Problems focusing, please help.

[inFlow]

Recently I noticed that my focusing was out of touch. Reading books is a nightmare, I have to re-read the sentences over and over again, because I cannot "grok" what is being written and my minds creates stories about what is being written making me distracted from the actual book.

I do my meditation practices, workout 6 days/week with cardio in the morning and evening and my diet is clean. But it seems my mind has started to run somewhere on it's own and I cannot maintain focus. Some days are are very bad. And now all this week when I lay down in bed in the evening and try to read books it's just impossible, sometimes it's just so bad that I wanna cry.

What can I do to battle this distraction?

[eTorro]

Hello.

You have a scattered mind plagued by shamed-based limiting beliefs.

Focus. Attention. Concentration. Observation.

Be aware of anything that constrains you — deconstruct your neurosis by relinquishing that which bothers you.

Raise your awareness, again, again, and again. Raise the level of your consciousness, daily.

Unless you become conscious of how the mind works (it might take you a few more years of meditation), you'll be inclined to learn through concepts and irrelevant, limiting beliefs.

Don't think that you should retain all the information you read but rather strive to understand the meaning behind it, as much as possible. Be okay with not remembering — until you develop a memory capable of recalling takes time.

There is a great book written by Nicholas G. Carr — The Shallows. In it, there is an illuminating chapter on how memory works.

[Raze]

Stop using porn and social media

stop eating refined grains and sugars 

Do focusing and concentration meditation

[Chrisd]

I can maintain focus through psychosis, reading complex psychological material. I don't know how I just know what I read is relevant so I can focus my energies.

[eTorro]

16 hours ago, Raze said:

Stop using porn and social media

stop eating refined grains and sugars 

Do focusing and concentration meditation

Great stuff here.

[integral]

On 2022-10-14 at 8:23 AM, inFlow said:

lay down in bed in the evening and try to read books it's just impossible, sometimes it's just so bad that I wanna cry.

The issue could be that you just need to relax and slow down you might be going too fast and not breathing properly. Also notice how high your stress level are and if you’re losing feeling with the bed you’re lying down on and the sound of the room around you.

[Ulax]

On 14/10/2022 at 1:23 PM, inFlow said:

Recently I noticed that my focusing was out of touch. Reading books is a nightmare, I have to re-read the sentences over and over again, because I cannot "grok" what is being written and my minds creates stories about what is being written making me distracted from the actual book.

I do my meditation practices, workout 6 days/week with cardio in the morning and evening and my diet is clean. But it seems my mind has started to run somewhere on it's own and I cannot maintain focus. Some days are are very bad. And now all this week when I lay down in bed in the evening and try to read books it's just impossible, sometimes it's just so bad that I wanna cry.

What can I do to battle this distraction?

@inFlow Hey dude,

From my perspective, I think there could be a variety of things at play.

I think it could be to do with adhd, mental health issues, ongoing traumatic circumstance in your life, diet, inflammation etc.

I think by asking some questions I might be able to be more effective in my advice.

Do you have an understanding of your own personal boundaries? I.e. what would constitute abusive behaviour 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Ulax

[inFlow]

@Ulax I actually don't know if I have any at the moment. I actually changed my life quite drastically in the past month. So I don't have problems as I'm concerned.

[StarStruck]

1 hour ago, inFlow said:

@Ulax I actually don't know if I have any at the moment. I actually changed my life quite drastically in the past month. So I don't have problems as I'm concerned.

How did you pull that off?

Edited October 17, 2022 by StarStruck

[inFlow]

@StarStruck just brute force and some great info on what is happening in the mind. Understanding dopamine release system was very key for me. "Andrew Huberman" talks a lot about that.

And also just brute forcing myself to change my habits. It has stuck with me very well. But I'm still having quite a hard time quiting p0rn. That is the hardest challenge I've ever faced.

[StarStruck]

@inFlow yea porn fucks up your dopamine system very badly. What might help: every time you start contemplating (visualizing) porn, do 50 push ups without excuses. You have to train your survival brain like Pavlov's dog. This survival part of the brain doesn't understand logic, only behaviour.
Porn is destructive because it is a major reward for the nervous system without any costs. We have to change the reward/cost dynamic. Your body has to feel there is a cost.

I mean, that is what your topic is about, why focus on a long term gratification, when there is a short term gratification with porn?

Edited October 17, 2022 by StarStruck

[inFlow]

@StarStruck oooh that's a nice tip about the push-ups. Thanks, gonna try it and see how it works.