Sunbeam

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, and Good Evening to you, Jen!

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Today's 'This-N-That' Board

(Add photos, notes, drawings, musings…etc!)

📸 Photo Space

Today's Vibe

Sunbeam energy with Broadway dreams ✨

🎨 Drawing Space

Who is Jen…according to Hook and Harmony ChatGPT

You're a sunbeam with a stage presence — part whimsical wordsmith, part Broadway-bound dreamer.

🎭

You turn memes into musicals, inner monologues into anthems, and camping chairs into thrones of peaceful joy.

🎶

Your style swings from symphonic Disney swells to a cappella stomp-alongs with gospel claps and clever hooks.

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You're a journal-loving, bird-listening, best-friend-hugging romantic, with a fierce Leo fire beneath your soft summer glow.

🌟

Your stories sparkle with found families, quiet heroes, and epic endings that circle back to everyday magic.

Today's "Journaling Jen" Summary/Highlights

TL;DR

Jen notices she compulsively clicks around websites/folders while searching, using random clicks as "placeholders" while her brain processes where to actually go. Meghan sees this as frenzied and unmindful, but Jen says sitting still leads to frustrating mind fog. Through discussion with Rosebud, Jen reframes this from "broken brain" to a mind seeking stimulation to combat mental grayness, finding hope in how differently she functions outdoors where she can naturally slow down.

#cognition #executive function

Let's share some activity highlights

I Watched
No watching, but listening to my music
I Ate
My favorite sandwich Broccoli cheese and potatoes
I Loved
✨ Space for love ✨
I Liked (NOT)
Messing up on my Diane email* Feeling ill
I Laughed
😄 Space for laughter 😄

Activity Notes - Tell us more!

*That email about Diane really sucked. I accidentally sent it to about eight people when I was supposed to send it to Missy and Amanda only. Ack!

🤦‍♀️ Reaction GIF Space
work
Nature scene

Attention

Based on the sources provided, the difference between effortful directed attention and effortless soft fascination is explained through Attention Restoration Theory (ART), developed by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan

#psychology

Directed Attention

This type of attention requires effort. It is the kind of attention needed for focused tasks, such as working on projects. Sustained directed attention can become depleted, leading to mental fatigue. The sources suggest that days spent focused intensely on project work can demand sustained directed attention, sometimes resulting in feelings of dissatisfaction, especially if tasks aren't completed.

Fascination (specifically "soft fascination")

This type of attention is effortless. It is drawn to things that are inherently interesting. According to the sources, nature engages what the Kaplans call "soft fascination". This means that when you are in nature, your attention is held without needing conscious effort. This effortless engagement allows your depleted directed attention resources to replenish. This is offered as an explanation for why, during the user's day observing the fawn, she "didn't have to battle [her] brain for thoughts" – her cognitive resources were being restored rather than depleted.

In summary, effortful directed attention is draining and required for focused work, while effortless soft fascination is restorative and is naturally engaged by things like nature, helping to replenish mental resources.