Expert: Sharon Crandall - 9/22/2010

Question
I'm a 27 year old female and I need help. I don't know if I actually have Adult ADD or whether I'm just over reacting but things have been getting worse lately and I'm finding it really hard to focus. I need to be doing something all the time. I tend to pace when I talk as the idea of sitting still in one place for too long drives me crazy. I can't even read anymore and I used to love reading, I just don't have the focus. I've always been twitchy, could never sit still for more than 5 minutes. I loved my old job as I could race around the practice and channel all my energy into something productive, I had to work really hard however to complete a task as part of the way through my mind is leaping to the next thing I have to do or want to do. My mind feels like its always racing and now that I'm in college its a nightmare to sit still in class for hours on end. I am easily upset, I get so mad over the silliest things and its getting worse and worse over the past few months, my fuse has grown so short I don't recognise myself. I am struggling to get it together to study, I don't even have the attention span to do the things I used to enjoy. I can't find anyway to relax anymore I'm always so on edge needing to be doing something and then never having the ability to see the task through to the end. I rarely see anything through to the end and when I do it's a major achievement. I'm so tired of feeling like my thoughts are bouncing around in my skull, or pacing my apartment looking for something to occupy me even though I am surrounded by things I need to do but can't focus on for more than a little while. I can't ever do just one thing at a time, I need to watch t.v while playing my gameboy, even though I can't really focus on either of them. Am I just impatient by nature and need to find a way to settle down and cop on? Or do I have a problem?  

Answer
HI. If I could do your whole personality profile I could give you all the answers you need. I will try to do my best with what you have told me.

First of all, I know one thing. You are built to be physically active and your brain actually works better when you are moving around. When you have to sit for long periods of time it sets up negative reactions in your body. That is number one.

You probably also are low concentration. People with low concentration have a gift in being able to multi-task. While there is difficulty in focusing on one thing the gift is in being able to oversee a lot of things or people and catch what is going on.

Now, it is hard to say whether your extreme difficulty in focusing is caused by trying to sit too long or there is more going on in the brain. The first thing to do is to make sure you get some HARD physical exercise every day. This in itself might help you a lot. Because of your traits you will never be comfortable sitting down for long and you should not do so.

If there is any way you can stand in your classes part of the time you really need to do that.

Now, while medication might help, it has very bad side affects and so I recommend that you take a product called Neu beCalm'd. You can order it at my cost by going to www.neurogenesis-inc.com/58357. You should get the website Life and Mind and if you use that number that is on the end of the website address you can order it in my name, Sharon Crandall, but have it shipped to you. It works in feeding the brain and will help your brain calm down. You will need to experiment with how many to take per day.

Whatever job you get, you must not get a sit down job but be able to move around.

Now. You can increase your concentration. This is what you do. Tell yourself that you are very good at concentrating. Then pick up a book or start a task, and as soon as your mind wanders tell yourself again, "I am good at concentrating." Immediately bring your mind back to what you are doing. Say, "I am now concentrating on reading this book (or whatever task you are doing)." Set a timer and make yourself concentrate for 15 minutes. Then gradually increase the time.
If you keep making yourself come back to the task at hand, you can build concentration. Make it a fun game so that it is a pleasant experience so that your mind will accept it better. Also, no matter what you do, whether it is running or doing a household task, tell yourself that you are now concentrating on such and such and that you are very good at concentrating.

I think if you will do these things you will be okay. Please let me know if I can help you further. You can contact me through my website, www.personalityconsultant.com

Let me know how you are doing.

Sharon Crandall
www.personalitysciencesays.blogspot.com