Member-only story
How Restlessness And Worry Affects Your Concentration
By Allen W. McLean
Imagine you are unable to pay your rent next month. Your mind would probably buzz about, worried and guilty.
“How could I let this happen?”
“What will my landlord think?”
“I hope I can pay it on time next month.”
Anxious thoughts prevent you from focusing on anything for the rest of the night. All you want is release from this stress.
Restlessness and worry affects our ability to concentrate on any given task. But can we use this hindrance to positively influence our ability to stay focused?
What is restlessness?
In another article, we explore how sensual desire affects our concentration by comparing our attention to a light-source. Desire controls a lens over our light-sources that unfocuses from one object to refocus on another. If desire controls the lens, then restlessness would have power over the hand holding the light. Whereas desire is the light-source’s ability to bring nearby objects it knows we want to our attention, restlessness is our inability to keep the light-source on a single object.
Restlessness covers feelings of excitement, agitation or disquietude. When these sensations arise, they can disrupt our…
