Have you been sitting at work staring at your screen, seeing the words and numbers, yet not focusing enough to decipher them? Everyone experiences times when even the smallest tasks are a struggle to perform because they cannot fully focus. While it’s completely normal, you still have to find out what could be the reason behind it so you can try to fix it. Here are some possible reasons why you’re having trouble concentrating:

1. Poor Nutrition

How can you wonder about having trouble concentrating and focusing when your diet consists of ice coffee and fast food? Your brain needs lots of energy in order to function properly and be able to focus, and it won’t get that energy from a nuggets meal! That’s why you need to reconsider your diet and try to include foods that are rich in vitamins like omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA. The feeling of hunger also contributes to a lack of concentration, so you should increase your intake of lean protein as it prolongs feeling full. 

2. Sleep Deprivation

Many people wake up feeling as if they haven’t slept at all and this, along with other sleeping disorders, is a major factor in losing focus. Without enough sleep, things start to feel confusing, which is called brain fog. You can learn more about it from this link as well as how sufficient sleep can help cure it. It’s not only brain fog that is caused by sleep deprivation, but many other physical and mental diseases. 

3. Emotional Stress

One of the main reasons that could be behind your trouble concentrating is having too many emotional triggers in your life. If you have a lot of drama in your life, with many unresolved issues and disagreements, it’s enough reason to lose focus. Feelings of emotional distress, anxiety and depression are enough to take your mind off the present and get lost in your thoughts. While it is normal to experience some degree of stress, you should find healthy ways to deal with it instead of letting it consume you.

4. Digital Distractions

It’s the era of all things digital, so we spend more hours browsing social media apps and pages than we think. Whether you are working, studying, or spending some quality time with family and friends, you find your screen constantly popping up with notifications from all sorts of consumer sites that you can’t help picking up your phone to look at. It becomes almost an addiction, and it’s a big part of why you are unable to focus on anything you’re doing. You are just waiting for that friend to reply or for that newsletter in your email and as soon as you get it, you have to check it as if it can’t wait one more second.

5. Daydreaming

Have you ever found that, at work or at class, while trying to focus on what you’re doing, your mind just drifts away? You begin to wonder what your life would be like if you had made that one change. Daydreaming is something that everyone experiences, where they are momentarily detached from reality, thinking about possible scenarios and events. The mind could also drift to 10 years ago and dig up memories you never thought you had, only to find that your class or shift has ended and you haven’t achieved much. When you catch yourself in that state, try to pull yourself back to reality using tactics like focusing on your breathing or immediate surroundings.

6. Boredom

We all at some point find ourselves stuck in limbo, just reliving the same day over and over again. When this happens, it’s completely natural that your mind starts to feel numb or gets easily distracted by the smallest things. Feeling bored with your routine only leads to loss of motivation and burnout which in turn leads to you aimlessly scrolling through your Instagram feed instead of focusing on tasks. However, this is easily fixed with a simple change in routine, trying a new activity, or going away on vacation.

These are pretty much the main reasons many of us can experience trouble concentrating and focusing on everyday activities. There are many tactics you can use to regain your sense of focus like meditation, exercising, or taking on a new hobby. If this feeling does not improve, you should prioritize seeing a physician to check for any underlying medical conditions that could be causing it.