UPSB v4
Serious Discussion / Am i a vegetable?
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 01:19:22
I'm about to be a senior in high school, and i've never been able to focus on a task(that i don't consider an enjoyment) for more than 20 minutes or so. Not class, practicing of any skill, studying, reading, 1 on 1 tutors, etc. This is sort of worrying, seeing how I'm applying for colleges now, and im scared what college will be like for me if my concentration is so poor right now. Some background info on me: Im a huge procrastinator. I almost always do hw and study last minute, and a spend loads of time doing not very thought provocative things such as CODing, or just browsing the internet for hours. This has been a habit of mine basically since 6th grade, so i've been doing this for a good 5 years. I think i've lost some of my ability to concentrate because of it as well, because i just can't concentrate on things that well. I feel like i have multiple channels in my head that are filled with curiosity and random other things, when i should be studying. I've tried blasting dub step, which sort of helps by filling the channels, which means i have less things to think about, instead of those channels. I think I need help. My dad has suggested that i go see a doctor, and possibly get ADD meds. IMO, those meds just stop some of the brain's thinking, so i really don't want to. Any advice on improving my concentration and focusing?
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 01:21:53
Get prescribed ADD meds and only take them when you need to do school work.
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 01:24:18
But it isn't just school work. anything i don't find "fun", i can't focus on. I'm trying to learn programming, which i may not find fun, but i certainly think it's interesting, and i'm having trouble concentrating when my tutor explains stuff to me =(
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 02:44:11
smoke weed? I have a friend for whom ADD medicines didn't work so he tried smoking weed, he is just like you described yourself so whenever he needs to get something done, he lights up a joint and is good to go. I am being completely serious. have you tried shutting off the internet and going in a corner alone to get work done?
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 02:48:40
LOL @ the weed suggestion. i may try that one day. About the internet thing, it is a problem, but it's also my solution. The internet distracts me, but i need it to distract me from thinking even more thoughts, if that makes sense. And i experience these concentration problems not just when im in front of the computer. like i said above, it happens even when im with a tutor. i really don't wanna smoke weed though. i dont like getting shit in mah lungs :(
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 03:46:40
focusing is a skill you can train, i know some ADD ppl who got over it and are able to focus properly meditation/yoga can help here
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 03:49:45
i feel you.. i kind of have that problem... just relax... try not to think too much... just focus on one thing, and one thing only..
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 04:26:55
you are literally celery
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 04:34:20
King wrote: Get prescribed ADD meds and only take them when you need to do school work.
Ritalin..problem solved -
Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 04:57:04
don't go near technology stuff ( computer, game stuff ) it will affect how u think, take a deep breath, go out and do something that will clear your mind . Dont need too much pressure bro, juz relax
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 05:49:45
boshi wrote: LOL @ the weed suggestion. i may try that one day. About the internet thing, it is a problem, but it's also my solution. The internet distracts me, but i need it to distract me from thinking even more thoughts, if that makes sense. And i experience these concentration problems not just when im in front of the computer. like i said above, it happens even when im with a tutor. i really don't wanna smoke weed though. i dont like getting shit in mah lungs :(
try solving a rubik's cube, it kinda helps -
Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 06:28:48
Sounds like you might be slightly autistic, no offence. Maybe try listening to white noise? And I used to and still study last minute. It's not an excellent habit to develop, but that's how I study. I read the notes, and try to write it down again in my own words. I also write with my non dominant hand to minimise monotony. Those are for memo subjects. For maths and physics and stuff, read the theory, and practice loads. And if you are reliant of your tutor, do it immediately, or the knowledge you've acquired will slip away fast. Sorry I couldn't offer medical advice, because I never rely on or trust medication haha.
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 07:24:31
i've actually thought i was autistic for a while now, but people kept telling me otherwise. i knew it! @Zombo about the meditation thing, is there any specific kind of meditation/ some steps required? or do i just sit there? wow, putting white noise in the back actually helped with studying quite a bit. thanks krypton!
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 09:56:32
Ritalin is a stupid idea @dannyPS
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 10:14:09
boshi wrote: i've actually thought i was autistic for a while now, but people kept telling me otherwise. i knew it! @Zombo about the meditation thing, is there any specific kind of meditation/ some steps required? or do i just sit there? wow, putting white noise in the back actually helped with studying quite a bit. thanks krypton!
hmm there's definitely some steps required and practice makes you better at it. the most basic mediation is to empty your mind. that way you won't be distracted. advanced yoga techniques include Yoga nidra, which is a form of conscious sleep. -
Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 10:18:20
Most likely not autistic, not really a big sign, I think. Could be like PDD-NOS, but if you really want to know, you would have to get tested. It's really hard to tell over the internet, though. I don't have the traits you described there, but it could be a different form. Not sure how to help either, if you really think you might have something, go get yourself tested. :p
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 14:39:45
I'd recommend doing something that requires your whole brainpower to be succesful. I used to have concentration-problems like that, but after starting playing table tennis and doing some really hard (at least at that point in time) math problems it got better. It's because I had to focus on only one thing that I was able to blend out all the other stuff in my head. My ability to concentrate got weaker over time though so now I don't have that problem anymore. I'm busy enough just concentrating on one thing.
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Date: Wed, Jun 27 2012 15:19:24
Staring at PC screen everyday for years can cause problem to your brain, rendering you being oblivious or having short attention span. [and of course, myopic.] 1. Spend more time with nature, read books, work out. Also perhaps try to 'like' some certain subjects, pick the smallest details and cause impression in your own mind. For example, I like this teacher because she has big boobs or that teacher because the way he teaches. Or even the feeling in each class, then try to 'link' that impression to the subject itself. 2. The easier way is probably like, think to yourself ' I can think about those later, but now I have to study' <- One way of using procrastination as an advantage. [Note that this is not a cure, it is just a way to prevent the consequences.] And then make your mind blank, concentrate on only one thing. Take a deep breathe and forget everything. Another idea that comes to my mind 3. 'Degrade the importance' Sometimes, it makes you feel better if you think it that way. When you play games, you think it's just an activity that you use to kill time. You can be good at it and it is not even one of the things that you should consider it as something important. Apply the idea to study. Because you think it is not that important[even though it is, but just lie to yourself. We're doing some psychology here], there is more chance that your brain will allow you to access to the activity more. Just grab some books to study. Don't push yourself, just relax and enjoy it because it is not an important thing that you must do. Please try those out for me and hope this helps in some way :)
Spoiler
^ vegetable -
Date: Thu, Jun 28 2012 01:29:13
the white noise is too weird to me sounds like the sea but with irritating pops in front. id rather put some music on while studying i think
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Date: Thu, Jun 28 2012 02:02:48
Nashi wrote: Ritalin is a stupid idea @dannyPS
thats what u think -
Date: Thu, Jun 28 2012 02:19:58
Man the fuck up and concentrate. Yeah its hard but thats what puts you above the average joe.
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Date: Thu, Jun 28 2012 10:09:43
No, danny, i know it. Especially if you don't have ADHD, then ritalin is pretty damn useless.
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Date: Fri, Jun 29 2012 02:36:18
I hear theres this thing called Adderal? some kind of ADHD med or something. but idk, it's considered a 'dangerous drug' for people without ADHD, and i don't really want to be stuck on that for the rest of my life. Anyways, my friend who kinda has the same problem as me is coming over tomorrow. We're supposed to rat on each other to study. Hm, hope this doesn't turn into a gaming session.
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Date: Fri, Jun 29 2012 12:57:51
Short answer: yes, you're veritable vegetable, a veggie; bad news is, your farmer used pesticides. Lots of them. Toxic, putrid-yellow liquid gathering in pools around your poisoned, sickly form. You're a broken product. You're not the real deal. And just like you, grown with chemical aid—sickly and oozing with acrid goo—could never measure up to a healthy, rich-earth-grown version of yourself; so to you could never measure up to another person lacking your unique and horrible deficiencies and insecurities. Nietzsche writes: "First principle of our love for man: The weak and the failures shall PERISH!"
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Date: Fri, Jun 29 2012 14:02:20
Surge wrote: Short answer: yes, you're veritable vegetable, a veggie; bad news is, your farmer used pesticides. Lots of them. Toxic, putrid-yellow liquid gathering in pools around your poisoned, sickly form. You're a broken product. You're not the real deal. And just like you, grown with chemical aid—sickly and oozing with acrid goo—could never measure up to a healthy, rich-earth-grown version of yourself; so to you could never measure up to another person lacking your unique and horrible deficiencies and insecurities. Nietzsche writes: "First principle of our love for man: The weak and the failures shall PERISH!"
Hilariously relevant and irrelevant at the same time, sir. -
Date: Fri, Jun 29 2012 21:54:09
boshi wrote: I hear theres this thing called Adderal? some kind of ADHD med or something. but idk, it's considered a 'dangerous drug' for people without ADHD, and i don't really want to be stuck on that for the rest of my life. Anyways, my friend who kinda has the same problem as me is coming over tomorrow. We're supposed to rat on each other to study. Hm, hope this doesn't turn into a gaming session.
Adderal is a ADD medicine. It makes you concentrate a ton. Thats the drug that i meant in my first response. -
Date: Sat, Jul 7 2012 23:37:34
I'll be honest, all you guys are mentioning these ADD medications but how can we really be sure he has ADD? I mean i've actually taken time to research this and there really isn't much evidence to prove ADD to be it's own mental condition. It's simply more of either an underdevelopment or just a lack of practice at concentrating. And personally I don't know what they put in those pills either, since ADD isn't exactly an actual disease. I always thought it's a placebo like Viagra. It's similar in a way to ADHD but ADHD isn't exactly a mental disease either, it's just a by product of what they eat, and if you know people who're hype all the time on sugar, that's not a pre-existing disease they had no control over, it's just their own damn fault for not watching what they eat. Speaking of watching what you eat, that also plays a fairly big role. Lay off the processed food. If you really need to hunker down and study, your best bet is to minimize the amount of sugar and fat intake on the previous meal and not to make it completely filling. I find it best to have a moderate size meal that just barely fills me, then take a healthy snack like a fruit or something of the like, but you want it to be a small snack, not something large enough to take your concentration off your work but just enough to keep you going. Oh and on a sidenote, chips may seem like a really good idea for this snack but I highly discourage it. Chips usually have really high amounts of salts and that'll dehydrate you fast. Anyways, hope that helped.
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Date: Sun, Jul 8 2012 02:16:17
Deveroux wrote: I mean i've actually taken time to research this
Ohhh, more than the professional doctors who prescribe it? come on now