Echoes of Contradiction

💭Brain:

Tell me, you reckless, suffering fool..

how did you survive the fall from “I will love you until death do us part”

to “You are dead to me”?

How did you not break when the hands that once pulled you closer

let you go without hesitation?

When the voice that once whispered forever

spat your name like a curse?

How did you not collapse under the weight of it,

knowing that love, once fierce and full,

was slipping through your fingers like sand?

🤍Heart:

Who said I survived?

Who said I didn’t break?

I did collapse..I shattered in ways even time won’t fix.

I stood there, naive and open, believing love was unshakable,

believing forever meant something more than borrowed time.

I should have held on tighter, should have fought harder,

should have seen the cracks before they turned into fractures.

But I didn’t...I just could not,

And now, love is gone or atleast,they are.

💭Brain:

Then what are you clinging to?

If you lost, if it’s over,

if all that’s left is silence,

why do you still hold onto the wreckage

🤍Heart:

Because this pain..this raw, relentless weight,

is the only proof that it was ever real.

If love had been an illusion, it would have vanished clean,

left no trace, no wreckage.

But it was here, breathing beside me, filling the empty spaces.

And now that it’s gone, it has taken pieces of me with it.

If I still ache, if I still feel its absence like an open wound,

then at least I know..I wasn’t dreaming.

💭Brain:

So this is what you believe?

That suffering is the measure of love?

That the deeper it cuts, the truer it was?

What a cruel transaction..

to pay for something beautiful with your own ruin.

🤍Heart:

It’s not about destruction..It’s about existence.

I would rather bear this pain...rather carry this unbearable weight,than wonder if it was ever real at all.

Because whatever it was..

it was worth losing,

worth fighting for,

worth begging for,

worth standing in the rain, screaming at the heavens for.

And even now, when it’s gone,

when it has left nothing but ruins in its place,

it is still worth mourning.

P.S.  Maa, relax..this is definitely not about my dumb heart or my intelligent brain. Just a strategic stunt for audience engagement 🤞

Also, heartbreak gang, this emotional mess might tear open wounds, but don’t worry..just click the link below after reading. Affection will patch you up faster than time ever could.

[https://open.spotify.com/]

 

The Attention Span Crisis: Why No One Can Focus Anymore

Or, How You Can’t Even Read This Blog Without Checking Your Phone Twice 📱

Hey, it’s me again..SAMEEKSHA. Today, let’s talk about something you have probably already lost while reading this...yesh your attention span.

So, I was digging through articles, research papers and videos to find out whether our attention span is actually getting worse. Some say it’s shorter than a goldfish’s (which, by the way, is a debunked myth). In reality, goldfish are probably better than us at so many aspects..like controlling their aggression unlike humans,who are now ready to pull a gun over parking disputes. 🤷‍♀️

Well, there this  beautiful concept was discussed in a BBC More or Less podcast about the attention span of goldfish. You can check it out here: 

  [ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04vlq5r]

So, is this just modern life evolving, or have we truly lost the ability to focus? Well, let’s break it down before you ghost this blog like a bad Tinder match. 👻

WHAT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS BLOG :-

✔ The real reason why you can’t focus (spoiler: it’s not just social media). 

✔ The effect of social media: where focus dies and ghosting thrives.💀

 ✔ The detrimental impact of short-form content on deep thought. 🧠

✔ The science of persuasive technology, plus why technology is winning. 🤖

✔ What can be done to improve your attention span

👉The Science Behind why we cannot focus🔬:- 

Ever wonder why focusing feels harder than finishing a Netflix series in one sitting? 

So while doing research I came across a TEDx talk by Chris Bailey, where he actually said:-

"Distraction is not the enemy of focus; it's a symptom of why we find it difficult to focus -the fact that our mind is overstimulated."

Yeah u heard that right..our brain is overstimulated, jumping from reels to texts to memes like a browser with 50 tabs open. It’s so hooked on instant dopamine that deep focus now feels like watching a video on 0.25x speed - painfully slow and unbearable.

So basically, our brain isn’t broken..it’s just on dopamine steroids. Every scroll, swipe, and notification gives you a mini-reward. The result? You get bored faster, deep work feels exhausting, and focus becomes fragile. 😴 and just like this, long-term content feels like long-term relationships- too much effort, too little thrill. We swipe, ghost, and declare, "The vibe is gone." 💨

👉 Social Media: The Graveyard of Attention (and Relationships) 💀

WELL..Social media was supposed to connect people. Instead, it has become an arena for validation. 🤳I have actually  seen people take 500 pictures of their food before eating it. At some point, I swear the paneer itself was screaming, "Just eat me, dude!" 😭

Or worse..people on vacations, standing before breathtaking views, but instead of soaking in the moment, they are busy curating an aesthetic reel. Are you even present, or just existing for the feed? 🏞️

The irony? We are more connected than ever, yet lonelier than before. Relationships, like our content consumption habits, have become disposable. Why invest in depth when surface-level thrills are one swipe away? 💔

👉The TikTok Effect: Death of Deep Thinking ☠️

Once upon a time, YouTube was considered fast content. Now? Even 10-min videos feel like a commitment. ⏳TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts - engineered to keep you hooked with quick, dopamine-packed bursts. 💥

The consequences?

✔ Your brain adapts to rapid content, making slow, meaningful tasks unbearable. 😫

✔ Books feel like a chore. 📚

✔ Deep conversations feel exhausting. 🗣️

✔ Everything that requires patience - learning, relationships, critical thinking- suffers. 😩

We don’t process ideas anymore; we just consume them at high speed, half-digested. And when things slow down, we move on—just like we do with people. 🚶‍♀️

👉Is This an Attention Crisis or Just Evolution? 🤔

Some say this is a disaster - our ability to engage in deep thought is eroding. Others say it's just adaptation,we consume the same knowledge, just faster. 🤷‍♂️

But fast knowledge isn’t deep knowledge. Understanding takes time. Reflection needs stillness. A relationship doesn’t grow in 15-sec bursts. ⏱️

Well,while trying to understand this I also ran into this sneaky little thing called persuasive technology so this basically designed to steal our focus, drain our dopamine, and make us mindlessly scroll through five different apps before remembering why we picked up our phone at first place.

So yeah honestly, it's not just about our declining attention span..it’s that technology is getting better at grabbing it.🔒

There's a research paper I found on this, so if you want to dive deeper into how tech is stealing your focus, here’s the link: [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9403363/ ]

👉 Can You Fix Your Attention Span (and Maybe Your Commitment Issues)? 🛠️

If your brain feels permanently wired for 15- sec videos, don’t worry- it’s not irreversible. 😅

The solution isn’t just "read more" or "use social media less." The problem runs deeper..our reward system is broken. We have trained our brains to crave constant stimulation, so we need to rewire them for depth. 🧠

Here’s How to Do It:-

✔ Rebuild Your Baseline Dopamine Level 📉

Your brain now expects instant rewards. Take detox breaks- no scrolling, no short-form content. Engage with the real world. 🌳

Well, one great way to do this is Chris Bailey’s Disconnection Ritual. Pick a fixed time every day where you completely disconnect from your phone. I’m actually doing this myself. Of course, apart from researching for my blog, I have been consciously avoiding social media. Though, to be fair, I never even opened an Instagram or Facebook account in these 25 years of my life-so maybe I was always ahead of the game. Or not. Who knows? 🤔

✔ Train Your Deep Focus Muscles 💪

Our brain works on neuroplasticity so the more we  practice deep focus, the better we get at it. Try the Pomodoro Technique: focus for 25 minutes, take a 5-min break, and increase over time. 🍅

✔ Try Some "Slow Entertainment" 🎬

Watch a full movie without checking your phone. Read a book without switching tabs. Sounds simple? Try it. 📖

✔ Replace Mindless Scrolling with "Active Scrolling" 🧐

Instead of random doomscrolling, curate meaningful content. Be intentional about what you consume. 🎯 In my spare time, I indulge in chess on Lichess- a platform where I consistently redefine the limits of stupidity with every move. If you ever want a confidence boost, feel free to join me. Watching me play is like a live tutorial on how not to play, starring yours truly..  

Presenting a cinematic masterpiece of my chess skills:-

✔ Try Breath Focus Practice 🌬️

Well, you can also try Breath Focus Practice, a method taught by neuroscientist Amishi Jha. It helps in building focus by training your brain to control distractions. Here’s the link where you can learn this technique directly from her: 

[ https://youtu.be/YkYrQR8tFzk?feature=shared ]

✔ You Can Do This With Relationships Too 💖

Depth takes time. You won’t build deep connections if you treat relationships like short-form content. 🤝If Dostoevsky was right when he said, "To love someone is to see them as God intended them," then love, like focus, requires more than fleeting excitement. ✨

Final Thought: Can You Still Pay Attention ? 

SO if you made it to the end of this blog without switching apps or checking notifications- congratulations. Your focus is still alive. 🎉

If not? Well… at least you skimmed through it. 🤷‍♀️

Now be honest- how many times did you check your phone while reading this? And how many times have you used "vibe" as an excuse to abandon something meaningful?

Money Jargon for Mortals

 Welcome to adulting, aka "Why is my salary lower than expected, and where does my money disappear?" sooo if you are asking these questions, congratulations! You have joined the 73% of Indians who are financially lost but socially rich in Instagram filters.   WELL..Let’s fix that, one witty breakdown at a time...

If you have ever:

✅ Felt personally attacked by tax deductions

✅ Been excited about payday until you saw your bank balance

✅ Heard the legendary "Beta, shaadi ke baad sab set ho jayega" (while you're still figuring out how EMIs work)

…then hooray! WELCOME to the great Indian middle class struggle, and if financial terms sound like an ancient spell to you, don’t worry..you are not alone. Let’s decode the money mumbo-jumbo without putting you to sleep.

1. Savings – "If You Don't Save, Are You Even Middle-Class?"

💰 Definition: Money you save for the future, but primarily to spare your mother's disappointment.

👴Parents: "Beta, save at least 50% of your salary!"

😶 Reality: 50% of my salary is already spent on taxes, rent, and existential terror.

💁 Middle-Class Reality:- you wish to save, but life has a way of coming up with surprise expenses—doctor bills, weddings (since a no is not an option), and that one relative who believes you make in dollars.

You don't enjoy your salary,your landlord does.

💡Survival Tip:If saving is impossible, begin small. Consider it an EMI for your future self.

2. Debt – "Congratulations, You Now Owe Your Future to the Bank"

💳Definition: Money taken to spend now and weep about afterwards.

 Debts You wll most likely have:

📚Education Loan – So that you can study diligently, get a job, and repay the loan till retirement.

💃Personal Loan – Personal Loan.. Usually taken because "Salary isn’t enough, but Instagram aesthetics must be maintained."

👀Credit Card Debt – The game of spending money you don't have on things you don't need (because cashback sounded too good).

 ⚠Warning:--- Middle-class individuals borrow money for anything but therapy.

3. EMI – "Installment Plans That Own Your Soul"

📉 Definition: A mechanism that makes costly things appear cheap, until you calculate.

 👉How EMIs Trick You:

            ₹50,000 phone? Too costly.

            ₹2,499 a month for 24 months? SOLD!

 🙅Red Flag: If you are putting half your salary into EMIs, congratulations...you are now working for the bank.

4. Taxes – "Your Salary? Well Not Really Yours."

📑 Definition: The government's lingo for, "We like your sweat, now give us a share of it."

🚨 Middle-Class Tax Math:   

                   Gross Salary: ₹50,000

                   Tax, PF, Deductions: ₹10,000

                   Rent, Bills, EMIs: ₹30,000

                   Remaining: A entire ₹10,000 to live your best life (for 30 days).

  🤡 Meanwhile,relatives: "When are you getting married?"

     Me: "Bro, I can’t even manage my own expenses...how will I afford a wedding?"

5. Mutual Funds – "Because FD Rates Are as Exciting as Dry Toast"

📉  Definition: An option to invest your money without knowing the stock market.

⚠️ Misconceptions:

👴   Parents: "Son, mutual funds are risky"

🙄   Me: "Papa, even going out of the house is a risk these days."

👊 Reality Check:-

            FDs = Safe, but slow (like Indian trains).

            Mutual Funds = Risky, but rewarding (like dating).

💡Bonus: The Rise of Digital Investments

Traditional investments are dull and slow, and that is why increasing numbers of people are considering digital assets. Even crypto, as volatile as it can be, has yielded greater returns than most traditional assets (if you do it cleverly and don't YOLO your rent money into it).

6. Inflation – "Why Your ₹500 Feels Like ₹50 Now"

📌  Definition: The mechanism whereby things cost more but your wages remain constant.

 📊 Simple Explanation

            2010: ₹100 could get you a full meal.

            2025: ₹100 can get… a 500ml bottle of water at the airport.

📢  Moral of the story:-  If your money isn't appreciating at a rate higher than inflation, you are actually losing money by being alive.

7. Retirement Planning – "Yes, You Need to Think About This Before 60"

👴 Definition: A plan for how you will survive when you are old, retired, and stuck choosing between paying medical bills or giving "blessings" at every relative's wedding.

🔴 Middle-Class Reality:

      👵 Parent's Retirement Plan: "Son, you will earn and handle everything."

      😶 Our Retirement Plan: "Survive now, panic later."

⭐Future You Will Thank You If:

       ✔️ You begin investing early, not at 50 and in a panic.

       ✔️ You don't count on "my kids will handle everything"

Last Thoughts:- Finance, But Make It Middle-Class

If you have read this far, well done! You now know that:

here is your concise, financially-flavored recap:

✅ Saving is essential—its a safeguard against life's unexpected surprises.

✅  Taking loans is normal—just don’t become an EMI slave.

✅  Investing isn’t just for rich people—it’s for those who don’t want to work till they drop.

✅  Wedding is an expense—and if you are still figuring out rent, tell your relatives to chill.

Finance is not intimidating—it's merely adulting with more math. The earlier you begin, the less anxious you will be when your best friend unexpectedly buys real estate, and you are still covering last month's Zomato bills.

👀What is your greatest financial challenge? Share with me in the comments or send me an email at samneuro630@gmail.com (I promise to respond before your next paycheck gets withdrawn).