The difficulty in focusing and listening may be a common “issue” for many people. But believe it or not, adults with ADHD experience it much harder. By not being able to concentrate on tasks, they face challenges that leave them struggling. How do you know if your ADHD is already causing big trouble in your work life or your life in general? Are you taking the necessary actions and measures to make sure you don’t “overdo” anything and everything? Maybe you need to try some focus exercises to keep your mind in tip-top shape.
Extreme hyperactivity, lack of focus, forgetfulness, behavioral problems, and fidgeting— these are only some of the symptoms a person with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD experiences. But their most confusing symptom is perhaps the ability to zero in on an interesting project for a long time. This characteristic is described as “doing something they find psychologically rewarding.” Why they persist in this behavior, despite not really having the control or the capability to pay attention, is what’s really unsettling. Many say it’s the “flip side” for overlooking details and wandering while someone is speaking.
People with ADHD (including their family, workmates, and friends) may, at times, get frustrated because of the lack of focus. But there are actually doable ways to improve concentration. Some simple and proven tips are:
Allot Time For Exercise
As if a human being needs any more reasons to exercise. It’s especially helpful for adults with ADHD. Fitness can ease stress and anxiety, improve impulse control and reduce compulsive behavior, enhance memory, and help with attention and clear thinking. It’s also (quite) a good thing that those with ADHD are pumped up with such crazy energy because when they exercise, that energy is dissipated, resulting in their brain functioning better (than before). According to David D. Nowell, Ph.D., “The ways in which physical exercise impacts mood regulation and attention may involve increased levels of neurotrophic factor, improved mood (possibly by way of increased brain monoamine activity), enhanced neuroplasticity, or some combination of these or other variables.”
Always be ready to jot things down.
Part of living and surviving in life means being busy at work to earn money to pay the bills. For those with ADHD who find it harder to “remember things” or “listen to people attentively,” it’s better to write down what (that means everything) you have to do. Once these tasks are on paper, you can check your work and tick off the tasks one by one. You don’t have to worry about that one thing you forgot, and you also save that time worrying by focusing on what needs to be done.
Say it out loud. “I am not scared of visiting a trusted therapist near me.”
Do not be ashamed of seeking help and therapy for ADHD. Joel Nigg, Ph.D., points out, “ADHD reflects all-too-real problems of a serious nature that are difficult to overcome. ADHD is a priority for medical and psychological research.” It’s actually ideal because it addresses behavior modification. Psychotherapy, one of the most popular types of therapy, can regulate a person with ADHD’s emotional and behavioral response to situations. They can also teach them about goal setting, reward and consequence, and other coping and focusing strategies that can effectively combat the symptoms. If you don’t have any idea where to find a trusted therapist, make sure to visit BetterHelp.com. They have more than a thousand licensed mental health professionals that can help you anytime, anywhere.
Cleanliness is the way to go.
A cluttered work area, closet, room, and house; there have been many comments that visual clutter impairs focus. According to ADHD experts, it’s better to clean up and do some organization because it has something to do with your mind being organized or disorganized. Better be neat, then!
Practice healthy habits.
By engaging in healthy habits, adults with ADHD can improve their attention long-term. This means regular sleep, physical exercise, healthy meals, and limited caffeine intake. “The scientific evidence strongly indicates that sleep problems, including symptoms of insomnia, are significantly more common in adults and children with ADHD than in the general population,” Michael J Breus, Ph.D., notes. Of course, chronic stress may also contribute more to adult ADHD symptoms, so mindfulness meditation (it only takes 10 minutes a day) also falls under the healthy habit tag.