Anyone else have issues with concentration?

[JungleJungle]

It completely baffles me how people can concentrate and stay still on teams meetings. I find this SO difficult. Even if the subject matter is interesting. I am constantly touching my face, thoughts running through my head (usually completely weird and irrelevant and I can't switch them off). It's a huge struggle to try and make myself actually listen and I get distracted by my mind and surroundings. I will have full blown conversations with myself in my head. I feel like it must be obvious to my colleagues but it is completely uncontrollable. AIBU to think I can't be the only one? It's got to the point that I feel like it must be part of some kind of deeper issue or neurodiverse condition (I've always suspected it is down to this but I'm unsure of what, much of my family is neurodiverse) because I just CANNOT concentrate. Feel like I need to get to the bottom of it.

I’m very similar and fairly sure I have ADHD. My son his currently going through the process of diagnosis but I’d like to look into my own at some point in the future.

Teams meetings much worse than “real life” for me though.

Ive started to use my son’s fidget toy (poppit thing) during teams meetings!

Given what you've said and also your family history of ND conditions I can almost guarantee you've got adhd.

I was diagnosed (privately) with combined type adhd when I was 40. Suddenly everything made sense about my life struggles. At first I thought I'd be diagnosed with inattentive adhd, but the hyperactive side presents itself differently in females - especially adults. It's more hyperactivity of the mind, and sometimes physical like clicking a pen, tapping your toe, etc. for me it's hyperactivity if my thoughts and things I wasn't aware of like not being able to concentrate on my work and then feeling the random and urgent need to get up from my desk for a coffee break or a walk around the office even though I've done no work at all.

If you can afford it I'd highly recommend paying for a private diagnosis. I was (and am still on the waitlist) for over 2yrs but paid to have my private diagnosis and got it after 3 months and had the prescription for my medication in the post the next day! It's been incredible for me.

In the meantime rather than turning to more LSD I'd recommend drinking a few extra cups of coffee. Coffee can help the adhd mind focus and actually has the opposite effect it would on a neurotypical person which can usually make them jittery and hyper. Coffee calms the adhd mind and can help with concentration. It can also make us very calm and sleepy! I drink a cup every night before bed.

This is so interesting. I don't drink that much coffee but when I do I have never had any side effects from it. I had a conversation with someone just recently about coffee drinkers and caffeine and about how I have never felt a buzz from coffee, even if I've had five cups in a short time frame despite not having had any coffee for the month prior.

LSD was a life saver through university and I think it will be used for certain things in the near future, such as OCD. I hope so anyway, in a controlled setting.

My mind is incredibly hyperactive. I've had CBT for OCD but felt the symptoms never quite fitted properly. And also anxiety, but again this all stemmed from my inability to focus causing anxiety around almost everything in my life.

Sadly I definitely cannot afford private.

Oh yes I love caffeine naps…I have a big glass of Coke Zero to help me sleep 🤣

Stolen Focus by Johan Hari. Good read.

This is from my local trust website. I don't want to live like this for potentially another 3 years but just don't have the money for private. It's awful. 3 years for an assessment is unbearably long.

Traumatic early events and attachments can do this, and so can the fast, online, overconnected world we live in. Bombarded, befuddled, negged, sexualised, addicted to social media..... that's humans these days.

And then told it's our fault. Something wrong with us.

Yeah, no.

I don't think that's the case with me...