What can be done about trouble concentrating?

[Jesus is Coming Soon!!!]

When I was in college I had a severe struggle to concentrate on my studying and in my classes. I got a degree in biology and took difficult scientific courses like biochemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and calculus. When I would study in the library I was distracted easily by hearing people whispering. I had two professors tell me that I should be tested for Attention Deficit Disorder, but I did not get tested and did not like being told there was something wrong with me. Yet in all my lab time at college I was always the slowest one in the lab and would usually depend more on the other students if I was in a group working in a laboratory. I managed to get a 3.4 in college but had to take low credit hours each semester. After college I got a job in an animal testing laboratory which I worked at for two years. I could not complete the training to the satisfaction of the company. Just like I had trouble concentrating in college, so I had trouble concentrating on my job. I was usually slower than my co-workers. I had trouble with making enough mistakes that they wouldn't let me move much farther beyond practice rat dissections. The job required meticulous attention to detail. After two years I was terminated for not having completed the training. After that I got a job bagging groceries in a store, which I have had for over three years.
By gaining a better understanding of myself, I have come to the realization of why I can't stay focused on scientific work. I just have an overactive mind. I think about a lot of stuff in life while I do my work. It does not hurt me on bagging groceries enough to make a difference. But now I understand the barrier between me and scientific work. While I am working, my mind is at work too, thinking about various things, like people I've been talking to, spiritual things, etc. Because I have a train of thought going at the same time I am working, I do not concentrate as closely as other people on scientific work. Even at the grocery store I make mistakes and forget to smile at customers because I am usually deep in thought during the work. My train of thought could be even described as daydreaming, because that's really what I do. I don't believe it is ADD because there is a controversy about whether ADD is really real, and since I know it's due to a wandering mind, I don't feel it's worth taking medication for it. I doubt medication really has the power to change thought processes.
I also struggle in church during sermons and Sunday school class. My mind usually wanders a lot during the message when I start thinking about other things and my concentration drifts from what is said. I also watch sermons on TV and internet and I find myself rewinding the sermon often because of thinking about other things.
Some people have told me that God will give me victory over the problem and bless me with a self-controlled mind, but I'm not so sure.
What should I do? Is it possible to train the mind to not daydream and think of anything at all while I'm at work, or would I have to be a robot not to have any extra thoughts floating around?

 

[Eyesee]

Sometimes the most obvious answer is the most obvious answer. I'm not understanding what the big deal is with having ADD. I have it mildly, I was even diagnosed with it, but I am able to concentrate just fine without medication. It sounds like you may be dealing with a more severe form -- and ADD is very real. Drop your pride, get examined and find out what you are dealing with. God DOES work through doctors you know.

 

[BFine]

If what i'm working on doesn't interest me, I tend to daydream.

This is part of the reason why I went through so many jobs as a teen
and in early twenties...the other part of the reason is my friends had
nice jobs and looked down on caregivers/nursing assistants...I wanted to
be with the popular ones so I worked those other jobs. In time I followed my
own dream and used my obvious talents.

I was a very good nursing assistant though, didn't
have any trouble passing those tests or staying focused. (Retired from it at age 37.)

However I do think you should be tested for ADD...you got a quality education under your
belt and it's not being used.

 

[IisJustMe]

Yes, God can deliver you from this affliction miraculously.
But He's just as likely -- in fact, more so -- to use doctors and medication to do it. Pray, seek medical help and begin your career. You've put too much effort into it not to benefit from it.

 

[Pal Handy]

You would probably make a very good teacher.

You have all those thoughts moving around in your head
and so you would probably be a very creative and interesting teacher.

You have trouble doing and thinking at the same time
so I bet you would be a better teacher than a lab assistant.

Have you tried teaching?

 

[MCab]

When I read your post, I felt like it was written by a younger me.

ADD is a real thing. I'm a medical student who was diagnosed with it and I've done extensive research into it.

Not able to focus is just one part of a whole cocktail of problems that comes from a lack of stimulation in the frontal cortex portion of the brain. In particular, the neurotransmitter dopamine or the nerves that it activates are underperforming.

The frontal cortex is responsible for what's called "executive functioning," which involves things such as focusing, planning, inhibition, monitoring of actions and other functions. If the frontal cortex is not active enough, then this is why you lack the ability to focus. To make it worse, the frontal cortex keeps the amygdala in check, which is where "fight-or-flight" occurs. This leads to the "H" in ADHD and also leads to the impulsivity found in ADD'ers.

ADD'ers usually are very smart and that alone gets them through elementary school and HS. But when they hit college and post-grad, they struggle or even hit a wall (like I did with medical school). As the level of education gets higher, the amount of info to learn increases which is too much for the ADD'ers brain.

I wasn't diagnosed until after failing my first year of medical school. Like you, I worked in science, in a research lab, where my ADD almost got my fired for ruining experiments. ADD'ers do NOT do detailed, meticulous work which labs require. Thankfully, I got put in a different position where my skills were better used.

THIS PART IS THE MOST IMPORTANT: After I failed my first year of medical school, a friend of mine told me about a psychologist who does neurofeedback. This uses a machine that measures your brainwaves which will then be hooked up to a computer to give you feedback, which can be in the form of pictures, music, a game, whatever. IT DOES NOTHING TO YOU. It's like a coach for your brain, it shows what your brain is doing and your brain adjusts. The best description for it is NON-SPIRITUAL meditation but you know for sure you're meditating and not just staring at the back of your eyelids

Neurofeedback changed my life. After 5-6 sessions, I changed dramatically. About 6-7 sessions more, the changes were permanent. Before treatment, I was very impulsive, immature, socially clueless, and a nervous wreck. I even ticked off my psych my first day from talking too much ("logorhea"). After that, people know me to be very calm and even-keeled.

If you need to know where a practitioner is, check out EEG Info - What is Neurofeedback?, Find a Neurofeedback provider, Clinical Training courses, EEG Biofeedback, Newsletter, EEG Institute, Therapeutic Applications to find one in your area. NF practitioners are licensed psych care, anywhere from therapists, social workers, to even physicians. Sessions usually run $100-150 for the first and about $50-100 for each one after that. With ADD, you'll be in remission in about 10-13 sessions, depending on how bad you got it.

If the cost is too much, look into a book called "Open Focus." It's a type of NON-SPIRITUAL meditation where you focus on body parts. I've done this, it also works wonders. Combine it thinking about scripture verses ("and you shall meditate on it day and night") and you have a powerful combo.

I've also taken meds, but only during very intense study periods where I have board exams. Reasons for this is that like a lot of people, you can only study for about 4-5 hrs before feeling physically drained. The meds give me more energy, but not a nervous energy like caffeine. Vyvanse does well for me, better side effects than Adderall, but I can't combine it with caffeine without feeling numbness and super nervous.

PM if you have any questions.

 

[timf]

What should I do? Is it possible to train the mind to not daydream and think of anything at all while I'm at work, or would I have to be a robot not to have any extra thoughts floating around?

There are several possibilities;

1. Nutrition. Sometimes a person is deficient in a basic component their body needs like a vitamin or frequently for vegetarians some protein. Experimentation with variations in diet may produce changes in attention.

2. Supplements. There are people who have genetic conditions that can be reduced or alleviated through taking some herb or other compound. There are people who have RLS that are greatly helped by taking Sam-e. There are people with OCD that are greatly helped by taking Inostitol. You may want to do some research and see if anyone has discovered anything related to what you have experienced and if any experimentation might be called for.

3. Mental exercises. It is possible to exercise the mind in a way similar to exercising the body. For example, forcing yourself to do increasingly complex math calculations in your head, may slowly increase you ability to maintain a mental focus. However, like physical exercise, the effort may not be worth the reward. This could explain why so many people fail to fully use their gym memberships.

You may want to consider the possibility that there is nothing wrong with you and that God made you this way for a specific purpose. School is boring. We were intended to learn through apprenticeship. The classroom factory is designed to move "product" efficiently not to benefit the student.

Your difficulty at work may have been from finding the work similar to accounting. There are many of us who avoid accounting because we would make too many mistakes because we would find the work uninteresting and our minds would wander and we would get fired.

You may want to try different jobs to see if any of them intrigue you sufficiently such that your attention is engaged.

Don't worry about not paying sufficient attention to sermons. Sermons are lectures and by definition boring. Some pastors (like some lecturers) can make their subjects more interesting, but by and large, the lecture format is not the best way to learn more about Jesus. Church leaders are supposed to be helping us grow into the full image of Christ. You may take more of an interest if you find a pastor who is better able to help you become like Jesus.

 

[madyjae]

This is something that is new to me... I always had good grades in school and no trouble concentrating. But here in the last few years I have felt my concentration slipping. I am only in my 30's so i don't think I can blame old age lol! *sigh* I hope you find answers and me as well... is ADD something you can develop later in life?

 

[Quasicentennial]

Can be difficult to share your feelings with non-Christians that rely on medical causes instead of spiritual causes that are related to the complex variety, so many of it that comes from sin. Church group discussion chat meetings help us get to know our life experiences, and how God had deliberately released Satan on Earth to awaken the supernatural faith in ourselves that make us one union family with Christ. The Word of God can be a little confusing intellectually, but as Jesus Christ is a living healing spiritual partner, the Word of God becomes very alive and spiritually healing in our hearts where the positive fruits of Christ keep us together as sinless as possible, especially as disciples and missionaries of Jesus to fearlessly identify ourselves to non-Christians as true brothers and sisters of Christ, knowing that our true perfect identities of ourselves will happen during the transformation of our new disease-free and ageless healthy lives with our victorious Lord King Jesus in our community-built city: the kingdom of God ~Rev21:2.:*:.

 

[parsley]

Kratts Creatures 15 - The Great Bear Show (1_3) - YouTube

These guys found a niche.

You can help the sermon problem by doing something during the service -- work the sound system, take the kids to their classrooms, usher, etc.

 

[MCab]

You probably prefer something more interactive than a sermon, like a bible study. I'll admit, I find most sermons dull.