I find it hard to concentrate: possible causes and solutions
Concentration problems can lead to problems of many kinds in everyday life.
Lack of concentration has become a serious problem in recent decades. Whether at work, studies or leisure, there are many people who complain and ask themselves: "why do I find it hard to concentrate?".
Despite making an effort to focus attention, it seems that the problem persists and, when it has become chronic, it turns out to be a source of real interference in the person's well-being.
Below we will see reasons why this problem occurs, factors that prevent us from concentrating and some tips to change the situation.
"I find it hard to concentrate": a very common problem
Concentration implies focusing our attention, consciously and intentionally, on a specific objective for a period of time. Good concentration implies having a good ability to block out distracting elements in the environment, having a good ability to put all cognitive resources into the task at hand, and avoid letting our mind make us lose track of what we have to do.
Concentration is necessary for many day-to-day activities. Whether it is driving, playing a sport, reading a book, meditating, preparing a meal or listening to a friend who needs support, concentration is an aspect that we must put into practice to be able to perform these activities correctly. Otherwise, we may miss what we are reading, put salt in our coffee or get scolded by our friend because we don't listen to him, to give just a few examples.
Of course, it is it is normal to not always have the same degree of concentration.. There are days when we are more attentive to what we have to do and other days when we are more scattered. However, when our ability to concentrate is chronically low, whatever the reason, we have enough reason to worry. Not being able to be attentive to what we are doing can lead to serious problems in our academic and work success, physical health and social performance, both in the short and long term.
At the academic and work level, not being able to concentrate on studies and on the job means serious problems in learning or keeping the job, respectively. If we have to study for an exam but we do not concentrate, our grade will not be very high. In terms of work, if we do not meticulously do what is asked of us, our boss may not be satisfied with our performance and we run the risk of being fired.
In relation to health, not being properly focused translates into an increased risk of accidents of any kind.. For example, if you are driving and do not pay enough attention to the road, you may have a serious accident or, if you are in the kitchen, you may not realize that you have a pot on fire because you have overdone it. These types of accidents happen every day, with human error being a very common factor.
As for the social sphere, not paying enough attention to what our family, friends and important people say and do can seriously damage our relationships. We can be seen as people who don't care about how others feel, or who just ignore what they say to us. No one wants to have a friend who, when spoken to, seems to be talking to a wall.
Why can concentration problems arise?
There are several causes that can explain why we do not concentrate. These are the most important ones.
1. Lack of rest
Fatigue is one of the worst enemies of concentration. For our brain to perform optimally, we need to have had a good night's rest or, at least, to have taken a midday nap.
Many people who suffer from concentration problems suffer from lack of rest. Whether they suffer from insomnia, too little sleep or poor quality sleep, the next day they are not at their best.The next day they are not at their best and find it very difficult to do everything.
In fact, chronic fatigue due to inadequate sleep is one of the main factors behind accidents and human error.
2. Stress
Chronic stress becomes a factor that harms our physical and mental health.. This discomfort translates into cognitive difficulties, one of them being lack of concentration. The greater the stress, the more difficult it is to try to put the mind at ease and focus on what needs to be done.
3. Work overload
We live in a society that encourages the philosophy of multitasking, that is, trying to do more than one thing at a time. This, which is interpreted as being highly efficient, can have the opposite effect.
As the saying goes, he who grasps too much, grasps too little, i.e., to do more than one thing at a time, doing more than one thing at a time can cause us not to pay adequate attention to each task.. The more things we have on our to-do list, the more difficult it is to do them one by one.
The human being, within his great intelligence, has certain limitations, and one of them is to be able to do several things at the same time. one of them is to be able to do several things at the same time.. Jumping from one task to another will only waste time and "spoil" the brain so that it will only concentrate for short periods of time.
4. Boredom
Boredom is not something pathological, on the contrary. Boredom is a fundamental human emotion. However, boredom is not something we like, especially if it appears in a situation in which we must pay attention.
Having a job we do not like, being in a class with a boring teacher or not receiving enough stimulation from the environment are factors that predispose us to boredom and, consequently, to a reduction in our concentration.
When we are bored, what our brain is telling us is that we are in an uninteresting situation. we are in a situation that it interprets as uninteresting and, therefore and, therefore, it would be better to rest or do something else. Thus, it reduces our concentration on the task we should be doing and makes us take refuge in distractors.
Of course, if we have to do an important activity that bores us it is something that frustrates us, but we still have to make the effort to try to focus our cognitive resources on what they should be focused on.
5. Presence of distractors
Some people are more easily distracted than others, and the fact that the fact that there are distractors nearby does not help..
Whether it is the cell phone, which has become the main distractor in the last decade, a book we like that we have nearby while we study or work or anything else can cause us to decrease our concentration.
6. Suffering from attention deficit
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with/without Hyperactivity) is a disorder that involves serious problems in maintaining sustained attention. a disorder that involves serious problems in maintaining sustained attention.. As it is a disorder, treatment is necessary, both psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological.
Although it is popularly thought to be an exclusively childhood disorder, it is also present in adulthood. People with this disorder are often described by their close circle as being distracted, often in the clouds or not seeming to pay attention. It is not their intention, it is that they suffer from a psychopathological condition.
How to put a solution to it?
As we mentioned, lack of concentration can have a very serious impact on our quality of life, our academic and work performance, and also on our social relationships. This is why it is necessary to find a solution when it has become chronic..
ADHD, sleep disorders and anxiety disorders have among their symptoms the lack of concentration. These disorders require the intervention of a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist and physician when appropriate, so there is no individual way to "solve" them. However, it is possible to work on the other factors mentioned above.
1. Resting well
It is logical to think that if fatigue is one of the factors that makes us unable to concentrate, getting a good rest will help us to finally recover some concentration.
Go to bed at around 10 p.m. and try to sleep between 6 hours and a half and 8 hours is something fundamental to be able to have good cognitive resources. In addition, caffeinated beverages such as coffee and tea should be avoided after 6 pm.
If you suffer from insomnia or a serious sleep disorder, you should consult a professional specialized in these problems, so that you can proceed with the appropriate intervention.
2. Playing background sounds
Sometimes, what distracts us are acoustic distracters, such as the child of those downstairs who does not stop crying, our parents who have the television on at full volume or the horn of a driver with certain anger management problems.
These noises are difficult to avoid, since it is not in our power to reduce them. background noises can be used as an acoustic barrier.. A good resource for this is Youtube, where there are hundreds of videos of forest sounds, rain and storm or classical music that can help us to block intrusive noises from the environment.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Several studies have shown that meditation and Mindfulness improve the ability to concentrate, reduce stress, anxiety and depression.and reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. These activities are ideal if you want to improve concentration, since with meditation you learn to keep intrusive thoughts at bay.
4. Organize
If you are one of those people who try to do everything at once, surprise: it won't work.. The best thing to do is to get organized and prioritize the tasks to be done.
It is better to make a planning, putting each task in a moment of the day to do and separated by a quarter of an hour of rest.
This way we will focus our cognitive resources on one thing at a time, performing it fully and without making mistakes.
5. Avoid distractors
As simple as it sounds. Leave your cell phone away, study or work in a space where we will not be disturbed, or have a clean desk, and avoid distractions. are simple actions that can help us a lot to avoid losing the thread of what we are doing.
6. Practice physical exercise
In addition to keeping us in good physical shape, practicing physical exercise has many benefits on our brain. In addition to keeping us in a good mood thanks to the action of endorphins, it has been seen that sport improves our ability to concentrate.
Bibliographical references:
- Dunn, B.R., Hartigan, J.A. & Mikulas, W.L. (1999) Concentration and Mindfulness Meditations: Unique Forms of Consciousness?. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 24, 147-165. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023498629385.
- Moran, A. (1996). The Psychology of Concentration in Sport Performers. London: Psychology Press, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315784946
(Updated at Apr 15 / 2024)