Human beings live their life in varying degrees of awareness of the world around them. The complete lack of awareness is called unconsciousness, while the notion of consciousness is dispersed in nature (Natsoulas, 2018). In some instances, a person could be conscious, but not fully present, which is defined as the daydreaming phenomenon. Understanding of different states of consciousness that a person goes through on a daily basis is highly important to gauge sources and solutions to their issues.
Low Awareness
The state of low awareness is characterized by not being able to perceive every aspect of the surrounding world in detail. However, the brain is still capable of receiving and processing various signals. For example, in the last 24 hours, I have been in a state where I was overwhelmed by incoming information. Despite this, when I heard my name being called out, I still perceived it and involuntarily jerked.
High Awareness
High awareness is a state when the mind is strongly focused on the details in a person’s environment. In the past 24 hours, I have committed my full attention to listening to a friend while we were having a conversation. Since I was an active participant in the conversation and highly invested, my body was inclined towards my friend, and my eyes were open wider than regular.
Daydreaming
Daydreaming is a part of the consciousness journey that allows people to partake in thoughts unrelated to the present. There are different types of daydreaming that have different effects on people who engage in them; for example, personally meaningful daydreaming increases motivation (Zedelius et al., 2021). I have experienced personally meaningful daydreaming by thinking of my future job opportunities. During this process, I have noticed that my breathing becomes more relaxed, and my awareness of surroundings lowers; for example, I ignore noises outside.
Sleep
Sleep represents a state of consciousness when a person experiences a lower level of awareness with their brain maintaining activity. During sleep, the brain cycles through stages known as rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM. The existence of these stages is evidence of the brain’s activity. While being asleep, I could not note my body’s behavior. However, judging by the fact that I am well-rested, it could be concluded that these stages have not been disrupted.
References
Natsoulas, T. (2018). States of consciousness: The pulses of experience. Cambridge University Press.
Zedelius, C. M., Protzko, J., Broadway, J. M., & Schooler, J. W. (2021). What types of daydreaming predict creativity? Laboratory and experience sampling evidence. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(4), 596–611.