ADHD: how to concentrate?
Written by: Loris Vitry (holistic coach)
Validated by: Cathy Maillot (Osteopath)
Caution: If you have any medical questions or concerns, please speak to your doctor. Even if the articles on this site are based on scientific studies, they do not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is affecting more and more people.
People with this disorder primarily exhibit a severe lack of concentration.
It can therefore become a particular source of stress and / or anxiety, or even constitute a handicap in daily life.
Do you want to know how to concentrate when you have ADHD?
This article is therefore the perfect answer to your concern.
Optimize your organization
One of the most unbearable, and uncontrollable, consequences of ADHD is the inability to really prioritize tasks.
This state of affairs is in part at the root of the lack of concentration that this disorder generates, as it plunges into stress.
So, if you’re feeling distracted or undecided about your tasks, start by making to-do lists.
So you will need to make a to-do list and write down your various thoughts.
By doing this, you will have your goals in view, which will motivate you to achieve them, and to execute them.
To find yourself better, try to rank your priorities according to importance.
As soon as you have implemented one, just cross it out and move on to the next.
Having a scheduled to-do list can be of particular benefit to you in that with such a tool, it becomes almost impossible to forget what you have to do.
Keep your living and working space clean and tidy
A dirty or messy living and working environment is not only unsightly, it can also limit your concentration.
This situation can be explained by the simple fact that under these conditions your brain is aiming at several objects simultaneously.
Result: the latter will be embarrassed, because he cannot identify the priority (s).
Instead of focusing on what is important, he will therefore be forced to divide his rate of concentration among all these objects.
This will leave room for stress on your side and you will obviously lack concentration.
So, tidying up your living and working environment before any important task will help you focus.
Find a calm and peaceful workplace
Finding a peaceful location can also help improve your ability to concentrate.
Thus, moving away from items that could be distracting could be very helpful.
These sources of distraction are, for example, access to the phone, internet, a seat near the door or window, television, etc.
If you are planning to find a place to work, then it is advisable to opt for a serene and peaceful location.
Listen to music while you work
Like healthy individuals, some people with ADHD find that listening to music while working out helps with concentration.
This is because listening to music during an activity can encourage the activity and strengthen concentration.
However, if you think you can use this trick, it is important to put on music that you like.
Music that is unpleasant to you will certainly not help you.
Adopt a healthy lifestyle
You might be wondering the link between focus and lifestyle, but remember that your lifestyle can greatly influence your ability to concentrate.
Therefore, it is important to have healthy habits.
To do this, you must already start by doing a lot of physical activities.
In addition to being beneficial for your overall health, exercise can help you concentrate better.
In fact, physical exercise effectively optimizes brain function.
As a result, you will increase your ability to concentrate when you exercise properly.
You will then need to reduce your caffeine intake.
This substance is indeed an analeptic therefore having the ability to stimulate certain cognitive functions such as concentration and memory.
However, consuming too much can be harmful to you.
For example, people with ADHD should not exceed the dose of four hundred milligrams of caffeine.
You may not yet know it, but be aware that regular consumption of caffeine can lead to addiction.
The main corollary of this state of servitude is stress, migraine, nervousness and / or increased irritability.
Under these conditions, you will have great difficulty concentrating.
Caffeine can also block your sleep.
If you still think you are treating yourself with caffeine, it is recommended that you see your doctor.
They can tell you the appropriate doses.
Besides these two points, you should also get plenty of sleep and avoid getting tired.
In this sense, you should sleep ideally for seven or nine hours for the proper functioning of your capacities.
Use psychotherapy
Therapies are a very effective way to help you treat ADHD so that you can concentrate.
Just talking to a therapist about your situation can provide psychological relief from ADHD stress.
To this end, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, has been shown to be effective in treating this disorder.
These therapies are mainly aimed at working on the obstacles of everyday life.
Thus, they can help to adopt more responsible behaviors, thus allowing to really concentrate.
Opt for drug treatment
There are now several pills called “stimulant drugs” which also prove their effectiveness against ADHD.
These have the role of stimulating the central nervous system, which leads to increased heart rate as well as mental activity.
These are known to help people with ADHD focus.
Since organisms may respond to these medications differently, you should try several to find the one that works best for you.
The most common are Ritalin, Adderall, Focalin, Dexedrine, and Concerta, among others.
In addition, they can have side effects such as headaches, loss of appetite and / or weight, and insomnia.
However, these side effects can be eliminated with dose modification.
It is strongly recommended that you consult your doctor before starting any drug treatment for ADHD.
The latter can especially identify the type of ADHD you are suffering from and prescribe the appropriate treatments and dosages.
In summary, when you have ADHD, you can concentrate on organizing your life better, using therapy or medication.
However, the support of your relatives and friends can also be of great help.
So try to make them understand your situation to benefit from their help, and their moral support.
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