- I try to concentrate, but I soon find myself thinking about something else.
- It is difficult for me to focus on books when I study.
- My mind keeps going from one thought to another.
- When I try to focus on what I am doing, my thoughts often drift to other things.
- I cannot finish what I start doing.
- I lack concentration. I am unable to focus my mind on one thing for more than a few seconds.
- I often procrastinate, because I cannot focus for long, and then drop what I am doing.
These are common conflicts most of us face every day and are the subject of discussion at every PTSM (parent, teacher student meet). The common thread running through all these statements is the lack of concentration and the inability to focus the mind on one thing at a time. Lack of concentration affects work, relationships, leisure activities, performance chart, and almost everything else.
Poor concentration along with health issues needs medical assistance, while the problem of poor concentration without any health issue can be resolved by few a exercises and yoga tips.
There are many issues that can cause a lack of concentration. Among the most common are disinterest, fatigue and distractions in the vicinity. Sometimes a person is under so much stress that he has difficulty concentrating. Some medications also can cause a person to have problems focusing. Interestingly, even such things such as lack of exercise can affect a person mentally and interfere with his ability to concentrate. But on the other hand interest in particular activities can also lead to loss of concentration. For example, if a child is busy with a video game he will not be able to concentrate on breakfast lying on the table, or hear the continuously ringing door bell. Poor sleeping patterns, spicy food also lower the concentration quotient.
Imagine a scenario that in your history lesson you are sitting in your class with a book open in front of you. You are physically there but your mind is elsewhere; what the teacher is speaking seems to be some foreign language which you are not getting. On the other hand you are glued to the television set for long hours, you can drown yourself in your favorite novel without any loss of so called concentration. It means you are not poor in concentration; poor selection of activity makes you poor in concentration.
Poor concentration makes your brain
multipolar, i.e. with multiple thoughts running simultaneously, the brain becomes clouded or foggy; as information processing ability is reduced, the individual finds it increasingly difficult to finalize decisions. It takes longer for the person to answer questions. Poor concentration may be a warning sign of an oncoming depressive episode.
So here are a few tips to help you concentrate…
- Set your goal and firm on it – Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.
- Eat healthy to avoid a restless mind – Sending your teenager to school with a good supply of healthy snacks and lunch is the key. Have a chat with him and highlight that if he fills his mind and body with ‘rubbish’ or ‘junk food’ he will find it hard to excel.
- Love yourself and your subject and it will get you good grades- A person who loves himself, loves the work he does, loves the subject he reads will reach the top.
- Practice yoga every day and it will keep boredom away. Yoga can prevent memory lapses by calming your mind and enhancing your concentration. It can also improve your powers of recall by increasing circulation to your brain.
- Want to have more time for fun? Do Pranayam, Sudarshan Kriya it trains the mind to become clear and focused.
- Sleep well. You won’t fall asleep in the history class- Sound sleep keeps you refreshed and calm.
Besides that do meditation, but keep in mind don’t concentrate while meditating. Break a common myth which says, ‘meditation is concentration’. On the contrary, meditation is de-concentration, and good attention and focus are by-products of regular meditation practice.When you meditate every day, even for a few minutes, your wandering mind (which loves to go off on a trip especially during those boring periods in class) starts settling down and focusing more on the task at hand.
Meditation makes a wandering mind into a wondering mind!
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