Posted by octopusprime on October 19, 2003, at 13:53:02
In reply to Concentration Problems -- I asked this before...., posted by Susan J on October 19, 2003, at 11:31:05
Hi Susan I'm going to bug you today :)
Hmm I don't know what to say. My concentration is starting to come back; but I think it's more out of necessity than anything else.
Like you I was having trouble reading. Funny enough I could still rip through novels where the main characters were nuts. Start with those, and then move back to more reading for pleasure. I just read "Idioglossia" -- now I can try and go back to "A Passage to India" which I've been trying and failing to read for about the last three months. :-/
I think we all change very fundamentally after a depression, and we need to start all over again with brand new patterns. I know work is a pattern that we can't frequently change. However, if we change our patterns outside of work, then we can go back and do what needs doing at work.
Lack of concentration is a sign that something is troubling us. I personally found painting, drumming, swimming, and hiking to be very therapeutic. I could paint while I was upset -- in fact I found painting rather cathartic. It gets the emotions out that I can't quite verbalize or understand. I think getting our bodies to do things, and leaving our minds out of it, helps a lot.
And of course, a hobby like painting ties up your weekends so you won't want to go to work. Then you can pressure yourself into fitting work into the week. I can work now even when I don't feel like it (most of the time), it's just a self-discipline trick. Try pointing your monitor in such a way that others will see it when they walk by. That will keep you from surfing the web so much.
And of course the meds are part of it; but if you otherwise like the meds you will have to find a way to work around the side effects.
Shalom
poster:octopusprime
thread:270810
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031011/msgs/270858.html