Absent-mindedness: what are its causes and how to get rid of it

Many people think that absent-mindedness is a disease associated with memory impairment. But this is not entirely true. Absent-mindedness refers to a lifelong disorder of concentration. We will talk further about the causes of absent-mindedness and ways to combat it.

Causes of absent-mindedness

Absent-mindedness may be associated with physiological problems or be the result of various diseases such as neurasthenia, anemia, overwork and chronic fatigue. It can also appear as a result of excessive concentration on one thing. In this case, a person, carried away by the process, is completely immersed in it and does not notice what is happening around him.

The main causes of attention problems are:

• Fatigue that appears due to the too active pace of modern life. As a result, a defense mechanism is triggered in the head, which prevents the brain from being overloaded with too much information. By the way, this is one of the signs of sclerosis.
• Frequent stressful situations and troubles lead to a distracted state. The brain blocks and protects a person from a condition that can lead to nervous tension. As a result, it is impossible to gather thoughts and concentrate.

How to deal with absent-mindedness

If absent-mindedness appears due to excessive fatigue, then you should slow down and try to change your lifestyle. To prevent brain overload, you need to get rid of unnecessary and not particularly important things.

For proper planning, you should start a diary and write down things for the next day in the evening. As a result of such actions, it will be easier to concentrate on the right thing without being distracted by extraneous factors. Also, you will not need to keep a large amount of information in memory.

To get rid of absent-mindedness, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

• think over your actions in advance;
• don’t get distracted by extraneous matters;
• do not perform actions automatically;
• do not put off things that can be done immediately;
• solve minor problems immediately, without putting it off for later;
• be sure to set aside time for a break from work, give your brain a break;
• get rid of external distractions;
• free your desktop from unnecessary things;
• if you are distracted from work, take notes so that you don’t waste time on it when you return;
• never do several things at the same time;
• start solving a new task only after completing the previous task.

You also need to get plenty of rest in the fresh air and pay attention to your diet. Fried foods contribute to a distracted state. Preference should be given to foods rich in vitamins. Carrots, seafood and broccoli are good for brain function.

To restore concentration, you can use essential oils of lavender, rosemary, mint and basil.

How to develop focus

By doing simple exercises you can develop concentration. The optimal time for brain training is the morning.

Exercises to improve focus:

• count from 100 to 1 as quickly as possible, when you start to cope, you can complicate the exercises and name only numbers that are multiples of 3;
• select a letter and list all familiar words in a foreign language;
• remember and name 25 male and female names;
• name words from a specific topic starting with a selected letter, for example, the names of cities, rivers, animals, birds.

Another effective way to improve attention is to develop each hemisphere of the brain. Each of them is responsible for certain functions, the right one for creativity, the left one for logical chains. Changing hands when performing common tasks, such as brushing teeth, eating with a spoon, or writing, improves concentration.

You should also learn to relax properly in order to relieve your muscles and streamline the flow of thoughts in your head. Yoga or meditation classes are suitable for this. You can just listen to relaxing music.

You can learn to concentrate your attention even on the way to work or to the store. You need to focus on the little things and count the number of cars passing or the number of women or children who passed by. You can also remember car brands and license plates, look at the clothes of passers-by, or pay attention to the emotions on the faces of people passing by.  To restore attention, you can also memorize poetry or start learning a foreign language.

By applying such simple methods in practice, you can improve your concentration in a short period of time and forget about absent-mindedness. But to get the desired result, exercises and brain training should be done daily.