Losing your focus or getting distracted is something all of us are familiar with. For some, however, the problem may be more severe than for others.

“Why am I always distracted?” – if you find yourself asking this question, there might be a deeper issue at hand than just the number of distractions around you.

There are many reasons you may have trouble concentrating, and some of these can be linked to your mental health as well. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Common Causes of Lost Focus

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

As the name suggests, ADHD can result in a lack of concentration and attentiveness. There is research to support the idea that ADHD comes with lower than normal dopamine and norepinephrine levels. These are neurotransmitters that are associated with concentration and focus.

These neurotransmitters are what give us the push (through making us feel rewarded) to do things, and when there is less of them in our system, we’d understandably get distracted and lose our focus.

Anxiety

Anxiety also often results in a lack of concentration. This is often called brain fog and is usually associated with difficulty in concentrating, along with lack of focus, memory issues, and lack of clarity.

People who struggle with anxiety would have elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can cause brain fog and the inability to focus.

Depression

Symptoms of depression will almost always include the inability to concentrate. This is likely because depression makes you lose interest in otherwise enjoyable activities. This perpetuates the negative feedback cycle, and causes the lack of focus to become worse, which in turn makes the depression worse.

Of course, there are plenty more reasons people can have trouble concentrating. For example, there could be medical causes like metabolic disorders, pain, neurological problems, etc. There could also be other mental health-related reasons, like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, or stress, among others.

Sometimes, even short-term problems like having not slept enough can cause trouble with focusing.

So, how do you regain some of that focus? While it is admittedly a greater struggle to concentrate for people with physical or mental health issues, it is not impossible.

Regaining Your Focus

Here are some tips to improve your focus and concentration levels.

Clearing Your Space

One way to help yourself concentrate is to clear out the space you’re working in. This seems like generic advice, but it can help! If you’re struggling with focus, getting rid of anything that could cause distractions can help you pay attention to the task at hand.

Meditation

Meditation is another way you can help regain your focus. While meditation may not work for situations like brain fog, it can help with distractions. Close your eyes and bring yourself back to the task at hand. It may take some time for this to work, but if you practice it once or twice a day, it can help you with focusing.

Taking Breaks

Taking breaks can also be helpful for concentration. Often, it’s difficult to focus when you’re really trying, so taking yourself out of the stressful situation can be useful. Taking a walk or listening to music, or even taking a nap can help you clear out your mind and improve your ability to focus when you get back to the task.

Be Careful With Caffeine and Sugar

Caffeine and sugar both have stimulating effects and can boost your energy. But they can also cause sudden spikes in the cortisol level in your blood, leading to stress and affecting your ability to concentrate.

Engage Your Brain

This one is a bit difficult, especially when you’re already having trouble staying focused. But engaging your brain in something requires focus – that you enjoy doing!- can help you focus on other tasks as well. Think of it like training your brain to concentrate. Starting off with something that comes with immediate rewards and personal enjoyment, you can get yourself into the ‘focus’ mind frame.

This way, when you move on to tasks that you don’t particularly enjoy, but still have to get done, you’ll find it easier to concentrate.

Lost focus and a low attention span is often paired with judgment and criticism from others who may not understand why you have trouble focusing. However, lack of concentration and focus can be a symptom of mental health troubles, so you should avoid being too harsh on yourself.

Try out the above-mentioned tips to help you focus more, and look more into the conditions that have a lack of focus as a symptom. Identifying the root problem can help you recover faster than simply managing the problem in your daily life.

If you think any of them fit you, you should get help from a professional who can help. At Phoenix Psychiatry, we have professionals who are always available to help you out.