Whether it's TV, the media, books, or when I'm talking to other people, I'm just not focusing 100 per cent. Which means there are all sorts of details I don't take in, and consequently a lot of details I don't remember.
I daresay a psychologist might diagnose me with ADHD, but most of the relevant symptoms are ones I don't experience. Like excessive talking, acting without thinking, and interrupting conversations.
I don't think it's an age thing. My concentration wasn't any better when I was young. I would easily get the wrong end of the stick because some important detail had escaped me.
I must say my poor concentration has seldom been a hindrance. It hasn't stopped me having a great life. It hasn't stopped me doing demanding jobs. I just have to make allowances for it (and envy those whose concentration is a lot better).
It can be a problem with TV dramas, where Jenny keeps reminding me of crucial details I've somehow missed. "Don't you remember, she's the one who discovered the body in the first episode?"
Somehow I doubt I could radically improve my concentration, even with special mental exercises. It would take a miraculous overhaul of my brain to achieve gimlet-like concentration.
Of course I'm not alone. Plenty of people have poor concentration, as I repeatedly discover when some politician blatantly misconstrues a document they've just read because they haven't read it properly.
I wonder how many crime dramas I've unwittingly misconstrued?
Welcome to the club. For most Indians at least, my psychiatrist says, it it due to Covid anxiety. He says that while medication can help, best is to accept that there is subconscious anxiety and learn to handle the wandering mind.
ReplyDeleteRamana: My poor concentration goes way back, so I don't think covid has much to do with it. But yes, I've just learnt how to handle it.
DeleteI am okay with fiction, and TV drama - not so good at concentrating on science things, or maths. I guess the brain needs a hook to hang on, and science and maths don't have the right hooks for my brain!
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Ms Scarlet: I think my concentration is a bit better with non-fiction. Why that should be, I have no idea.
DeleteI find I have to work harder like when designing things that used to come really easily to me. And I sometimes stop a streaming to concentrate really hard on a character they mention I have forgotten. Huge effort. Little brain burps I hadn't experienced in the past as from an early age I sought out places I could hide from the large family and read or think or write. Focussing is more of a challenge now.
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www: I'm always coming across characters in novels I don't recall from say 50 pages previously. I have to thumb back through the pages to identify them.
DeleteI find I can focus better on the written word. I can't focus on things like podcasts or audiobooks.
ReplyDeleteColette: I've never tried audiobooks. I suspect that without text in front of me I would be less able to concentrate.
DeleteI’m surprised because I know how much you enjoy reading. I think my only issue is that I need complete concentration to drive. I can have a radio if it’s low, but I cannot do conversation or listening to an audiobook.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I do enjoy reading but I do miss crucial details and have to retrace my steps to fill in the blanks. I also have to concentrate hard when I'm driving.
DeleteWe listen to audio when on long trips. Other than that, I am holding a paper book.
ReplyDeleteSusan: I definitely find I concentrate better on a book than on a podcast. I suspect I wouldn't concentrate very well on an audiobook.
DeleteMy concentration is no better that a toddler's. I have good reason, though. Two severe brain injuries, and I trot them out whenever I must.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: Considering you've had two brain injuries, you seem to get on very well with your everyday activities - including blog posts.
DeleteYeah watching shows that you really have to concentrate on in order to figure out what's going on would be strange if you have concentration problems.
ReplyDeleteMary: I envy your ability to concentrate. You seem to shoot through books at an amazing speed!
DeleteWhew, glad to know I am not alone with concentration issues, Nick. I do better when reading printed material and watching a movie or program than when listening to a podcast or audiobook. Thank goodness, I can go back when something is missed.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: Apparently lots of people have less concentration than they used to have because social media encourages them to keep hopping from one topic to another.
DeleteI'm bad at excessive talking and interrupting conversations. My concentration has deteriorated, which I think is due to age, but I am still good at following films and drama.
ReplyDeletePolly: I'm much better at listening than talking. I always get very self-conscious when I talk about myself.
DeleteIt doesn't show up in your blog posts or comments, so you seem to manage it well. I seem to fall more on the obsessive side of things, so I kind of envy you not fixating on every little thing.
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