This website primarily uses cookies to implement Dark Mode.

The Dutch made me put this message on my website.

Read more

I totally understand

Dark Mode

Menu.

x

Guides

Content

Programs

Volunteer

Apps

Misc

Focus Your Attention

/focus-your-attention

Focus your attention and learn to gain control over what our minds pay attention to.

tldr;

Awareness over all

What

Placing focus with your attention in order to develop your ability to focus.

How

Focus your attention on some particular aspect (i.e. breath) for the entire duration of the exercise.

When

Alone in a calm setting where you're able to reflect.

Duration

5 - 10 minutes per session.

2019-01-04

Context

Learning to focus our attention is an important skill.

However, I would also argue that it’s quite an advanced skill that should only be attempted once you feel more comfortable being aware in general.

In fact, it’s an exercise which builds upon Observe Your Senses so it makes sense to master that first.

Otherwise, we can truly struggle with this exercise, and more often than not when people attempt to learn this exercise first, it almost always leads to more confusion than clarity.

So please do not proceed until you’ve mastered more fundamental awareness exercises.


What is focus?


The funny thing about focus is that it’s a bit of a paradox, at least according to conventional wisdom.

A lot of people treat focus as if it’s supposed to be this kind of intense period of concentration, which is designed to consume all you energy and attention.

In reality, effective focus is not like that and cannot come from tensing up and trying ‘really hard’ to get into that mental zone.


Instead, effective focus comes from being calm and relaxed with a clear intention in mind.


I mean, I’m sure anyone could maintain intense focus by trying ‘really hard’ however it certainly wouldn’t be effective in the sense of being in control.

Ultimately, you cannot focus effectively if you’re spending all your mental energy on creating an environment in which you feel comfortable to focus.

Because then you’re left with significantly less energy to actually focus, and instead it leaves you incredibly vulnerable and quite ironically, without focus.

Definitely, not fun.

As stated earlier, if I had to describe what focus is.


I would say that it's nothing more than awareness with a clear intention.


Which is to say that it’s the same thing as being aware in the traditional sense (i.e. observation), only now you’re choosing an intention outside of simply being aware of your senses.

This is why I say that you must first learn to master basic awareness before moving onto these kinds of exercises.

Because it actually requires more skill to remain calm and aware, while also selectively focusing on a certain aspect of your awareness.

Which people generally find more difficult than simply being aware of all their sense.

In essence, it’s easier to be fully attuned to all your senses at once without focus, than it is to be fully attuned to just one of your senses

Simply because there’s less overhead.


Instructions


There are essentially two key steps towards performing this exercise.

First, relax and put yourself into a state of unconditional awareness, as per the instructions in Observe Your Senses.

In this state of mind, you should have completely emptied your mind and become fully attuned to your senses.

Then, once you have achieved this, attempt to place your attention on a very particular aspect of your awareness.

It could be something visual, like a lamp or a door. It could be a sound that is occurring in the background. It could be a physical sensation that you’re experiencing in your body.

Play around with it and see where your mind takes you.

Share on:

Comments

There are no comments yet for this article!

Leave A Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.

Further Questions?

Head on down to our NeverFap Deluxe subreddit or Discord where myself and others can help you with your questions.

Personal Coaching?

Let's organise a 10 Minute FREE Consultation so you can understand how The Reade© can help you achieve your goals.

NeverFap Deluxe Family

The NeverFap Deluxe Bible

/neverfap-deluxe-bible

Guided NeverFap Deluxe Meditation Series

/meditation

7 Day NeverFap Deluxe Kickstarter

/seven-day-kickstarter

Chrome NeverFap Deluxe Extension

/chrome-extension

Firefox NeverFap Deluxe Extension

/firefox-extension

Mobile NeverFap Deluxe Android App

/mobile-app

The NeverFap Deluxe Subreddit

/r/NeverFapDeluxe

YouTube NeverFap Deluxe Channel

/neverfap-deluxe-youtube

Twitter NeverFap Deluxe Account

/neverfap-deluxe-twitter

GitHub NeverFap Deluxe Open Source

/open-source

Instagram NeverFap Deluxe Account

/neverfap-deluxe-instagram

The NeverFap Deluxe Patreon

/neverfap-deluxe-patreon

Facebook NeverFap Deluxe Page

/neverfap-deluxe-facebook

Pinterest NeverFap Deluxe Account

/neverfap-deluxe-pinterest

Tumblr NeverFap Deluxe Account

/neverfap-deluxe-tumblr

Latest Articles

The Importance Of Developing A Mental Health Plan

/the-importance-of-developing-a-mental-health-plan

In this article we speak about the importance of having a solid mental health plan in place and how this can assist you with your recovery.

Summary:

  • Having a solid mental health plan puts you ahead of most people.
  • A mental health plan is designed to provide you with hard certainty.

Does Being In A Relationship Help With Overcoming Porn Addiction?

/does-being-in-a-relationship-help-with-overcoming-porn-addiction

In this article I discuss whether being in a relationship can help with your porn addiction recovery.

Summary:

  • Being in a relationship can help you better overcome your addiction.
  • Being in a relationship is by no means necessary for recovery.
  • Porn addiction recovery has absolutely nothing to do with sex.

Why We Struggle

/why-we-struggle

By identifying how we struggle, we can better understand the dynamics with which we think about the problems in our life.

Summary:

  • Struggle is a reflection of how you respond to expectation.
  • By learning to dissolve expectation we can learn to live without struggle in life.

The Difference Between NoFap And NeverFap Deluxe

/the-difference-between-nofap-and-neverfapdeluxe

In this article I discuss the fundamental difference between NoFap and NeverFap Deluxe as porn recovery ideologies.

Summary:

  • NeverFap Deluxe provides an opinionated method for recovery, while NoFap is not.
  • NeverFap Deluxe aims to rectify all of the shortcomings of NoFap.

Is Porn Fundamentally Wrong?

/is-porn-fundamentally-wrong

In this article I explore some this idea of pornography and whether it is wrong from a moral perspective.

Summary:

  • I don't believe there is anything fundamentally wrong with porn.
  • Understanding that porn is wrong is not a healthy attitude towards recovery, nor does it help us recover.

There Are No Super Powers When You Quit Porn

/there-are-no-super-powers-when-you-quit-porn

In this article I explore this idea of "super powers" and the benefits people perceive they might receive once they overcome their porn addiction.

Summary:

  • Overcoming porn addiction allows you to live your life with greater purpose.
  • Overcoming porn addiction doesn't instantly grant you anything, only a renewed opportunity to develop as an individual.

The Fallacy Of Motivation

/the-fallacy-of-motivation

In this article I write about the pitfalls of using motivation as a driving force for change in the context of porn addiciton recovery.

Summary:

  • Motivation is not persistent, it comes and goes.
  • Only by sticking to fundamental principles can you hope to guarantee success in your recovery.

7 Day NeverFap Deluxe Kickstarter

Boost your knowledge of meditation and awareness best practice with our FREE NeverFap Deluxe 7 day email series.

The Introduction - Day 0

The Trust - Day 1

The Awareness - Day 2

The Calmness - Day 3

The Meditation - Day 4

The Relapse - Day 5

The Consistency - Day 6

The Community - Day 7

Receive an email each day covering the basics of the NeverFap Deluxe Method!

NeverFap Deluxe
Latest Guided Meditation EP3 - Free Guided Meditation Series
Available on iTunes, Spotify and Castbox. Open Source under the GNU GPLv3 licence.