase, “Where attention goes, energy flows.” But what does it truly mean?
So much of our waking time is spent thinking about things that worry us, things that don’t really matter, or things we have no control over (such as what your parents may think of your new partner, or whether your boss thinks you’ve hit the annual target for a significant end-of-year bonus). All this thinking time is directed towards things that either trouble us or make us wonder if things will unfold exactly how we’d want them to. This is exactly why it is crucial to be completely aware of your thoughts, so you know whether the energy you’re directing towards something is even worth your time and attention.
The phrase means exactly what it says, whatever we focus on, we give power to. The thoughts we repeatedly return to grow stronger, whether they serve us or not. Every minute spent worrying about your boss’s opinion is a minute not spent on something you can actually control or influence. What I really want to highlight is the fact that we’re not just wasting time on worried thoughts, we are, in fact, living most of our lives on autopilot, unaware of where our attention is actually going. And this matters more than we think, because if we can’t even notice where our mind is, how can we possibly direct it towards creating the life we actually want?
Since our minds naturally drift toward worries and constant digital stimulation, it’s especially important to give ourselves a breather after work or daily obligations, instead of immediately reaching for our phones or more content. Taking this intentional pause lets the nervous system settle, gives the mind a chance to recalibrate, and helps us reconnect with what truly matters. Creating mindful habits and taking time away from screens is essential for mental clarity and personal growth.
Watch people in a lift or waiting in a queue, almost everyone is scrolling. And what’s most worrying is the speed at which they scroll, the sheer amount of meaningless information they’re taking in whilst getting sucked into the content. Rather than allowing ourselves to simply be present and giving our brains a chance to recalibrate, it’s as if it’s impossible to do nothing, so we keep our brains occupied even if it means we’re feeding them rubbish.
The hypnotic effect is terrifying, the way people stare at their screens, oblivious to their surroundings, disconnected from the real deal - what’s actually going on right now. This disconnection becomes so normal that we don’t even realise it’s happening. We’ve trained ourselves to fear stillness, to avoid quiet moments where we might actually have to sit with our own thoughts, because somehow, doing nothing means we are wasting time and we’re not being productive.
We’ve become so addicted to constant stimulation that stillness feels uncomfortable, almost unbearable. Every spare second must be filled with something, scrolling, checking, consuming. And why? Because our brains are chasing the next dopamine hit. Every scroll, every notification, every new piece of content triggers a small release of dopamine, making us feel like something exciting might be around the corner. So we keep scrolling, keep consuming, trapped in a cycle of living on autopilot. We move through our days in a trance, physically here but mentally somewhere else, lost in an endless stream of content that we won’t remember five minutes later.
When your mind is constantly buzzing with notifications, random videos, other people’s opinions, and endless information you didn’t ask for, how can you possibly hear your own thoughts? How can you identify what truly matters to you? Your real priorities, your goals, the changes you want to make, they get drowned out in the noise. You can’t build the life you want when you don’t even have the mental space to think about what that life looks like. Every moment spent mindlessly consuming is a moment not spent on conscious creation. We’re so busy filling our heads with everyone else’s content that we have no room left for our own dreams, our own plans, our own direction.
And we wonder why we feel stuck, why we feel anxious, like something’s missing. It’s because we’re missing our own lives, passing us by whilst we stare at a screen. We don’t give ourselves even the opportunity to become aware of the simple blessings, the warmth of the sun coming through a window, the sound of laughter nearby, the fact that we’re alive and breathing right now. We’ve traded true presence for the illusion of being busy and being connected, and in doing so, we’ve lost the ability to direct our attention to what truly brings us joy and appreciation. Practicing mindfulness, digital detox habits, and conscious attention can help us reclaim focus, reconnect with ourselves, and enjoy the present moment.