That's a question I've been considering for the last week.
We returned home after a few days away. The garden here at Champ de la Grange has changed in that time.The yellow forsythia and daffodils have faded, and wild chives and violets have appeared along the path leading through the garden. Grass has grown dramatically (rain and sunshine et voila…)
The lilac tree outside the studio is in bud, and on our journey home I saw lilac trees in full flower — south facing and a little further south.
After three days of bitterly cold weather and a chilly house we have once again sprung into full spring.
As I sit here, I know that here is so much to be grateful for, so much to write about this spring. Yet the reality is that my thoughts flit around with an extreme lack of concentration. I haven't experienced anything approaching this since the first COVID confinement or lockdown.
I find that when I sit to write I am instead drawn to seeking out the news or choosing another potential audio book to listen to at some point in the future. At one point I wondered about designing a thrifty meal plan for the next two weeks.
When I try to write the words seem stale and I soon abandon my efforts.
So, dear reader let's return to that question. What do you do when you can't concentrate? This week I am living with what I can only describe as 'fractured attention'.
Let me share what I've tried so far to improve my focus … with varying degrees of success:
Writing lists, in fact writing anything, drawing mind maps of a story plan for the book I need to write next.
Talking with somebody else about a project (poor them, as they had little choice in the matter) This did make me focus on something for an hour — so it worked very well.
Bringing in mindfulness techniques. Today this meant specifically widening and softening my gaze. I recognized some time ago that when I feel stressed and my attention is framgmented it is as though I am walking around in blinkers or blinders. I don't realize for some time that I am doing this — which is the big problem.
I know I'm not the only one who retreats into tunnel vision when stressed.
I have made myself look around as I walk from the house to the studio AND seeing the world around me and not just straight ahead.
Seeking out small things to gaze at. This is the opposite of a wide softened gaze, but this contrast works very well for me. There is something in this about rebooting thinking.
Listening to a story. I searched and found an audio tape that I hadn't listened to for more than 30 years ( a long-ago maternity leave waiting for my daughter to be born). My next book is set on a wild coast with smugglers, and this made me think of Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek by Daphne de Maurier . This dramatized serialization of Frenchman's Creek in 6 episodes drew me in as much now as it did all those years ago. Now, as a writer I now know this amazing audio version is filled with the sensory detail which gives depth to a story. I now need to re-read the book!
For those who enjoy romantic fiction this BBC audio compilation of plays based on the writing of Daphne Du Maurier is available on Audible and a standalone of Frenchman's Creek is on YouTube.
Did it work in focusing my attention? Yes, listening and focusing improved in my quest to focus.
Daphne du Maurier: The BBC Radio Collectionwhich includes Rebecca, Jamaica Inn, Frenchman's Creek & more is available on Audible and may be in other places.
Next on my list was browsing research on frugal living to refresh my ideas for writing and making our You Tube videos. This helped me to focus as I had a clear objective as I browsed online sources and skimmed books on this theme.
Diet and nutrition was my next stop. I've returned to the Cucina Povera project I began in January. I have acquired Delia Smith's Frugal Food and sent for the paperback copy of Cucina Povera. I see a chickpea phase ahead! I've said 'no' to a Simnel cake this year as I know I need to eat healthy food to try to come through this 'attention slump.' Maybe next year! SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE.
Southern Italian Family Cooking: Simple, healthy and affordable food from Italy's cucina poveraDelia's Frugal Food by Delia Smith (2008) by Carmela Sophia Sereno ( 2014 )
I turned to talking to the laptop…. to audio typing instead and that has certainly helped me to get this article written. I recommend it if you need to do something and can't find your rhythm.
My next step is to listen to audiobooks of the sort of stories that I know I can write very well indeed and at fast pace. I need to get back to that place and help my mind to focus — my current work is a Regency Romantasy series, so I shall immerse myself in Regency fiction and I know that will help.
I've been in this place of experiencing unruly attention a few times before in life. In my case the difficulty focusing is usually short term and linked to grief, intense stress at home or work, insomnia or world events like the pandemic. I can only imagine what it must be like to have a different pattern of neurodivergent attention.
There are adaptations and strategies which help, so I hope sharing my experience this week might spark ideas if you find yourself in a similar place.
So, changing tack a little let's think about what we know about attention? As a speech and language therapist I work with attention — we focus on evaluating attention patterns and development and design strategies to support children and young people.
Children move through several developmental stages of attention. We move from flitting to single channeled focus, and we gradually fine tune our ability to listen and focus while we continue working on a task in hand. (Cooper, Moodley & Reynell, 1976).
In my mind's eye I see the comment at the bottom of Cooper's attention development chart which says, "at times of stress attention can break down and return to an earlier stage." So, I know what's going on here, and I shall blame family and work stress, along with world events.
I think it's important when your attention feels fragmented to be gentle with yourself. For whatever reason your usual pattern of attending and focusing is disrupted. This week I had to recognize that my attention was not focused in the way it can be. Some may call this procrastination, but it didn't feel like that.
Instead of logging the events and activities when you know you've lost attentional focus, notice and reward yourself for the times when you do concentrate. That might be as small as making a cup of coffee.
I recommend devising your own tea or coffee ceremony. I know very little about Japanese tea rituals, but I can see how they focus the mind onto a simple time limited task with an outcome. If you're being health-conscious use loose leaves of green tea in your tea ceremony, but for the purpose of repairing fragmented attention it doesn't matter.
I read last week that following recipes is excellent for our cognitive thinking capacity as we grow older. Who knew? There are so many simple recipes like making Cranks lemonade or adding mint to water and making an ice cube, or boiling an egg, sprinkling it with herbs, balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. These are all simple recipes, and lemonade making is on my list for this week.
So, I write to you here from the heart of rustic, rural France. I can feel the warmth of the sun with a gentle breeze. In the distance a woodpecker is busy knocking in a lime tree, and the cat looks several years younger as she bounds up the garden path. I'm looking forward to the yellow Banksia rose in a few weeks' time.
The ribbons of blackthorn blossom which stretched like lace across the hills have faded, but I'm always excited to see the leaves on the oak trees returning. The landscape is acquiring its springtime green covering and there's always something in me that wants to rejoice when that happens.
Of course, we live in rural reality here and today we discovered an infestation of flying ants in the bedroom. It started with two or three on Thursday and this morning the window was covered in these ants. However, I think we're on the way to recovery now.
And I can hear two or three lawn mowers in the distance, but my quest is to rise early over the summer and be outside when no one else has their power tools going. I'm looking forward to some quiet peace in the early morning here on the lane at Champs de la Grange.
As I write a tractor has appeared in the field next to my studio. Philippe, the farmer seems to do more work at weekends, and that seems to be the trend. Henri, the farmer on the other side of the house only ever works in his two fields on Friday afternoons or weekends. Farming is increasingly supplemented by another job role it seems.
So, Philippe is ploughing — flipping the soil ready for a spring crop. I never know what is going to grow in the field.
I admit that I dread the crop being maize as it grows as high as the bedroom window and cuts out the sunset. I think I could put up with that for a field of sunflowers, and those are sometimes grown here. Last year the crop was grass for sileage, before that wheat and the year of maize.
This project started out as Journal de Chassignolles on substack.
In the months ahead I'm excited about trying the Cucina Povera thrifty recipes, developing a cutting patch, the renewal of the potager and aromatic herb garden.
The changes of the season and nature notes in this part of France, which is on the border of north and south always give inspiration.
I'd like to share this with you as the seasons change.
There are occasional mindful moments and drawing from the well of positive therapy as I've done today.
I'll link with the YouTube channel which focuses on frugal French living for those who wish to 'wander over there.'
Please leave a comment and start conversations below as the aspiration is still to build a community around this substack where readers can interact and share ideas. Who knows maybe we'll get a Garden Gate Gatherers rendez-vous this year?
I think that's all the news today. My brain has finally focused and produced an article and I'm very glad about that this lovely spring morning.
This was good!!
Minestrone a la Delia Smith
The Easter tradition in Berry : le pâté de Pâques
The Berry. For those who don't know about Hidden France!!
Here are some links:
Simnel Cake
I HAVE A SIMNEL CAKE. Nigel, my husband has surprised me with a healthier version of a Simnel cake. Here is the recipe. AND I can report it is the best one we have ever had! Perhaps there was a little enthusiastic with the blow torch when browning the marzipan, bit I can report it tastes perfect!
Originally published at https://seasonsinchassignolles.substack.com.