My friend was writing a paper and I kept sending related sources and articles. She said she has finished with that topic and is now just concentrating on the present moment. Concentrating on the present moment is one of the best ways to live. It is very powerful. I often write about the value of meditation. I don't discuss vipassana, the practice of viewing the contents of the mind as they pass by. Doing that can be fun and even funny since associations can lead from Aunt Tilly to memories of Mom's mood to wondering about Grandma to gardening to grocery shopping to what's for dinner. When I observe my passing thoughts, associations and images, I often get into the story of what I did, what I meant to do and what the matter is with me, anyhow.
However, focusing on a single point increases my mindfulness, my awareness of where I am, what I am doing, how I feel. I get more in touch with myself. Prof. Willoughby Britton of Brown University and her colleagues and Dr. Elizabeth A. Stanley of Georgetown University both delve into sufferers of trauma, especially childhood and battle trauma. They and Prof. Bessel van der Volk, author of The Body Keeps the Score, work to find ways that traumatized people can get past terror and panic, and allow re-connection with themselves.
I mentioned several books related to concentrating on the present moment. Eckhart Tolle is famous for his work on The Power of Now and related works. Dr. Dan Siegel recently published "Aware". Our brains and our minds are constructed to keep us alive and alert, so it is only natural to stop concentrating on cooking the bacon when you hear a deep, unexpected growl behind you. It turns out that we can't even be fully aware of everything currently in our range of vision so there are strong limits to continued concentration on any target, any idea, any focus.
https://fearfunandfiloz.blogspot.com/2019/06/direct-meeting-with-yourself.html
https://fearfunandfiloz.blogspot.com/2020/04/quarantine-ology.html
