Suggestions. Having a hard time concentrating

[Eventhorizon]

So this is going to be a little personal concerning me. I don’t know where to start so I just will, and see where it ends up.

I have mentioned in other posts I have a cousin who has been through some rough parts in his life. He became a Jung analyst for a couple of reasons. A main one is that h apparently found that of all the physiological studies etc…this is the one that he said he found helped the most. I think it does help as well though I have not begun to research it \ study it very much yet.

I have been through some things in my life that I think have been damaging to me. Whether they would damage someone else I cannot say. What I can say is that I am finding it difficult to do certain things now where in the past, were not nearly as much of an issue as they are now.

How much of my problem(s) are caused by any one thing I do not know. Some of it could by physical changes some mental, a combination. The point is I know there are issues, I just don’t have a good idea where they are coming from and as a result, don’t know where to look or start to help try to correct them. From the physical aspect, I have been to see just about every doctor you can think of. All have said I am completely healthy with exception of high blood pressure which has come down since then. But seriously, cat scans\xrays of my lungs and mris of my head, ultrasound of my arteries and heart, and a ridiculous amount of blood tests…I am or at least was physically healthy. Obviously have a pretty big issue with Gluten, something I found by luck and the doctors have not found yet. My main doctor said, “If you know eating that way helps you, theres really no reason to spend x amount of money to tell you something you already know.” True but at least I can prove it to other people if I do. That test will likely happen in the future.

The issue is, I am having hard time sitting down and concentrating, doing what I need to do to move forward. I have things I HAVE to be doing to correct my situation but every time I try to focus, I do something else. Some of it because of the monumental size of everything I have to accomplish. Sitting down and trying to work through it all forces me to have to look at it all. Looking at it all is oppressive to say the least, there’s just too much. And so, I hide from it and don’t even start. It may be I have some form of ADHD. I don’t know its just that I know I cant concentrate well on it where I can on other things.

Now if you have read this far you may be thinking I am looking for sympathy. I’m not really. I just recognize there are other people here who have been through and are going through tough times. Some of you have sought help from various sources. So what I am asking is if you have any suggestions on what type of professional help may be able to help with something like this. I don’t really want to start by going to a physiologist. My cousin doesn’t seem to think they offer a lot of help. They aren’t cheap and even if they do offer some amount of help over time, my need is more immediate. I understand the time frame for “healing” cant have a time frame but… Well anyway I have to start somewhere, the idea is that someone here may have a suggestion I have not thought of or if not being able to concentrate can be linked to something.

Its not like you can just ask anyone this type of thing. I have tried talking to what family I have left and the response leads me to believe they either don’t believe me or don’t care. I don’t think its that they don’t care. More that, they don’t understand this is a real issue for me even though it is. I have an older brother who I have turned to for help in the past. I think he is done with me at this point. I wouldn’t know why but its fair to say his hands are full with his family.

I just do not know where to start but I have to get moving. I had to get moving months and months ago.

I type this in about 2 minutes. Didnt do a lot of proof reading so please forgive any grammar or spelling errors.

 

[Radiantshadow]

The issue is, I am having hard time sitting down and concentrating, doing what I need to do to move forward. I have things I HAVE to be doing to correct my situation but every time I try to focus, I do something else. Some of it because of the monumental size of everything I have to accomplish. Sitting down and trying to work through it all forces me to have to look at it all. Looking at it all is oppressive to say the least, there’s just too much. And so, I hide from it and don’t even start. It may be I have some form of ADHD. I don’t know its just that I know I cant concentrate well on it where I can on other things.

Anxiety about the future, of everything we feel we must do, prevents us from living in the present tense. If we are not living in the present, we cannot accomplish much because that's where everything happens. If we never start, we will never finish, and that, IMO, is more frightening than the sheer size of what we must do. Anything worth doing will require effort, but will also be worth it in the end. As Aristotle once said: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence and accomplishment, therefore, are habits formed over time.

Something that has helped me to accomplish things that seemed initially daunting is to simply break them apart into smaller pieces and make strategies to do them piecemeal. If one is building a house, for example, you have to first create a schematic, an outline of how it should look. You then must gather the materials to build the thing - wood, patience, cement, dedication, wire, friends, and so on. Then, you lay a foundation that fits the overall shape of the house and then fill it in by building each room separately. Creating manageable chunks, working on one thing at a time, allows us to make tangible progress on small yet essential goals that eventually coalesce into something remarkable, such as a place to rest your head at night.

On a more basic level, concentration is powerfully impacted by our physical state. Nutrition, exercise, adequate sleep, and the company of supportive friends can improve our mood and make us more motivated. Feeling oppressed can generate anxiety, whose symptoms (i.e, racing heart, muscle tenseness, cortisol release) can also interfere with our ability to focus. If you ever feel anxious about stuff, consider trying mindfulness meditation or journaling. They're usually quite effective at calming us down and helping us see things more clearly, without emotive distortions. I'm not trying to diagnose you here, just providing information. Depression also decreases concentration because it makes us feel less powerful and competent, even helpless to do anything significant, tempting us to simply give up.

I might be reading too much into it, but the bolded part of your post makes me think you may be avoiding something unpleasant about your life. While understandable, avoidance can undermine our ability to focus, and, consequently, to achieve, because it means confronting something that brings tension to our lives. I might be totally off here (this is the Internet, no contextual cues to read), but felt I should include it just in case.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that attention disorders tend to be pervasive and generalized. They affect the ability to focus on everything instead of specific things. Therefore, if your difficulty with concentrating is cued by something specific, then it's unlikely that you have an attention disorder.

 

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I am writing this response on the assumption that your difficulty in concentrating is being caused by overwhelming emotions, whether anxiety, sadness, anger or even happiness.
Strategies that I have found helpful include:

Free writing, or journalling privately what is on your mind
Expression through art or music, whether you are talented or not, is also helpful.
Learn some relaxation strategies. Progressive muscular relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness and breathing strategies do not take long to learn and are worth experimenting with. These physically relax the body and calm the nervous system allowing rest and repair of the body and mind.
Regular exercise, healthy diet, healthy sleep, avoid drugs and alcohol.
Foster healthy relationships. Reduce your toxic relationships. Get involved in a club of sometime, like amateur indoor sport if you are a noob, or in a club which expresses your talents and hobbies, like being in a band, or chess club, or book club, or anything that you enjoy.

Of all of these, quality sleep is the most important.