Everyone has difficulty concentrating now and again, just as everyone experiences anxiety. What, then, makes the inability to concentrate that results from anxiety disorder different? Are anxiety-sufferers really having that much trouble? In a word: yes.
If you are an Anxiety Blob who finds it hard to focus because of racing thoughts, you are not making it up. Anxiety disorder does indeed trigger something called concentration deviation. People with pathological anxiety disorders are in a constant state of vigilance, threat assessment, and harm avoidance. In other words, how can your brain be expected to expend energy on this trivial task you are trying to do when there is DANGER EVERY WHERE?
When you are responding to anxiety, you undergo physiological, behavioral, and cognitive changes. Your body and mind are preparing to deal with what you think is a threat to your safety, but your perceptions are unreliable. This makes it hard to be in the moment.
And when your head is full of thoughts you don’t want but can’t avoid, this affects the way you function in everyday life.
This is one of the reasons Anxiety Blobs are often fatigued. There’s a lot going on inside.
I have found that the right medications along with talk therapy can be helpful in allowing me to challenge troubling thoughts. Also, exercise can be great for sleep improvement. Even then, depending on where I am in my cycle, I do still struggle with concentration. It’s part of the deal, living with a disorder like this, but you can manage it. I do better in short bursts of work with frequent breaks, I take LOTS of notes and have one big To Do List, and most importantly – I remind myself that this is real, I did not choose it, but I can still live my life.
anon
Thank you for this educational article!!!!!!
anon
This made me feel much better.
Misty
Wow on a day like today I needed to read this. You made me feel not so alone in this chaotic world my anxiety and ptsd brings onto me. Thank you MLAR