soft fascination

it's like awe's little sister; an essential part of a sustainable, creative life

Oct 27, 2024

We seek the extraordinary; moments of awe and wonder best documented to share. But along the way, we’ve lost sight of the quiet beauty that exists in the everyday.

If you’ve read my work, you know that I like to acknowledge and celebrate the ordinary parts of life, because I think that’s where contentment lives.

My life is somewhat small in that I live in a rural town on an island, work from home, and have a tiny social circle. If you asked me about my ideal day, it would involve coffee and a bookshop, time alone to write in the library, a walk along the beach with my dog, and dinner with my partner and our children; something home-cooked, a candle lit, meandering conversation. How to end a day? An early night and a good book; cosy comfort.

Life on the road - when we lived and travelled in a caravan for two years - shrunk the scale of my attention. I removed all the obligations and schedules from my life which allowed me to approach each day with a sense of ease. I very consciously closed many mental tabs and relished in the space created.

When I simplified life, I learnt how to pay attention. Just today I’ve noticed the snowball tree currently flowering, a blue wren collecting splinter-like twigs for a nest, the tomato plants that have self-seeded despite neglect.

But you don’t always need to hone your attention to appreciate what’s around you. Did you know that lightly focusing your awareness on everyday things — the steam rising from a cup of tea, the pattern of tiles on the bathroom wall, sheets billowing on the line — has a name?

Soft fascination.

Think of it as awe’s little sister; the quiet, subtle parts of your day that pique your attention but don’t wholly occupy your mind. It’s commonly referred to as ‘mindfulness without the meditation’ and can be filed in the same category as shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) because it has significant physiological and cognitive benefits.

Instead of requiring hard, focused attention, you engage in what is referred to as a ‘light focus’. This isn’t a skill you need to learn; you already do this throughout your week but just knowing this practice has a name can be rather enlightening. I find it especially comforting as a creative; I know the mental reprieve of letting my mind wander; allowing my focus to settle on ordinary things bolsters my thinking brain. Having language to define it? Well, it’s almost like I have a deeper understanding of myself; how I tick, think, reflect and create. This is so incredibly encouraging.

It’s not woo woo either, even though it sounds like it should be categorised as such. Psychologists have even researched exactly how much time we need to spend softly fascinated for it to be beneficial.

Studies show that when you’re in a green space you are lightly focussing on what’s around you. But there’s a catch: you only benefit if your phone is switched off. Better yet, don’t carry it with you. In a time-poor culture that grasps for spare minutes, there’s also a set timeframe to reap the rewards; 20 minutes, ideally three times a week, lowers your cortisol levels. The cognitive effects? A calmer, sharper mind that’s more creative and productive.

Soft fascination is like downtime for your brain which is why it is such a powerful practice for everyone, but especially those who are engaged in hours of focused, hard attention on a regular basis. Nature doesn’t require direct attention but allows you to move through it with a lightness of being, which creates the opportunity for both self-reflection and mental reprieve. The results? Mental decluttering, clearer thoughts, more ‘aha’ moments.

I experience it often in the garden, when I wander out with no particular intention but find myself moving intuitively from one plot to the next. I notice new shoots on a plant, or crouch down to pull a few weeds and as I do I feel the sun on my back and notice birdsong and the breeze and the way the light falls just so on the footpath. And then I walk back inside and write a few paragraphs with ease.

Even mundane, everyday tasks have a restorative potential. It’s why we have lightbulb moments in the shower, or can figure out the solution to problems while we walk or hang out the washing. Sometimes it’s lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling and just allowing yourself to be in the nothingness. In a noisy, bright world that constantly demands our attention, soft fascination is mental breathing space.

But what do most of us do when we are exhausted and depleted? Scroll on the phone which requires hard attention and doesn’t provide any opportunity for reflection. When we do this, we inhabit a mentally-exhausting spiral fuelled by distraction. And it’s really hard to get off it.

Of course you know the relief of spending time away from a screen and letting your mind wander. And now you know why it feels so good; because your brain responds positively to dappled light and water falling down the shower screen, to the shadows on the wall and the gentle reflection they encourage. Your attention is being restored and revitalised every moment that you allow yourself to lightly focus on what’s around you.

For some people, this softness is particularly helpful because it is often about being alone and in silence. But if you’re a parent, and therefore rarely alone, you would have also observed your children softly fascinated by the minutiae on the footpath or at the beach, where they will walk from one little patch of earth to the next, perhaps chatting to themselves as they look and touch and investigate in their own way. They’re not yet inhibited by expectations or to-do lists and sometimes it can be helpful to learn from them, to imitate their inclination to wander and watch.

Soft fascination is mental cushioning for a life that is increasingly demanding. It feels like a tangible way to create a more sustainable creative life: go slow to go far; restore your attention to sharpen your mind.

other things

I’m delighted to be writing for ABC Lifestyle, starting with how we filled our home slowly after life on the road
The fog of early motherhood on Dear New Mum; a joy to write
I’m looking forward to
Bri Lee
’s first livestream, aptly titled: Spoiler Alert

What’s on my library holds list?