Focus countSpanky FOCUS ...

[countSpanky]

WARNING: If you are like me, you probably won't read this post. The 'why' of this is explained in this post. . .

 

I'm a smart kid. I speak multiple languages, I am socially intelligent, I'm creative, analytic, etc. . . All that stuff, no problemo for countSpanky.

 

Academics have been a breeze up till now. I'm 18, and have NEVER, EVER had to open up a book or study for anything, which is noteworthy, because the Belgian school system supposedly sets the highest standards in the world. I passed every test, and probably kicked ass while doing it. 'Up till now', meaning, utopia has ended.

 

This year has been hell for me... It was so bad, I even feel below average, a sensation strange to me since puberty

 

I started to fail tests, exams, my grades dropped ultralow, ... The realization that I'm NOT above studying hit me, so I needed to finally open my books and hit THEM, hit them HARD.

 

Exams came up and I really put in an effort to study, only, studying is new to me, and it's as if my personality prohibits it. It's strange that I only found out about this just now.

 

I can NOT concentrate.

 

You guys have NO idea how long it takes me to write this post. I'm sitting here, thinking about the kickass game Ancic played this afternoon, about upcoming parties and other events, I'm watching the bunnies that are crossing my lawn, . . . Damnit countSpanky, ***KEEP WRITING***.

 

I have a lot of symptoms of ADD, including

 

• often ignores details; makes careless mistakes
  
• often has trouble sustaining attention in work or play
  
• often does not seem to listen when directly addressed
  
• often does not follow through on instructions; fails to finish
  
• often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
  
• often avoids activities that require a sustained mental effort
  
• often loses things he needs
  
• often gets distracted by extraneous noise
  
• often forgetful in daily activities
  
• incredible problem with authority, rules, ...
  

 

I would be pretty sure about me having ADD, but sites say AD(H)D is diagnosed as a child, which I am not anymore, and my dad refuses to believe it or go check it out at a neurologist or something.

 

Buddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthreebuddiestomorrowatthree

 

FOCUS

 

And even if I do have ADD... I don't want to be dependent on drugs like Strattera, Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall, Cylert, Dexedrine ... (how can I remember those and not remember what I ate one hour ago? ****) I need to solve this on MY OWN. My restless brain has immense benefits, but there are times I need to direct its focus.

 

So...

 

Any guys here with concentration problems(ADD or not) who found a way to tackle their problems? I guess I'm really looking for feedback: how do you guys (not only those with problems) study? How much? When?

 

How do YOU concentrate?

 

HELP me get a FUTURE

[jordan]

Interesting. I can understand a lot of what you're saying because that sounds a lot like me. I never ever used to study. Now I try to and I can't read more than a page before I need to remind myself to focus on what I'm reading. I know what you mean with a lot of those symptoms: most I can relate to and some I can't. I find a lot of times, if I'm doing something like cutting the grass, my mind will wander and think about everything imaginable and I don't even realize everything I've thought about until I'm done cutting he grass. I honestly don't remember anything that happened for that hour, just a few thoughts I had. It's weird.

[Lance]

Yes, I am the same way. I’ll read the entire chapter of a book only to realize I wasn’t paying attention and have no clue what it said.

 

I have always avoided drugs because I like who I am and would rather accept it than risk changing it.

 

Your avatar is a bit ironic.

[Phi for All]

How do YOU concentrate?

 

HELP me get a FUTURE

Here's a tip: CHUNKING--After you read a chunk of info (start small, get bigger), stop and say it back to yourself in your own words, make it yours, have it make sense to you. Then read the chunk back in their words, with your words as the subtext. You will be relating your understanding to what you read, making it more important to you, therefore more memorable. Keep doing this and eventually you'll be running the subtext (your words) right alongside what you read and you won't have to keep going back.

 

Example for the above paragraph:

 

Read a sentence, then read it the way I would say it, then read it again, thinking about my way of saying it. Practise and it'll get easier.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

It probably is ADD. There is such a thing as adult ADD. It may not be diagnosed. If glider comes here, he'll probably be more certain.

 

If you're 18, then why can't you go after school to some psychiatrist or psychologist? You don't necessarily need drugs, therapy might work as well. If they say, "Oh, you DO have ADD" then your Dad probably has to accept it and let you keep going.

[Lance]

How does somebody labeling you "ADD" solve anything? How does his dad accepting that help his problems in school?

[Tesseract]

Here's a tip: CHUNKING--After you read a chunk of info (start small' date=' get bigger), stop and say it back to yourself in your own words, make it yours, have it make sense to you. Then read the chunk back in their words, with your words as the subtext. You will be relating your understanding to what you read, making it more important to you, therefore more memorable. Keep doing this and eventually you'll be running the subtext (your words) right alongside what you read and you won't have to keep going back.

 

Example for the above paragraph:

 

Read a sentence, then read it the way I would say it, then read it again, thinking about my way of saying it. Practise and it'll get easier.[/quote']

 

 

That would take a substanial amount of time, and the probkem he has is paying attention for an long amount of time.I say you need help from other students who do know how to study.

[Glider]

Academics have been a breeze up till now. I'm 18' date=' and have NEVER, EVER had to open up a book or study for anything, which is noteworthy, because the Belgian school system supposedly sets the highest standards in the world. I passed every test, and probably kicked ass while doing it. 'Up till now', meaning, utopia has ended.

 

This year has been hell for me... It was so bad, I even feel below average, a sensation strange to me since puberty

 

I started to fail tests, exams, my grades dropped ultralow, ... The realization that I'm NOT above studying hit me, so I needed to finally open my books and hit THEM, hit them HARD.[/quote']

 

ADHD is not the first thing that springs to mind here. The answer is in your own post. You are highly intelligent and probably, as a result, easily bored because you are not being challanged. This is not ADHD.

 

So far you have not needed to study or concentrate in a focussed way and for long periods. These are skills. They cannot be taught, they have to be acquired through self-discipine, effort and practice. Now you have reached a point where you are being challanged and (as you acknowledge) you lack the skills (though not the intelligence) required to meet the challange.

 

Exams came up and I really put in an effort to study, only, studying is new to me, and it's as if my personality prohibits it. It's strange that I only found out about this just now.

 

Nor have you developed the ability to focus for longer periods

 

I can NOT concentrate.

 

So there is your answer. It is highly unlikely that you have ADHD. You do not list any of the more negative but extremely salient symptoms.

 

I have a lot of symptoms of ADD, including

 

often ignores details; makes careless mistakes

often has trouble sustaining attention in work or play

often does not seem to listen when directly addressed

often does not follow through on instructions; fails to finish

often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities

often avoids activities that require a sustained mental effort

often loses things he needs

often gets distracted by extraneous noise

often forgetful in daily activities

incredible problem with authority, rules, ...

These are all explained by lack of concentration.

 

My restless brain has immense benefits, but there are times I need to direct its focus.

Yes you do, and it's going to take a lot of effort. You have some catching up to do.

 

How do YOU concentrate?

Practice and effort.

 

HELP me get a FUTURE

That's up to you. You have the intelligence, now you're going to need self-discipline and effort to develop the focus you need to study for more challanging tasks.

 

As is implicit in your post, effort is new to you, thus your study skills and concentration span are under developed. Only you can fix this. You can get guidance on study skills from a number of sources (including the net), but they are skills and require practice, which requires self-discipline, like learning to play the piano. There is no 'short-cut' solution; there are no drugs that will help you study and concentrate, and casting around for an alternative explanation (e.g. ADHD), even if you find one, will not resolve the problem, it will only provide an alternative explanation for it.

 

On the upside, if, through effort and application, you can overcome this, then your successes will be more valuable to you and you will appreciate them a lot more. Also, it will also help you to 'fine tune' your social intelligence and your social skills because it will give you a practical insight into the amount of effort less gifted people have put into their achievements.

 

I'm a smart kid. I speak multiple languages, I am socially intelligent, I'm creative, analytic, etc. . . All that stuff, no problemo for countSpanky.

 

I passed every test, and probably kicked ass while doing it.

 

Good luck.