Attention: It has become the precious new commodity of our world. And how we pay attention shapes our reality and ability to cope in this new COVID reality. How do we respond?
We need to first become aware of our attention is being directed moment-to-moment. The 'attention economy' has now become a whole lot more competitive as organisations move online and vie for our limited attention resources with what may called 'super stimuli'. Not only can this become overwhelming but it can further fracture our reduced attention span and disrupt our emotional and nervous regulatory systems. The long-term effects of this neuro-physiological disharmony on our health and wellbeing is hazardous because how we focus attention creates the life experiences that shape our everyday consciousness.
Time spent in nature is being increasingly shown to have a multitude of health and wellbeing benefits: Rewilding with nature can restore overburdened attention; noticing nature can rewire our habitual ways of seeing the world; and together this can helps us recover and revive our sense of wellbeing, especially after extended indoor lockdown.
But it’s not just contact with nature but it's the nature of the contact that matters most.
So this walk - part sit, part play and part meditative meander - introduces some of the necessary practices or ‘life hacks’ that will help rewire and revive our attention. Practiced often, they are likely to enhance everyday nature awareness as a foundation for long-term health, wellbeing and resilience in tumultuous times.
