Understanding Attention

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Automatic pilot can lead us to ignore everyday sources of joy and awe.

Cultivating “beginner’s mind” and truly attend to the ordinary can help change this.

Adding brief savoring practices can enhance our well-being.

By Lizabeth Roemer, Ph.D., and Josh Bartok, M.S

Author and cartoonist Sophie Lucido Johnson shared a post on Instagram, reminding people that “ordinary” birds like robins and house sparrows are actually extraordinary if you pay attention. She cautions viewers not to dismiss them with the phrase “It’s just a….” How often do we dismiss elements and moments of our lives in a similar way? We have written about other lessons for well-being that come from birding here and here. And Johnson provides yet another lesson in well-being from birding—the benefits of viewing the ordinary with fresh eyes and interest. What if we encounter the everyday not as “just another….” but as a luminous manifestation of itself?

Our minds’ ability to quickly recognize familiar stimuli allows us to preserve our attention for input that requires more cognitive resources. While this is adaptive, it can also lead us to overlook sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and sensations that bring with them a sense of joy, satisfaction, meaning, or connectedness. We might be so focused on preparing for a busy day that we fail to notice leaves turning, flowers........

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