Mind wandering away all the time? This practice might help bring it back on track

Do you know that on average, 30-50% of your thoughts are spent on mind wandering? A new study, published in the 'Journal of Cognitive Enhancement' talks about this, and warned that excessive mind-wandering can lead to many negative outcomes in your professional and personal lives.

The lead author of the study on mindfulness and mind-wandering says that while zoning out for a few minutes during a meeting may not hurt, it can impact you negatively if it goes on for long periods of time. She further suggested that when you feel distracted, practicing mindfulness, like meditation and breathwork can help refocus on your work or thoughts. Mindfulness is basically being in the state of awareness of your thoughts and actions.

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Researchers from the University of Cincinnati conducted a systematic review of research that looked at the relationship between mindfulness and mind wandering. However, it fell short as participants were sometimes unaware when they were distracted, so asking them to report their own mind wandering was not reliable.

But researchers confirmed that they analysed the inconsistencies in the findings, and can improve them by using computer-based mind testing.

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