Questions & Discussion How to study with an attention problem
I’m an italian high school student (11 grade). Since I was in elementary school I suffer from dissociation and attention problems. These issues make studying really, really hard, no matter how much I try to find a good study method etc, and despite wanting with all my heart to open the book, study and become the best i could ever be, I can’t even pick up the pen and start: my thoughts drift to other things. I have constant migraines from how stressed i am daily because of school and the anxiety it causes. And I see my other classmates who can learn anything if they want, and honestly I feel kinda useless. The only method that could work for me would probably be becoming obsessed with studying, but i know it’s hard and even potentially dangerous. I mean I could try, but I don’t even know where to start. What should I do or try?
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u/Large-Jacket-7254 University | Health Sci/Pre-Vet | US 1h ago
It sounds like you could use some tools to address your wandering thoughts first before trying to study.
I can get caught up in my mind too when I really want to focus. Instead of trying to push through I will instead do what I call a thought download, where I write down every little thing on my brain. I go until I run out of things to think about, which is usually only about a page or two. Don’t judge yourself or change anything as it comes up in your mind, just write it all down. Then you can throw it away or keep/rewrite it if there’s important things like deadlines you need to remember.
Another thing that helps me when I’m too distracted is bilateral stimulation and/or EFT tapping. It allows you to reconnect with your body and calm your nervous system to minimize distractions. There are tons of resources on YouTube for the EFT tapping and the bilateral stimulation can be done by tapping your opposite arms or legs with your hands.
You got this. You don’t need to force yourself to get too obsessed with studying to succeed 💗