Attention/focus problems... :( advice?

[cael]

I swear I've developed adult ADD. I know everyone says that and I know it's not true, but wow. I can't remember anything, can't organize myself around stuff, can barely sit down to get things done that I need to do. Example, I write (voluntarily!) for a blog and they ask for a post a month. The last one I wrote was about something I reeeeally enjoy, yet I had to force myself to sit down and do it, and even then I kept getting distracted and doing something else. I'm hoping to start graduate school within the year and I already don't want to do homework. I'm dreading how I'm going to deal with it! On the one hand I just feel lazy and like I should just work harder to focus, but on the other hand, like with the organization and memory thing, I seriously just can't wrap my brain around things sometimes. I have no attention span for movies anymore, or long games - I do yoga partially because it's one of the only things I can do that actually helps (temporarily) shut my brain up so I can focus on one thing. Yesterday my boss mentioned an incident from last week to me, and literally, I sat there staring at him for a good 30 seconds as he kept trying to remind me, and it seriously took me the 30 seconds to pull it up in my head. He just laughed at me, but it made me so sad! I mentioned it to DF last night, and all he said was "and you aren't even pregnant! Imagine how you'll be when you are!"

So, getting to the point here - I know I've heard of stuff like gingko, green tea etc. that can help with focus and attention and memory issues, but does anyone have any other recommendations or any experiences like this? I'm trying to cut down on caffeine, trying to make sure I exercise, and really trying to eat well. I'm also trying to cut my screen time down, because I know for a fact that doesn't help me. Anyone had experience with any other teas, foods, or supplements or anything that can help? Guess I'm just trying to see if folks who've been through a similar time have had success with anything. TIA!

[daisylu]

I have contemplated trying Focus Factor for a while:

www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=271988&productId=271988&navAction=jump&navCount=3


I feel your pain - it took me 3 tries to get through the first paragraph!

[cael]

I'll check it out, thanks! Yeah, sorry about that rambley paragraph

[thyme4change]

I seem to have no problem focusing on this board for an hour - but anything else, my mind is jumping all over the place. I have to remind myself to sit and talk to my kids every day.

[Miss Tequila]

Feb 11, 2011 10:31:40 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

I seem to have no problem focusing on this board for an hour - but anything else, my mind is jumping all over the place. I have to remind myself to sit and talk to my kids every day.

Crap, I feed and house them...now you are telling me I have to talk to them, too?

[thyme4change]

Well - you don't have to. Only if you want them to love you and talk to you later in life. It isn't mandatory.

[reasonfreedom]

Cael, what are your sleeping habits like? What kind of caffeine are you pumping(this is most likely your problem)? Problems like what you are having, I have found to be behavioral or improper diet. Personally I don't believe in the whole ADD thing. You also might want to look when it started, see what type of diet changes or behavioral change you made.

[Artemis Windsong]

Get tested. If you need meds then this will help you immensely. Thyroid problems can cause memory problems.

Check your environment to see if their is carbon monoxide building up. Do you have an old car? Long commute in traffic? Is there air intake that could be pulling in exhaust. The ice rinks in the north are checking for exhaust on the ice smoothers because kids have been getting sick. Is there adequate air intake for the furnace?

In the meantime, does your office have music piped in or a fan that runs continuously? Humming lights. All of this will distract you. A lot of retailers with piped in music have a subliminal message like "pay for your purchases". I know, people hate to hear this and don't believe it.

I agree with the diet. Are you allergic to something?

[cael]

I drink at least one coffee daily, usually a Dunks small or medium (more often a medium...). My sleeping is decent, I usually get between 7-8 hours a night, and when I start to get off track I correct it quick, because under 6 hours of sleep & I'm near non-functional. I do feel sluggish pretty often & thought at one point maybe it was thyroid issues, which my mother has, but I had a physical and bloodwork done 3 months ago and the thyroid tests came back fine. Work isn't distracting at all, I'm either in the office writing reports, which is quiet & just 4 coworkers, or I'm out in the field doing inspections. At work I can focus OK, it's just organization that's my problem. I haven't a clue if I'm allergic to any foods, but I do know the coffee is new within the last 3 or 4 years, and I really am trying to curb it. I'd feel kind of tooly getting tested when it's probably just that I'm lazy... or maybe it is a good idea. I dunno.

[Deleted]

I would get thyroid checked again. I had hyper thyroid and diagnosis was missed for over a year. It was just like you described.

[cael]

Hmm. Maybe I will. My mother had/has hypo thyroidism I think, she had her parathyroids taken out years ago.

[vl]

Make an appointment with- yourself. Meet with yourself where you won't be disturbed. If you can't, you need to start your sleep at night like this...

Lie down and close your eyes. Just breathe, don't try to control your breathing. Allow all of your thoughts to just run their course in your mind. When your mind is clear, begin with your feet and tell yourself to make them relax. You should feel them get heavy. Move on to the next part of your body until you are completely relaxed. Your mind will want to wander. Let it. Go back to relaxing as it runs its course in your mind. Eventually, you will be relaxed and without thoughts that deviate you from relaxing in peace. Wake up. Move something so you break the pattern.
In the morning or after doing this, your mind will be sharper and you will have more focus. The problem with focus isn't maintaining it, it's where it falls in our mental priorities. You should also take a look at how much media intake you get... commercials are designed to deviate thinking to prioritize the product, jingle or skit. It's huge business that makes huge profits so don't be naive about how much they intrude on our psyche.

[cael]

Sometimes I have an easier time saying what I'm thinking by typing instead of speaking it too, lol. Thing is, a lot of my hobbies are quiet ones, like reading and knitting. We don't go out that much , we're both kind of beyond the go-out-to-the-bar-every-weekend thing and we'd usually rather stay in. I do think screen time/electronics/gadgets contributes to some of my issues, we watch a lot of TV and I'm on the computer a lot. I definitely need to cut that down. The winter adds to that since I can't go outside and hike or walk to the beach like I do in the good weather a lot. Once spring comes I'll be able to get out with my camera again, and that should help.

[Artemis Windsong]

T4 is the thyroid synthesis and they don't check for that unless you ask for it. My DD has suffered for years from thyroid issues; and they won't remove it so she can get a regulated amount of synthetic.

One way to increase your focus is to meditate (stare at) a candle flame to the exclusion of everything. Yoga candle meditation.

While concentrating on your work then getting interrupted, the mind does take a few minutes to adjust to what was asked if it's unrelated and the event did happen last week.

Tracking your lapses might help. There could be clues there.

[constanz22]

cael~ Wow...your post describes me to a T. It's almost scary...I could've written it. I do struggle at work though too. I have had my thyroid levels checked regularly because my mom had an underactive thyroid and thyroid cancer in her mid-30's (I'm 41) and it's always normal. I've wondered about ADD too, or maybe hormones???

[Artemis Windsong]

How are your vitamin D3 and calcium intakes? When I got mine at the correct level, I quit craving cottage cheese. I also got a boost in energy from that dragging feeling to feeling normal.

Just guessing but I'm sure there is an online site with screening questionnaire for ADD. Someone I know who actually has this and is untreated says his mind is going a mile a minute and he cannot concerntrate on what someone is saying as his mind is jumping around. He's self-employed so there are few issues there.

[cael]

Constanz, glad you've been getting thyroid tests done, I'm wondering if I should check w/ my doctor about having more comprehensive tests. My mother's thyroid issues came to light when she was in her 40's I believe, but I'm pretty sure she'd been feeling effects of it prior to that (I'm 28 right now myself).

I just checked out the "Jasper/Goldberg adult ADD questionnaire" and scored a 52, which is moderate ADD. Of course, that was just 25ish questions I answered on a website lol, but maybe I should look into it some more just to rule it out (or get some help if it's a legitimate problem). Based on the questions, the only symptom I don't seem to suffer from is irritability and quick temper and being easily upset - I'm quite the opposite. Constanz - www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=974&cn=3 there's the link.

[reasonfreedom]

Cael, do you exercise much? If you don't exercise much it can make you lethargic and slow your thinking process down. The fact that you can focus in work means that you don't have any medical type issue. Medical issues like thyroid problems just don't stop when you start working and start backup when your not. Are there are personal issues that are making you worry or causing distraction? At least one cup of coffee a day( one cup I don't see much of a problem), how many is normal? once you start hitting more than 2 cups, that can start to be considered excessive. You can also try a full herbal body cleanse, most of our medical conditions and energy levels come from excessive toxins stored in our body or an improper diet(planetary herbals tricleanse, triphala, bupleurum).

[dianartemis]

If you aren't on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds, you might try SAMe. It's helped w/ my focus. Are you taking an Omega-3 supplement or eating foods w/ Omega-3s? Sometimes that helps a bit too.