Managing Concentration Problems With Anxiety Disorder
I've got generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and I've also got some serious issues with concentration. As in, my ability to concentrate on almost anything for more than five minutes at a time stinks. There are some days when I can barely string two coherent thoughts together, and I swear my brain is turning into mush.
While it's true that a lot of peripheral detail goes by the wayside, I have a core self that functions reasonably well in the world despite the stress of managing anxiety. Maybe I'm also just getting more comfortable with being a middle-aged slob. I don't know. But I consider myself lucky that I function as well as I do. I know lots of others aren't so lucky.
Concentration Problems From Anxiety Disorder Can Be Managed
In my opinion, managing concentration problems due to anxiety has two main components: getting started and not getting overloaded after getting started.
I've amassed a whole slew of tricks to help with this. A lot them are mental shortcuts that bypass my anxious brain's tendency to freeze or disengage when I feel overwhelmed.
Here's what works for me:
- Take lots of little breaks -- I used to think being productive meant concentrating like crazy for hours on end. But since I can't do that, I've found I can be reasonably productive by alternating short periods of concentration with short breaks.
- Build tolerance for focus -- It may sound funny, but focusing in on one thing feels really weird to me. I don't like it, and it's uncomfortable. I'm learning to tolerate that discomfort better by stringing together more periods of concentration, knowing that I'll also get relief via my breaks.
- Find balance between want vs have to do -- I try to make sure my daily to-do list has some balance between what I have to do and what I actually want to do. Otherwise, what a drag, right?
- Break big tasks into smaller pieces -- Do you think I just sat down and wrote this blog post? Ha. Getting this post written was actually about six smaller tasks that I did one at a time.
- Only focus on the task at hand -- One of the most effective things I've learned is to not think of the big picture. It takes practice, but I've gotten pretty good at thinking only about what's right in front of me.
- Laugh a little -- I can even chuckle from time to time at the absurdity of life. It may not help me be productive, but it sure feels good.
As much as my anxiety disorder impacts my concentration sometimes, the good news is I can still find ways to manage the worst of the symptoms. And if my old, tired brain can learn some new tricks, yours probably can too.
You can find Greg on his website, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Facebook.
APA Reference
Weber, G.
(2014, September 17). Managing Concentration Problems With Anxiety Disorder, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, December 18 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/treatinganxiety/2014/09/managing-concentration-problems-with-anxiety-disorder
Author: Greg Weber
Dear Greg, I worked as a nurse for over 33 years, and the last year or two I started having serious memory/concentration issues. I started making mistakes, the company I was working for thought I was using drugs because they kept doing drug screens on me. Well, they always came back negative.. No one ever tried to find out what was wrong. I have depression, and the company had one counselor talk with me once and the response was "get over it" more or less...will I made a medication error, I wrote one too many pills on a pt's psych medication and they fired me, and I was made to surrender my license...I have been isolated for the last 3 years because of this, and I have no desire to fight for my license. MY husband is upset with me saying, "you got to want it" I don't think I can do it anymore, simply be the way I was treated. I've given up on nursing.
I wanted to express my appreciation to you, for sharing this. Its one of the more helpful things I’ve read in a while – believe me I have read alot on GAD, MDD, Bipolar Disorder, Schitzophrenia, PTSD, Addictions and every related area of mental illness. I have run into difficulty being a ‘high-functioning” person with a severe mental illness. The difficulty lies in those that witness the “functional” version of me and do not get to see the puddle of misery hiding under the covers in a hysterical panic attack followed by a crashing depression. It seems like simply describing what happens to me during the worst experiences isn’t enough for other people to believe that I have difficulty. The times that I have allowed my colleagues to witness the cognitive, memory and focus impairments I have, is humiliating. I don’t want pity, only acceptance. In the absence of acceptance, I am always looking for ways to cope with and manage my symptoms. This information helps – so “Thank you!”.
Heather,
You are most welcome, and thank you for your kind words.
Greg
This blog post could not have come at a better time. I'm in my second semester of college (online) and at times it becomes very overwhelming. Full-time enrollment with six classes, thrown in with endless back-to-back panic attacks is enough to make anyone want to quit something! With that said, you're right. I will definitely be trying to separate things instead of trying to do everything all at once. I've struggled (mostly secretly) with unbearable anxiety for most of my life and school is the one thing that was always more than I can handle. I am hoping that this post will help me overcome that! Thank you :)
Greg, I can honestly say I know how you feel. I to had a week from hell. I just felt like I was coming so unglued. I couldn't find things, crying one minute okay the next. So very unnerving. I found that reading your blog about taking breaks helped me. This to WILL pass. You will be in my thoughts. And Thank You
Thanks so much for the kind words Zoe. I'm glad the post helped you in some way, however small it may be.