Extreme lack of focus

[StevenA]

Does anyone have extreme focus problems? I'm 19, and I feel like over the past two or three years my focus has went completely out of whack. I can't think problems through to a point of resolve, so I tend to just ignore them. Until my girlfriend recently moved in, I had to put just about every single thing (including eating and showering) on a to-do list or my mind would wander constantly and I'd never get anything done. I made a habit of not watching a lot of television, playing too many video games, or listening to too much music, but those are still pretty much the only things that can hold my attention for extended periods of time. I was diagnosed with ADD before, but I have an aversion to taking pills loaded with time-release amphetamines. I feel as though my IQ has taken a 50-point plunge and it's only going to get worse if I don't put forth some kind of effort. Are their any focus exercises or natural ways to increase my concentration?

[mattsonn]

I've maybe had a milder form of what you described. It would help if you could be a little more specific and concrete about your problem. If you think it's really a chemical problem in the brain, then you might want to address this with a doctor.

[StevenA]

I'll try, but it's kind of hard to pinpoint. Whenever I do anything, I feel strongly compelled to stop, but it isn't typical procrastination. My mind just sort of always forces itself elsewhere. I can't even focus while having extremely important conversations. I'd like to say that I tend to focus more inward, but I'm not sure if it's always the case. A common thing I tend to do when my mind wanders is start to create fictitious scenarios in my head, some of them a little outrageous and unlikely. It's as though half of me isn't there and my outward self suffers because of it. The most I've committed to is doing tasks in small time portions every day, as I get easily distracted. The longest I've done anything other than TV in the past couple years is play drums or record music, and I think the record for that is an hour and a half in one day.

[mattsonn]

Ditto minus the creating ficticous scenarios in my head. Let's see, where do I even start......

Yeah, my record is 6 hours and 1 minute. But that was because a friend told me that she had studied for six hours at a time before and I wanted to beat that. But I was listening to music the whole time I didn't absorb very much.

Typically my attention span starts to run low after about half an hour. This was a concern that bothered me for years. But over time I've developed lots of little tricks to work around the issue. Now, I can say that it's not a big problem in my life.

But your case sounds extreme enough that you might want to consider riddilin or something. Have you done that yet?

The last time I addressed this issue was here, where you can go if you want to learn more about my situation: How can I be more introverted

[escapee]

Supplementation of Omega Acid 3 may help ADD

fish oils and attention deficit disorder

Natural ways to cure ADD

A Yahoo search on Fish oil and ADD

[LivingWarrior]

Just curious what other activities do you engage in?
I know tv, youtube, forums, can really lead to an unfocused mind.
On the other hand, exercise, meditation, etc can enhance your focus.
Also Beta entrainment can help with ADD after 30 sessions (see here http://sica.stanford.edu/events/brai...ndandlight.pdf)

I like to think I can train my way to any state.
Do you engage in focus promoting activities?

[mattsonn]

Wow. Time to start eating tuna.

[The David]

I have the same problem right now. It's very crippling.

[da1prophet]

I've been diagnosed with ADD and have been on medication for it for almost 10 years now. The meds help, but the best advice I can give is to quit looking at it as a weakness and try to turn it into a strength. The fact that I can process information from countless sources seemingly at once has been a great benefit to me professionally. My friends are always impressed by how many topics I am knowledgeable about, and socially my multi-faceted interests have brought me a much wider and varied group of friends and acquaintances than most people enjoy.

I guess what I'm basically advocating is "reframing the problem". Society wants to force everyone into certain roles, so quit trying to fit your "square peg" into a "round hole".

Disclaimer--focus problems can be symptomatic of depression, illness, poor nutrition, etc. If you think it might have an underlying cause then, of course, you need to deal with that. If not, stop framing it in a negative light and try to turn it into a positive.

A couple of other things that have been helpful to me over the years are good nutrition (important for everyone, but essential for me) and exercise. Whether its the physiological impact of the endorphins, or the emotional benefit of feeling good about myself the importance of exercise cannot be overstated. If I "fall off the wagon" for a few days in working out I can see a drastic deterioration in my focus and general mental acuity.

[StevenA]

I guess I should focus (ha) on diet and exercise for awhile and see if that makes any improvement. I don't eat well or exercise regularly because I've felt pretty healthy going that route up to now. Thanks for the advice, everyone.

[Wit and Itch]

There is a theory that yeast overgrowth will cause mental distortion, or lack of focus, among other things.
Try changing your diet:
No any kind of sugar or any kind of grain
No dairy except plain yogurt
No antibiotics.
No hormone altering medication.
Eat a lot of garlic, onion, grapefruit.
Keep this up for at least 3 months, but you should be able to tell a difference after 1 month.
Read Yeast Connection by William G. Crook