Concentration or lack therof

Marmoura99

I need lots of prayers from everyone please! The new term is coming up and I'm really worried. This is a very very important term for me so I need to be able to concentrate, but the last couple of years this has been a struggle. Everytime I read something, my mind wanders to the pettiest things and even if I'm reading out loud, I wouldn't know what I just read. Then when I force myself to concentrate, I can only remember things for a very short time. It's like my brain isn't processing! so I need lots of prayers in this matter and I would also appreciate any tips that would help me to overcome this lack of concentration.

ps. It's not just when I'm studying... it's also when I talk to people or praying or anywhere really :(


thanks and God Bless

epchois_nai_nan

Wow, its funny you know, I get exactly the same thing...but I usually only notice it when my sleeping habits are really bad. Are you sleeping enough? Or if not, are you sleeping and waking up at the same time everyday? That's what usually causes it for me...

Anyways with God's grace it won't be a problem for you.

God bless

[coptic]ari`hmot twbh `ehryi ejwi[/coptic]
PPFM

socoolbishoy

something we usually do is we read the material but never take the time to understand it.

our minds now a days have a span of average 20 minutes, which is sad, but due to all the media, and everything around us we are trained to lose focus quickly!

the best way to go about it, is as mentioned sleep, don't sleep less than eight hours, and not more than ten hours... also try studying for about an hour or so, then go outside grab a snack, or do something that gets your mind off study for five to ten minutes... again not more than that or you'll start becoming lazy and not want to go back to studying.

and don't leave the studying till the last few days, but rather throughout the course try studying and understanding... reading out loud is a great way to go about it also, but reading things you don't understand is useless... so study the material, by highlighting things you don't understand, then search them, understand them, then explain it to a fake audience out loud...

also studies show that the more senses you use the more your brain will comprehend the subject or material, so for hearing while saying it out loud is actually helping, also you can record the lectures after the professors' approval... and listen to them over and over and over... believe me that will help a lot!

for seeing, you can read the material you just heard from your professor which is great because you are connecting the senses together to one thing... also pay attention in class and make sure you see everything the professor shows or does... then when you hear your sight will remember, and again we have a connector there too.

the touch is of course your hands writing notes during class, while home re-listening to the lecture or while reading your material...

even smell can have an affect on you, try to make your study area smell a bit different, maybe light incense, because that way you can train your brain that smell means studying... lol classical conditioning will work wonders! also on the subject, one needs a study area... if I study in the same place i watch TV... my brain is trained in this place to look at that screen, not on my books... so try studying on a desk, or a table... these things are training your mind to be serious, when you tell it time to study it will...

also one thing that IS NEEDED is food and quench your thirst... many people come close to the exams and don't eat and they get in this "depressive" mood... bad! bad! bad! never do that, eat till you are full, again not more or less. try to stick to sea foods for the omega 3, also stick to choline, the fat-like B vitamin found in eggs. "Studies show that choline supplementation enhances memory and reaction time in animals, especially aging animals. It also enhances memory in people. Choline supplementation also minimizes fatigue..." [Psychology today]

so as you can see you can use all your senses, and God will see your hard work, and He will reward you!

you are in my prayers... pray for me also!

akhadna el baraka... neshkor Allah!

lsalsa

I get this a lot but i blame it on senioritis,lol
But usually i think the best thing is to not procrastinate so you don't stay up to study and disrupt your sleeping habit.
Also, being blessed here by the California weather (sorry is not applicable) but i usually take a textbook, paper, and a pen and just go sit in a park for 2-3 hours and get my studying done.
For some reason it is REALLY hard for me to focus when i am in my room with my laptop on, and my ipd within reach,
Also sometimes i just go to the mall and study at a coffee shop
If you know you are a morning person put aside time to study in the morning, also starting with a quick prayer helps too : )
Wish you the best of luck with your studying
God Bless

Marmoura99

Thank you so much for all your great suggestions! I will definately keep them in mind when I study... school starts tomorrow!!

John_S2000

Dear Marmoura99,

At the start (or during) studying everyone may suffer from this situation. Some important reasons were indeed posted above. Ask the supporting prayers of HH the reposed St Pope Kyrollos VI because he is famous for his support to students before and after exams.

There are good prayers, some short some longer, for those who need to study to be said just before starting a studying session. Here is a nice one:
http://www.erkohet.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108%3Aaprayerforstudents&Itemid=22

I'll post other ones when I find their links.

GBU

Marmoura99

Thank you so much for sharing, John! This prayer is amazing and I'll always pray it when I'm studying!

God bless.