Ever have one of those moments were you can’t concentrate at all? Yes! Do they ever happen more in the morning time before you consume your daily cup of java? ME! Or how about not being able to concentrate at all before your shift is up and need a pick me up? Me, too! My favorite moment was trying to keep my focus in science, history and math class. Oh God, did I hate those classes especially math. I’m not a math wizard at all. Anything like trig or calculus would cause my brain to explode out of frustration.

As a writer, I experience writer’s block which can be a royal pain in the butt. You could be in the middle of writing something and lose your train of thought. Man, I hate that! A simple distraction could be my phone ringing, my dogs barking, the doorbell ringing, or the neighborhood kids just being kids. You may often be like me and get very frustrated and you may bang your head against the wall. Don’t do that! Not very wise.

But imagine living with mental illness on a daily basis and experiencing one of mental illness’s most annoying child: zero concentration! I hate this spawn of mental illness. The Triple Threat Disease has various children named (but this one irritates me the most): depression, panic, anxiety, no concentration, no sleep, and no energy, little to no appetite and many more. These unruly kids kick and scream their way inside your head and will not stop until they get what they want. When you can’t concentrate, it’s like someone adjusting your crystal clear 20/20 vision and turning it clockwise and counterclockwise back and forth that you become blind as a bat. Imagine your head is like a mailbox that’s filled to the brim with incoming letters and mostly, junk mail. It sucks!

Trying writing, or staying focused at work or especially in school when you’re trying to focus on what the teacher’s talking about. It’s not easy. So many times, I will be at work, or at home or out somewhere even in my car, and I will forget what I’m doing. I will be working on a schedule or talking with a customer and my mind will go blank. At home, I could be doing housecleaning or taking the dogs outside. There have been times when my dogs will bark and scratch at the door because I forgot to bring them in after their trip outside to the bathroom. Oops. Thankfully, they’ve only been out there for a very short time in the Texas heat.

This is usually the face I make when I can’t concentrate at all. What can you do? I hate this so much when you’re trying to focus on going to sleep but your mind has other plans. Imagine you’re lying in bed and your eyes are closed. You’re trying to relax and take a few deep breaths. Well, the mind loves to rev up their engines at night and makes it hard for you to focus on sleeping.

This is one of my biggest peeves. I hate it when so many thoughts race through my brain like it’s some racetrack in my head. Even at work or at home, I can’t stay focused on something because my anxiety and panic disorder loves to play with me. Annoying isn’t it.

There are things that you can do to help with concentration:

• Take baby steps. Focus on one project at a time instead of multiple projects all at once.
• Eliminate your distractions: (This is kind of hard when your at work or at home with two noisy Chihuahuas.)
• Set some time for yourself. It doesn’t hurt to take a moment to be by yourself.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
• Be in the moment. Stay focused on what’s happening now and not about your past or future.
• Take a breather and relax your mind.
• Create a list detailing your distractions. Example, if you’re working on a project for school and a thought such as “What should I do after school?” comes then write down. It will help clear your mind and stay focused.

Remember this is not all inclusive and pick whatever works for you.