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When I start an initial assessment with a new therapy client, I focus on getting a good idea of what symptoms they’re experiencing. People are generally pretty good at describing their mood and general anxiety-level. Then, when I ask about how well they’re able to concentrate, they often say something like, “Oh, I definitely have ADHD.”
Hm.
It’s certainly possible this person has ADHD. About four percent of American adults have been diagnosed with this neurodivergent condition. However, there’s a lot of evidence that ADHD has been overdiagnosed. This disorder is not the only explanation for poor concentration. System tendencies to slap the ADHD label on and prescribe Adderall prevent us from acknowledging and treating the actual problems.
Concentration is a must. No matter if we’re working on a big project or trying to clean the dishes, we need to be able to focus to pull ourselves through.
Everybody’s experienced breaks in focus, of course. Sometimes we’re all over the place, too tied up in something else, or plain too foggy to hold onto things. These are frustrating on their own, but it can feel like a flashing-red-light crisis if it’s a consistent problem.
People with concentration issues sometimes feel like they’re going crazy. They’re not! There are lots of reasons somebody’s focus might be on the fritz.
Stress
Forget ADHD– in my experience, stress is by far the most common reason people can’t focus well.
In small doses, stress can be healthy. Cortisol—the hormone our body releases when faced with a stressor—activates our “fight or flight” systems. This is when our innate instincts take over and we either “fight” a problem or avoid it altogether. People often feel a certain clarity as they move to action. A bit of stress is essential for our survival, both in the caveman days when this “fight or flight” system evolved, but also in getting through our modern day lives.
The problem comes when we’re getting bombarded with too much stress, or stress for too long. Overdosing on stress can have all kinds of side effects, like lack of sleep, poor mood, and lack of motivation. Moreover, if we’re dealing with a lot of stress, we’re probably going to have a harder time focusing. This can mean it’s tougher focusing on work or school, or even leisure activities like watching videos, talking with a loved one, or reading.
There have even been studies that show our IQ goes down when we’re feeling stressed, and we may not speak as well. It’s a big reason people sometimes feel “dumber” or less on top of things at work or school. Too much stress can causes different mental illnesses, and even suppress our immune system and leave us more open to disease.
Stress carries a lot of consequences for our mind and body. If you haven’t already, read through my guide to improving your self-care regiment.
Stress is not necessarily a bad thing. It can be a great motivator, directing us to take those hard steps to improve our lives. But when stress starts to dictate our every day and rob us if our concentration, we need to find ways to get it better under control.
Lack of sleep
Even though we’ve all experienced it at some point, it’s easy to overlook how a lack of sleep absolutely guts our ability to concentrate. Although science hasn’t quite figured out conclusively why, we need to feel rested to be energized and alert. Feeling tired also worsens our mood and makes it so we have less patience to deal with road bumps. Science shows that sleep also helps us retain information, which is why it’s a good idea to take a nice long snooze after a study session.
Chronic sleepiness is potentially dangerous. Not only does a person’s reaction time get worse, their memory also starts to fall apart. It gets much harder to recall information. Being able to focus on anything becomes a Herculean task.
I’ll put it another way. Check out this brain scan of a severely sleep deprived person:
Now look at this brain that’s been intoxicated by alcohol:
Pretty similar, right? In both cases, the people those brains belong to will have a hard time staying alert, managing their mood, focusing, or accessing their memories.
Sleep is an essential component of not just concentration, but all of mental health. If you’re interested, look through these science-backed strategies you can use to improve your sleep.
Food
Ever heard that old saying, “you are what you eat”? There’s some truth to it.
Our brains make up only a tiny portion of our bodies, but take up far more energy than any other organ. Think of the brain as a car engine. To keep it running, we need to keep fueling up.
Eating healthy vitamins, proteins, fats, and carbs gives us the energy to keep our high-octane brains ready to go. This kind of diet helps people concentrate better and for longer periods of time.
Refined carbs, trans fats, and sugary drinks? Our digestive system can’t make much fuel out of those. Without the proper energy, our brains sputter and piddle around at half-speed.
Here’s an excellent post about foods that help with concentration.
Lack of Exercise
As a general rule of thumb, what’s good for your body is also great for your brain. Exercise is no different. Consider how human being evolved. Our minds were built for the savanna as moved around to collect food and protected against danger. Survival required our brains and bodies work together in perfect harmony.
However, modern society works differently. We can order food to be delivered to our doorstep without rolling off the couch. Don’t get me wrong– these technological advances free up time and energy for us to stay safe and better enjoy meaningful activities. There comes a cost, though.
Studies show that more inflammation and less blood vessel growth in our brains when we are not physically active. Over time, this means brain cells don’t replicate as quickly. Years of a sedentary lifestyle can limit our ability to think or recall memories.
Fear not! Exercise comes with pretty quick results. Experts say exercising just 150 minutes– or two hours– per week can improve concentration and memory.
Medical Condition
Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to rule out any medical issues that may be causing a mental health concern. I’m no medical doctor, but I did a little bit of research and found some possible contributors of poor focus.
Look out for…
Serious medical conditions, like head injury, stroke, dementia, seizures, heat stroke, and kidney failure.
Short-term illness. Some possible signs: fever, headaches, lethargy, and muscle soreness.
Infections. Some possible signs: enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, lethargy, nausea, rash, seizure, and stiff or rigid neck.
Chronic illness. Some possible signs: abdominal pain, abnormal heart rhythm, confusion, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and muscle weakness.
Developmental Disability
According to the Center for Disease Control, developmental disabilities “are a group of conditions due to an impairment in physical, learning, language, or behavior areas. These conditions begin during the developmental period [NOTE: this means childhood], may impact day-to-day functioning, and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.”
Many people with developmental disabilities are neurologically diverse. Folks with autism spectrum disorder might have a tough time concentrating because their brains process a little differently. After working with children on the spectrum for years, I can’t make any sweeping statements. Individuals with autism are truly one of the most varied groups I’ve ever come across, with all levels of abilities and interests. The most I can say is that because these folks can experience sensory, social, and learning differences, it can sometimes be harder to keep focused on the task at hand.
People with a learning disability and/or intellectual disability may also have difficulty concentrating for a number of reasons. Or maybe not! Having a hard time focusing is not necessarily a symptom of any of these conditions, but rather the result of some of the challenges that come from engaging with the world around them. Everybody is different.
ADHD
When I’m assessing a new client, one of the most common ways I hear somebody describe their mental health problems is by saying they have ADHD. They say this meaning they have a hard time concentrating, but as you’ve already seen, there can be a lot of reasons for that.
Much of the blame lies with doctors over-diagnosing people with ADHD. For years, children who were misbehaving got labeled as having Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder. This was a good diagnosis for some. Others, though, had difficulty sitting still or paying attention for other reasons, like anxiety, trauma, or just plain old “kids being kids” behavior. According the fancy sounding Diagnostic and Statistical Manual—the “DSM” is what mental health professionals reference while diagnosing mental disorder—about 5% of children and 2.5% of adults in most cultures have ADHD.
We’re talking about a neurodevelopmental condition, meaning that ADHD starts in childhood and often lasts a lifetime, though symptoms may improve on their own. Medication can be super helpful in improving concentration for these folks. Some kinds of therapy can also teach people with ADHD to manage tasks and cope with life’s demands easier.
ADHD is a serious condition that can lead to endless frustration and discouragement if it’s not treated properly. It mostly starts during childhood, making it hard to do tasks like school work. However, if you had no problem focusing growing up but recently started having difficulty doing work or reading, ADHD is probably not your problem.
Substance Use
Drugs and alcohol can have enormous effects on your concentration.
To start with, if you’re intoxicated, your focus probably ain’t great. Some people claim marijuana helps them concentrate. According to the research, this is extremely unlikely. While high off weed, it becomes harder to stay on task and keep organized. Short-term memory gets worse. What marijuana does is make some people feel better in the short-term, especially through blunting pains and anxieties. And when people are in a better mood, they may feel like they have better focus or motivation. This perception goes just beyond marijuana—I’ve heard people swear to me that cocaine and methamphetamine are essential to their getting anything done.
It’s an illusion. The best illustration I’ve seen is when scientists gave spiders different drugs and took pictures of how their webs changed. The Sun, a British publication, summed it up with this graphic:
Withdrawing from drugs or alcohol hurts focus, too. A common side effect is feeling fatigued, irritable, or disorganized. All of these things can make it hard to do work, hold a conversation, or even enjoy a hobby. Difficulty concentrating is also a symptom of caffeine withdrawals.
There are long-term effects of drug and alcohol use on the brain. These substances can kill brain cells, which will never grow back. A period of heavy drug or alcohol use can lead to extreme problems with focus. It may take months and years of sobriety for your brain to recover, though it never regain its full powers.
Mental illness
A lot of folks dealing with mental illness have issues focusing. This is not a coincidence—one of the features of many of these disorders is in fact difficulty concentrating.
For example, folks with mood disorders like major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder often report having a hard time paying attention or finishing tasks. People struggling with anxiety may experience racing thoughts or an ever-present sense of dread, making it really hard to get anything done. Psychotic disorders can make it especially tough to concentrate. These individuals may be distracted by hallucinations or paranoia, while also dealing with disorganized thought patterns.
As an aside, the fact that there’s so much overlap between different illnesses is a really good reason why it’s dangerous to go on WebMD or something to self-diagnosis. If you’re worried about your focus or any other types of symptoms, go talk to a professional so you can better understand what’s going on and get treatment. You deserve to know what’s going on with yourself.
Just Because You’re Having Trouble Focusing Doesn’t Mean You Have ADHD
Not being able to focus sucks. It can get in the way of engaging in relationships, pursuing goals, and completing necessary work to function.
I’ve listed out some of the biggest reasons I could find that a person may be having trouble focusing. If reading through this list you’ve found something that sounds like it applies to you, please go and talk to a professional who can give you a proper assessment and help you out. The first step to solving a problem is figuring out what the problem is.
If you’re dealing with stress, sleep disturbance, or some kind of mental health issue, getting treatment may mean speaking with a therapist and/or psychiatrist. Navigating the mental health system can be tough—that’s why I put together a guide on what different providers do, and how to pay for treatment.
If you found this article interesting or helpful, please join our email list! You’ll get a free mood tracking worksheet. What do you think has been getting in the way of your focus? Did I miss anything important here? Lay it out in the comments below. And if you have a friend or family member who could benefit from this information, please consider sharing!
