I have the same problem. Over the years I have learned to deal with it. I design robotics for a living and I have learned to keep good notes so if I get lost I can review my notes and get back to where I left off.

I think many of us have a similar problem. I just can't hold my attention to anything for long enough to complete whatever it is I m doing. I don't go to the cinema either as I just can't stay with the film and story. I find if I take a break from whatever I m doing and go out and get some fresh air. So it's a complete break and then come back in and be ready to focus again it helps me. When it comes to watching films I just have to really on Dvds and take breaks from them too. I think our minds just wonder and you don't want to continue to focus, or our brains don't want too. You just have to learn how to clear your head so that you can get back to what it was you were doing and focus again. It is like everything trial and error and you have to find ways to help yourself, find out what works for you. Rmorgensterns dea of taking notes is a good idea. I scribble notes whatever I am doing and even have a notebook close to my pillow so when in bed I can write things down that i have to do the next day too. Good luck with it and do come online again and tell us how it goes

Oh yep yep yep, focusing is a real problem. Not sure if it has to do with memory or brain exhaustion or why exactly but I'm very easily distracted.

I have some tricks that I do if I really need to get something done, it may help. If you need to finish that paper in a certain amount of time, say four days, break it down into bite size pieces over the four days. Say perhaps, when you wake you are going to work on it for 20 minutes then put it away till lunch then work on it for 20 minutes. Small chunks of work are easier to concentrate on. Try not to push yourself to complete the task all in one shot, you may find your brain gets exhausted to the point of crashing and not being able to finish the task at all. And remember to reward yourself when you are all done, the promise of a nice reward is always a great motivator.

now....... if I only heeded my own advice ........ :)

Thank you rmorgnestern, nathogan and JrMartx for your replies.

Yep, I do find I can only do things in smaller pieces. At first, I tried to force myself to read, read, read. But then I realized nothing had absorbed. Exactly how you described JrMartx - my brain crashed.

Part of my problem is this shock that my brain isn't working like it normally does. And I need to accept that at the moment.

The particular paper (and class overall) that I'm dealing with is a high-level finance and accounting class that deals with logic. My Doctors have explained that I have a frontal lobe injury and the part of my brain that deals with logic has been injured. It's very subtle, and would only be obvious in certain situations.

I feel frustrated that my brain isn't it's normal logical, high-speed self. And everyone around me (i.e. my Doctors and husband) say it makes sense that I'm struggling. But I tend to feel like they don't understand. Well meaning, yes, but they're not the ones who are lost and meandering.

Ok, I have to add something sort of funny here. As I was typing my last reply, I was eating my breakfast. I had a pill I needed to take, and now I can't remember if I took it or not. So I am searching around looking for it, to see if I dropped it. Or did I take it and now I can't remember?

It's not a serious med, so it's ok. Serves me right for trying to do 2 things at once!

Sounds like there is some damage to your Prefontal Cortex. I do beleive that distractibility is rather more common in brain injury individuals. I too expereince the same issues. Worse when I'm tired.....which can be a lot. Then I get irritable and frustrated because I can't follow things or keep up and then the person I'm with gets frustrated. However there is help.

Focussing on what you like more than what you don't like will help. I don't mean you personally just as a general rule. This is one I struggle with but I must say that is has helped a lot. Beleive it or not but there is evidence that the PC when damaged can actually crave distraction as it can help turn that part of the brain on....stimulate it. Changing the focus can help the PC be healthier. Yes you can change your brain. I have been successful.

Often distractable individuals become distracted when the activity is mundane. However when engaged in stimulating activities the attention can beheld much longer. Could be that movies are not stimulating enough for you as activities go. Without knowing it may be they are just boring to you.

A high protien diet low in fats is recommended for those with serious PC issues. Lean meats, low fat cheeses, nuts and legumes mixed with healthy portions of vegetables. Eliminate simple sugars and simple carbs. If dopamine levels are low focusing becomes an issue.

Ginko Biloba is very effective at helping. It's natural, and fairly inexpensive. It will increase dopamine and blood flow to the brain. If you have brain injury you likely have blood flow issues. All I know is that since I got on l the Ginko things have changed....for the better. Better than any of the numerous powerful brain altering drugs the Doctors had me try.

And beleive it or not listening to Mozart has been proven in 70% of test subjects to help. I could not tell you about the success of that one, however I do feel that music is important for healing.

Hope this has helped.

:)

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hello! My TBI occured this past July 22nd when my brother beat me in the head and face nonstop for over an hour trying to kill me. But, I am a little fortunate, because I was born with ADD and have taught myself coping skills for all you mentioned. But I did have to tweek in on them. The MOST important tool for us is NOTEBOOOKS!!!! Lots of them!! I have a seperate notebook for just about everything I do in a day except for potty breaks LOL (hey gotta have a sense of humor) Well the epicenter and the one I have ALWAYS used is what I call the BRAIN. It is my main notebook and in that goes just about everything you can think of. Like even though I write my apts. on my calendar I also scrible them in the BRAIN with doc name, what he does, phone number and directions, just in case. Every business phone call I have I write every detail I can, like bill paymennt arrangements, all sorts of things. Even quick phone numbers, or the ol, "oh let me grab a pen and paper" that stuff goes in the BRAIN. Ok, now I have my little medicine notebook that has everything I need to know and I have to check off every time I take my meds, so when Im sitting here and say "man, did I take my meds???" I open the book, theres the check mark, ok, or no check mark, take the meds.
I know this is really really long, but PLEASE bare with me and keep reading...............take a little break here,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LOL
Keep with me, almost done. There are 2 more important notebooks to tell you about. My TV Log. Every morning when I wake up, I go to my local tv listings online and write down everything that is on tv all that day and night. I write the times and chanels and shows. Now for the last notebook which I am using this very second, it is my Internet Notebook! When I read posts, messages, emails, anything I want to reply to, I read it through, then go line by line and write in my notebook notes, comments I want to make when replying. Also if someone gives me some info of another site or their number or their email address ect ect. I write all that down. But even with all these notebooks, you cant keep a log on conversations. Most days I wake up and it is a new day and yesterday is gone, out of my memory. And I cant remember important conversations. I try to warn everyone so their feelings dont get hurt, and most are ok with it. And I tell them just give me bits and pieces and sometimes my mind will retrieve it and there we go. Ok, sorry so long!! I hope you got to this point. If you did, I hope the notebooks will help you.
Peace and Love and Joy!!
Allison

I know what you mean about meds. I have a code for each of my meds and I write that code on my calendar after I take it...otherwise I wouldn't remember what I've taken that day.

Anything that is on my calendar gets done but if it's not written down then it's hit or miss.

I think I'll need to figure out some type of system like you've put together to make sure I can remember other things.

But of course I can't write down every single thing that everyone says.

It's kind of strange too, because, when I'm in the midst of a conversation with someone I sounds perfectly fine. I'm totally with it, and there. But then some pieces of the conversation I've forgotten. It's a lot better than it was months ago though, so I can hope that it keeps on getting better.

Im still in the la-la phase and trying out new things to help get organized again. These are all great ideas. So far what's working for me is having a dry erase board on my wall that I write on each night of things I have to do tomorrow. Everything goes on that board, I have learned not to trust my memory for nothing. Ive come to depend on it, but its not portable, so that notebook idea is one I'll try out.

I know its early for me still, but my brain crashes on me constantly. I got lost in a store the other day, had to just stand there and wait for someone to find me. Noise, people, bright lights and trying to focus on my shopping list proved to be to much. And I notice when I push it like that, it seems to overflow into the next day and into the next. Ive been overdoing it for days now and im expected to put on Christmas dinner tomorrow. My brain will be complete mush by sunday.

When that happened to me in the store, I thought about asking for help but then realized I couldn't remember names and phone numbers of people they could call. So a pocket notebook with that info will be going in my purse before I venture out again.

Moxymom: Yes a pocket notebook is a MUST for you!! Not to put down our self esteem because it is not our faults but sadly we have to be like kindergarteners with that little tag around our neck "I belong to:" LOL Not quite that bad. But yes, hubby found these great little notebooks in the Family Dollar store. They were only $3.00 each, they are little but REALLY thick!!! I used to have a cell phone and that was great cause it had all my important numbers in it. I dont have it now. So I have a paper in my purse, just like the tag around the neck, but with everything anyone would need to know should they find me wandering confused.
Hope you all are having a peaceful Christmas Eve and a Merry Christmas day tomorrow!!!
Love to All!! And most Important, Understanding!!!
Allison

Practice is what's helped me. I hated puzzles, but...they started me on them in the hospital. I found myself looking for one to put together at home. I've done 2 to completion. I hated it, but it made my brain work in ways...that needed all the help it could get!

I've also done games on facebook...to help me focus. If it is something I'm interested it...not a problem unless something or multiple things start happening at once. Then again...I used facebook. Nothing important enough to be a problem if I made a mistake while playing, but my son would come in and talk to me while I was on doing something...it really helped the multiple things going on and remaining good and focused. I slowly added tv...telephone calls etc. and it now is not as big an issue as it was in the begining.

At work...I'm a computer tech...typical to have multiple things happening...boredom...will distract me...I go look for things to do.

I do better with a schedule. I no longer need a notebook for set appointments. However, if it's new...I write it on my calendar and send it to my email so I don't forget and I use reminders to pop up and remind me.

Any way you can practice will help. I do that with all my "little and not so little issues" and it is working.

I'm in the same boat. I do computer programming and you just have to remember things about the processes, sometimes that's just impossible. Early in the morning is much better, til about 2 then i'm done with that kind of stuff, normally. once i awhile i'll get a burst of productivity late.
But it's like that with everything that i do. I have to put conscious effort to control what used to be automatic. I have an analogy for it, it's like driving a beat up jalopy with bad steering down a bumpy road, you have to constantly make course corrections.
It is slowly getting better, but there are better and worse days.
Glad you brought this topic up, i suspected it was a common issue for us.