Trouble Concentrating

[bslchump]

So after roughly four months of being split up physically, I'm having a lot of problems concentrating on anything productive.

 

I have a business I'm trying to start, I'm working, and my final year of college begins this fall. I should be busy constantly, and despite my excitement for my business, I just can't convince myself to do any work on it.

 

Ever since the break up I've felt so lethargic and bummed that doing any sort of work feels like 10x the chore that it actually is. It's so easy to say, "look, you feel rotten today. Maybe you will feel better tomorrow and you can work on stuff then." I really want to meet all of my goals, but I have such a low motivation to do anything.

 

I'm not sure what you guys can suggest, but if anyone is in or has been in a similar situation, what do you do? I've tried the just-do-it-and-stop-whining strategy, but it's always a weak effort and I rarely focus for long.

[pie2]

First, I would recommend taking some of the pressure off yourself to be "busy contantly", "meet all your goals", etc. Maybe your forcing the issue, and trying to jump from a "1" to a "10". It seems like you want to wake up tomorrow and be "Great!".

 

Successful coping doesn't usually look like that. It's a gradual process, and sometimes involves taking two steps forward, and one back. That, of course is frustrating, and it's easy to lose sight of the progress that you're actually making.

 

So, maybe you could set some smaller, more attainable goals in the coming weeks. How about, this week, take a short walk in the morning one day out of the week? The following week, take two. Exercise (even light exercise) can really help w/ emotional distress.

 

And at work, you might be building things up so much in your mind, and overthinking the tasks in front of you so much that it becomes overwhelming. Try more of an incremental work schedule. Maybe set a goal of 15 minutes of work, then take a break. Most importantly, don't beat yourself up for not being the exact same, crazy-worker bslchump as 4 months ago. It'll all come back...just give time!