I once knew a fellow who can beat anyone in scrabble and yet when it comes to retaining details from the day's class lessons, he proved to be dismally inefficient. Not that he slacks during study time, but i now believe that the power of concentration and the power of long-term memory retention have nuances and differences in their unique ways.Concentration takes a singlehanded effort of directing one's attention at a given moment; on the act of reading, one doesn't just read to "brush-through" the words but to comprehend the statement of the writer. I took a dispatcher's examination early this week and the test consisted of a battery of questions testing the ability of the memory to store and retrieve information.
Many factors can affect our concentration and these ranges from mental to environmental distractions. Having worked a consecutive 14 hour shift (two days before the exam) propelled my brain pistons to pump extra oxygen so i could concentrate, and as i realized, not even a complete 8 hours of sleep prior to the exam is enough to relax my brain cells.
Test anxiety usually relates to the pre-test jitters; and i don't think i felt unstable because i did my part of the studying and preparation. It was sooner than i know when i realized that my retentive power was limited especially at the outset, thus triggering a mild shock of anxiety. A few minutes though, and i was able to get my wits together and get into the regulated flow of concentration.
Some people are easily distracted, as people with (ADD) Attention Deficit Disorder are. To be overly sensitive to one's surrounding, specifically when it interferes with the main chore, is a breakdown of focus, or the goal if one is trying to attain a long term end.
These mini interruptions of concentration are directly link to short term memory loss. Whether i lack the brain power to sustain the concentration or whether i did not have enough caffeine that morning, i was struggling to remember the names, dates, places and such on the test narrative. Could it be that age has diminished some of the brain's retentive function or i am just worn out - i tend to rationalize it to the latter.
On my next promotional test, i know better to sleep and rest longer. In the meantime, i will need all the luck and the positive wavelengths to pass this one.
4 comments:
Yes, I know when my concentration is affected. I do a crossword and sudoku every day in an attempt to keep the little grey cells from shrivelling up and if I have had a bad night or am stressed about something I really struggle - it either takes me longer to complete them or I simply cannot do so.
I am lucky in many ways because I am focussed. I don't notice anything in my physical environment - can work through loud noise, people talking, anything really - but if I am tired or have something on my mind, I cannot concentrate.
and my memory is definitely worse with age.
It is rather scary really. But if you use it you lose it more slowly I think. So keep at it. I intend to.
Ginko Bilbao is surely the thing rather than Ginseng these days..?
I tried it once and did not so much end up with a better memory as better concentration.
For some reason I lapsed into forgetting to take it though!
I do believe that the inevitable decay of the brain will slow down if a mental activity is keeping it on its wake. Overusing it has the risk of frying it of its function, but i think that it will also lead to amazing feats and discoveries; underusing it will make us less informed and unattached, and worse less imaginative.
Ah the nuances of cognitive functioning ... I know that a good night's sleep has become increasingly necessary as I've walked through the door of the my forties.
Sending positive energy and good thoughts ... JP/deb
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