Contents
Six ways to improve your concentration if you get confused often
Psychology
Establishing routines in which attention and concentration alternate with short periods of pleasure and gratification can be a good solution, along with others, to enhance our attention
Although the popular saying “you are on the moon of Valencia” has a different connotation according to some experts, we usually use it when we see that someone confused is not paying attention to a conversation or a task. And it is that finding the precise concentration in some moments turns out to be a complicated task …
La concentration It is one of the fundamental skills that human beings have to acquire knowledge, learn and be able to better manage themselves on a day-to-day basis. And, in a more simplistic way, concentration is the ability to be paying attention to one or more stimuli. Attention would be the prelude to concentration; I can’t seem to focus on something if I don’t keep my attention on that very matter.
Patricia Fernández, general health, forensic and drug addiction psychologist, among others, indicates that there are different types of care since it is not always possible to stay 100% focused on the same thing … «Depending on the need, we have selective attention, sustained attention, divided attention … and they differ in amount of time in which this ability is used, as well as the amount of stimuli that we are capable of sustaining, “he says.
Improve concentration
Attention is trained. It is true that there are people who have greater facility or capacity for it, but it also has to do with how a person works that capacity. And there are different ways:
— Try to refrain from stimuli that we encounter daily and that are potentially distracting. Explains Patricia Fernández (@lapsiquedepatri) that mobile phones and their constant notifications are a main focus of distractions, so trying to eliminate them facilitates the acquisition of said concentration. In study techniques it is advisable to study in a space free of distractors and away from the mobile phone, for example.
— Meditate and take time to dedicate ourselves to establishing mindfulness helps and trains us on a day-to-day basis to be more aware of paying attention and concentrating on what we are doing: «This can be done from the daily routine of drinking coffee, savoring it, paying attention to the texture, the foam, its smell … Like taking a walk in nature or even doing yoga, guided meditations, etc. », says the expert.
— Establish routines in which attention and concentration alternate with short periods of pleasure and gratification. It is not possible to attend to something permanently 24/7 because it is an exhaustible resource that needs spaces in which you can recharge batteries, so the psychologist advises to establish routines in which not only are concentrated but also can rest, breathe and change of stage even a few minutes: “It will help the concentration not collapse,” he says.
— Tolerate boredom. Disconnect to connect. Patricia Fernández indicates that our head is always looking for things to occupy, distract and think about and that we are not used to being bored because many times it connects with the idea of not being productive, “but it is necessary to know how to get bored.”
— Time for rest. Rest is important for our body to perform and function effectively, as well as to avoid large meals when we have to do something that requires our attention and concentration, so as not to induce a state of heaviness, fatigue and drowsiness. “If just before I start studying I ‘put on my boots’ it will make my study difficult because I will find myself more tired and wanting to ‘take a nap,'” admits the expert.
— Stimulate your psyche. It is true that performing tasks that involve cognitive activity enhances our capacity for attention and concentration. Jot down things on our agendas, have lists, etc. It is very good not to forget anything, to be more organized, etc … but we also have to give space for memory to train, because if it does not, it will become vague.
«Researchers from Stanford University have already dismantled the myth that being multitasking is a positive thing, and that is that we cannot demand that we have the same attention span and concentration on one thing when we are at a thousand…. so organize, prioritize, postpone and delegate ”, advises Patricia Fernández.
We live in a changing world, with many distracting stimuli, with concerns to deal with, with endless variables that interfere with our concentration that prevent or make it difficult for us to attend and focus our attention on something, in a way that affects and diminishes our attention capacity . What is it that prevents or hinders you from concentrating? Is it something you can change or do you just have to accept?
«Knowing what it is that deflates you will help you to know if you have to accept a certain degree of discomfort since you cannot change it or you can because it is up to you to change it … There are times when we meet adolescents in consultation who do not focus on their studies, who ‘live in innocence’ or who are disinterested … and precisely the latter is what makes them not get to concentrate and that many times, directly or indirectly, they do not do it, “says Patricia Fernández, adding that a person , at some point, you have to tolerate some dislike, to understand that it is not the most exciting thing in the world but even so “having to focus and redirect your attention to said activity that you are not so passionate about or gratifying.”
There are many aspects that influence attention and concentration, such as:
Internal factors. «Emotions also play an important role in our attention, usually with more pleasant emotions I am more predisposed to attend to my surroundings. The interest that the person has for a certain activity, fatigue and tiredness, having stress, etc. », he says.
External factors. Everything that has to do with the stimulus itself, its size, intensity, familiarity, as well as the environment and all the distracting stimuli that may exist.
Therefore, the concentration we can work to improve it, in addition to removing from us those factors that prevent us from achieving the required care.