Psychological and cognitive symptoms of anxiety include: Poor concentration or lack of focus, distractibility. Excessive worrying or thinking something is going to go wrong.
Individuals who struggle with anxiety often experience symptoms of mental confusion, foggy thinking, forgetfulness, and difficulty concentrating. While these symptoms may ebb and flow depending on the day and the stress load, they can be very frustrating for those with anxiety disorder.
First, you may want to start with a simple deep breathing exercise called the 5-5-5 method. To do this, you breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, and then breathe out for 5 seconds. You can continue this process until your thoughts slow down or you notice some relief.
Being easily distracted is a common indication of persistently elevated stress such as that from behaving overly apprehensively and the semi emergency readiness state it can cause. There are many more reasons why anxiety can cause the easily distracted symptom.
Why can't I concentrate and focus? Loss of focus can happen for many reasons. They include mental and physical health problems, stress, the use of some medications, and a lack of sleep or and inadequate diet.
Such symptoms may be due to an underlying condition, like mild cognitive impairment, or a mood disorder, like depression and anxiety. Declining focus also could result from lifestyle issues that should be addressed, such as stress, fatigue, poor sleep, dehydration, an unhealthy diet, or sedentary behavior.
The four levels of anxiety are mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, severe anxiety, and panic level anxiety, each of which is classified by the level of distress and impairment they cause.
It is based on the three "C's" of recovery calm your body, correct your thinking, and confront your fears.
ADHD vs Anxiety: What's the Difference? The difference between ADHD and anxiety ultimately comes down to whether or not the individual is not focused because of fearful, apprehensive thoughts, or is not focused because of being easily distracted even though their mind is calm.
Although anxiety medication is a stimulant, it may help with focus, fidgeting, attention, and listening skills as long as the medication is taken correctly. It works because these medications influence both dopamine and norepinephrine activity in your brain.
When anxiety monopolizes the brain, other tasks suffer—including processing information, concentration, paying attention, and remembering. The result can feel like brain fog, a state that causes people to act spaced-out, distracted, or forgetful.
Anecdotally, patients with GAD often report that they have difficulty concentrating because they cannot stop worrying, and that their concentration difficulties cause significant distress and impaired role functioning.
Stress. Daily stressors like traffic jams or missing your train can cause anyone anxiety. But long-term or chronic stress can lead to long-term anxiety and worsening symptoms, as well as other health problems. Stress can also lead to behaviors like skipping meals, drinking alcohol, or not getting enough sleep.
Anxiety can be caused by a variety of things: stress, genetics, brain chemistry, traumatic events, or environmental factors. Symptoms can be reduced with anti-anxiety medication. But even with medication, people may still experience some anxiety or even panic attacks.
Epinephrine is just one chemical involved in your body's response to anxiety. Other chemicals may also play a role. For example, a serotonin imbalance¹ may contribute to anxiety, as can high cortisol levels. However, epinephrine is the primary chemical because it is directly involved in your anxiety symptoms.
Recognize the Signs
Physical symptoms of anxiety such as rapid heart rate, increased breathing rate, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath. Extreme feelings of fear or anxiety that are out of proportion to the actual threat. Irrational fear or worry about different objects or situations.
An anxiety emergency or extreme panic attack may require an ER visit if the sufferer is unable to get it under control. Extreme cases of hyperventilation can lead to tachycardia, an occurrence where the heart is beating so fast that it is unable to properly pump blood throughout the body.
Psychological conditions that can interfere with concentration include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder (alternating periods of depression and elevated mood), emotional trauma, and stress. Depending upon the cause, concentration difficulties may resolve with appropriate treatment.
Scattered focus is trying to do many things at the same time, and is very inefficient. Directed focus means focusing on one specific task at a time. The best way to avoid scattered focus is to avoid distractions. Every time you get distracted, it takes time and energy to get back into what you were doing.
ADHD and Hyperfocus. A common symptom of ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) in children and adults is the inability to focus at length on the task at hand. Those who have ADHD are easily distracted, which makes it difficult to give sustained attention to a specific activity, assignment, or chore.
Low motivation can be a common symptom of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. You can practice self-help and self-care as much as you can, but you may find that seeking professional help is more helpful for your emotions. Online therapy is beneficial, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anxiety has also been linked to chemical imbalances in the brain and body. Scientists have found connections between anxiety and some strange physical, cognitive, and emotional sensations that seem to mainly affect the head.