Dull brain

recluse

recluse

Well-known member
Does loneliness/depression/anxiety cause the brain to be dull?

What i mean is for a few weeks my brain has become incredibly dull, i cannot form ideas o'r concentrate on anything. The only thing that seems to go through my head is past memories and regrets.

How it is affecting me -

I have a hard time forming ideas and topics of conversation i feel incredibly boring, can usually only respond with Yes and no answers.

I can't focus on films, like i went to see the new Batman a week ago and i wasn't absorbing most of the plot.

My boss is getting more and more frustrated and is snapping at me. I've been in the job since May and i still don't really know what i am doing, i still am reliant on my boss telling me what to do. He shouts at me saying things like ''YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW, YOU'VE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH!'' I then get so nervous i perform my job worse.

When someone talks to me i pretend i am interested and absorbing what they are saying but nothing sinks in.

Generally my brain is not functioning as it should, i feel really slow and unable to perform simple tasks.::(:
 
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Hellhound

Hellhound

Super Moderator
Maybe?

I have Depression and I lack concentration. I never had problems with concentration until my Depression got worse.
 
ScaredToBreathe

ScaredToBreathe

Well-known member
I wouldn't say that depression and anxiety DULL your brain, as in making you less intelligent, but they CAN definately induce a lack of concentration, skew your ability to focus, weaken your memory, and dull any interest on the things going on around you. you may feel more fatigued, bored, or frustrated than usual, and it can be a pain!

perhaps you should see a doctor and try to find a suitable medication to help with your conditions?

good luck :)
 
shakethelight

shakethelight

Well-known member
Sounds like what my life was these past couple of years. Almost like there's a TV playing in my head and someone keeps changing the channel. Living in a constant state of nostalgia. Between the anxiety/depression- I just couldn't focus. I had no motivation either. The desire was there though.

And going to see a movie? Forget that. I would have a hard time absorbing the plot. If people tried to talk to me it was like I lost my ability to hold a conversation. Or even leave my house.

I think most people with depression/anxiety go through this? Maybe you just need to get on the right meds? For me it was adderall. But, there's other things you can try. Meditation perhaps.

good luck!
 
recluse

recluse

Well-known member
ScaredToBreathe said:
I wouldn't say that depression and anxiety DULL your brain, as in making you less intelligent, but they CAN definately induce a lack of concentration, skew your ability to focus, weaken your memory, and dull any interest on the things going on around you. you may feel more fatigued, bored, or frustrated than usual, and it can be a pain!

perhaps you should see a doctor and try to find a suitable medication to help with your conditions?

good luck :)
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I feel unintelligent, cannot form a thought, ideas, cannot form a conversation. A former workmate used to make fun of me calling me ''delay'' because i would take a long time to respond to a question.

I'm scared of seeing a dr.
 
recluse

recluse

Well-known member
shakethelight said:
Sounds like what my life was these past couple of years. Almost like there's a TV playing in my head and someone keeps changing the channel. Living in a constant state of nostalgia. Between the anxiety/depression- I just couldn't focus. I had no motivation either. The desire was there though.

And going to see a movie? Forget that. I would have a hard time absorbing the plot. If people tried to talk to me it was like I lost my ability to hold a conversation. Or even leave my house.

I think most people with depression/anxiety go through this? Maybe you just need to get on the right meds? For me it was adderall. But, there's other things you can try. Meditation perhaps.

good luck!
Click to expand...

I'm not recieving any treatment.
 
MrSunday

MrSunday

Well-known member
My brain already feels like a shrivelled testicle. Hey talk to me, I will talk about anything. I need someone to talk to and have a laugh. I love people with a great sense of humour.
 
kihira

kihira

1
recluse said:
Does loneliness/depression/anxiety cause the brain to be dull?
Click to expand...

I've experienced what you have described, to me it feels as though parts of my brain have shut down and all thoughts are foggy. Its at its worst if I haven't had a dose of sunlight for a few days - when its cloudy and overcast. Using a light therapy lamp and taking vit D and omega 3 seems to help
 
Richey

Richey

Well-known member
its classic ADD symptoms, brought on because of self consciousness and anxiety. the reason i say ADD is because you may be focussing alot on your entire surroundings instead of just the movie screen itself. Now if you are thinking "Everyone is judging me" then you are focussing on the movie screen, the people around you, your phone, things in the past or future, so concentrating in that environment becomes too hard.

Most people who remember a tv show or a movie do not have ADD symptoms blocking their ability to retain information. They are souly focussed on 1-2 things instead of 4-8 things at once. Life is simple for them where as an anxious person because of the anxiety becomes more prone to having ADD issues.

So my advice is to listen to relaxing music on your mp3 playe, make a playlist, cut out high sugar foods (not easy) but it'll be worth it. Exercise..so (go for walks, bike ride etc). Read about ADD, read about concentration and memory function, improve your knowledge of those areas.

notice that if you drink say four beers or if you have ever been to hospital and they give you small dose of morphine or whatever drug and you then become what i consider "normal" for an anxious person, you lose the sense of self consciousness completely, your conentration improves (if you don't have too much) and you don't care if people are judging you, your memory improves greatly. That is how alot of people feel normally when they don't feel intense self-cosciousness. They can focus on 1-2 things at once and so their memory improves signigicantly.

So you can train yourself to healthily achieve the above state without beer etc as best that you can. You would need to train yourself every day though otherwise nothing will happen.

it could just be dull thoughts from not being excited enough to take in information caused by depressive symptoms though, as you were saying earlier.

you may also be comparing yourself to people who have photographic memory, don't do that because i have no idea how that works, must be extreme confidence of personal memory for people to be that good, to have photographic memory, great ability to conceptualise and process it and then to re-comminicate the information is just an incredible ability/gift. It probably can be learnt.
 
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theslowesthand

theslowesthand

Banned
It is definately one of those VERY tricky problems when it occurs, and often i find there is no adequate quick-fix remedy. The dullnes/boredom/whatever state tends to require HOURS or maybe DAYS to get out of, providing i "do" stuff to help rid it. The stuff to do is really anyone's guess, but from experience it does often seem to involve "stimulation" (the lack of). What sort of stimulation? Maybe some sensory/physical, some chemical/food, some logical/cerebral, some emotional/feeling, some left & some right brain, some reptilian, mammalian & some primate brain.....
You know, perhaps play some classical music for a few hours (stimulating/refreshing & right-brain, but at same time is not "cluttering" for the mind).
Or study something diferent/new. "Stimulate your brain cells through reading, studying, researching, listening and observing".
I really have no idea about what the CAUSE of it is, nor do can i fathom what actually is happening at time, nor seldom do i know EXACTLY what to do to find the "exit" sign from the "theatre of dullness" ... but i usually have a few vague hunches (eg above), and so i try to follow those hunches, and try to convert them into some "concrete" idea of what to do. And about ~7 times out of 10 i am able to feel at least a BIT better.
Of course everyone would have different flavors of this dulled-brain-mind state. But basically summing up, is that i belive in cause-effect, so :. all things good & bad have a CAUSE, and so by reversing those causative agents, you remove the EFFECT. Thats my theory anyhow - prove me wrong...

Anyway, has been over 30 hrs since last slept, due to sleeping all scr*ed-up & olympics. Adquate sleep = needed (but not my recent 14-16hrs/day!). Olympics = excitement/stimulation. So will have to get some now, else i WILL get a dulled brain! lol
 
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cowboyup

cowboyup

Well-known member
recluse said:
Does loneliness/depression/anxiety cause the brain to be dull?

What i mean is for a few weeks my brain has become incredibly dull, i cannot form ideas o'r concentrate on anything. The only thing that seems to go through my head is past memories and regrets.

How it is affecting me -

I have a hard time forming ideas and topics of conversation i feel incredibly boring, can usually only respond with Yes and no answers.

I can't focus on films, like i went to see the new Batman a week ago and i wasn't absorbing most of the plot.

My boss is getting more and more frustrated and is snapping at me. I've been in the job since May and i still don't really know what i am doing, i still am reliant on my boss telling me what to do. He shouts at me saying things like ''YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW, YOU'VE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH!'' I then get so nervous i perform my job worse.

When someone talks to me i pretend i am interested and absorbing what they are saying but nothing sinks in.

Generally my brain is not functioning as it should, i feel really slow and unable to perform simple tasks.::(:
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^Recluse, yup - I am experiencing similar. I have 1 good friend, and I try to act like I am interested and listening, but when all is said and done, my mind is completely blank of what they've just said. I used to be able to retain info. (general knowledge) well, but lately I've noticed either my mind wanders, get off topic, can't think straight. Like adult ADHD... but that would be just silly, right? *sarcastic* ugh.
 
Gaucho

Gaucho

Well-known member
i can't remember nearly any information i receive, i just forget it. even my favorite movies etc. even memorizing easy songs is difficult for me. i don't know if I'm I'm just stupid or i turned like this over the last years because of my social problems, isolation and everything related to SA and depression
 
gustavofring

gustavofring

Well-known member
I know fully what you mean with a dull brain. It seems to be getting duller and duller as time goes by, days fly by and I get nothing done. This also further increases the anxiety and self-conciousness. It seems you're not living, you're being lived. Constantly absorbed in the mind by thousands of things (what do people think of me, how will I sort this and that) instead of simply focussing on the simple task that is there in front of you. Nothing spontaneous comes out of me anymore some days. Instead it's dullness and occasional anxiety and fear. Also, nothing is enjoyable anymore. Music that used to get me uplifted don't have the same effect.

I think the reason to snap out of this is simply routine, social life and positive stimulation of the brain. Proper rest is very important as well. It makes a huge difference.

Richey your post is very good btw. and your points ring very true.
 
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recluse

recluse

Well-known member
shakethelight said:
May I ask why you are scared to see a Dr?
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Stigma i suppose. I was recieving treatment for depression around 2007 but i began to feel better so i went to my dr and came off the meds. I've been in a relapse now since 2010 or so a few months after stopping treatment. I can't remember the last time i've been genuinely happy, i might get a few moments of happiness some days but it does not last. I don't know how to laugh anymore, i just fake laugh/smile when i feel i have to.::(:
 
cowboyup

cowboyup

Well-known member
I suppose a lot of people could go down a list of symptoms of ADHD, etc. and we could all check off a few. Does that mean we have that particular affliction? No, in some cases, but I wonder if ADHD medication would help me in ways to think clearer, concentrate, be less forgetful, have more energy and *umph* to do things?

I was considering talking to my doctor about this but haven't got up the courage to present this to him.

My uncle who is hypophrenic, was seeing a neuro-psychiatrist (?) and she put him on ADHD medication and it really helped him a lot in in that he didn't tend to sit all day, was motivated to get out of the house and get a job- 20 years later and he still has the same job.
 
B

bsammy

Well-known member
i have similar problems, like im living in a fog..i will turn on a movie to watch, watch the first 15 minutes but cant 'get into it', then surf the net, then do this or that..my mind isnt focused on what it should be...it seems alot of times my mind isnt focused on anything, just blank..im asleep at the wheel so much of the time..when i do talk to people i absorb maybe half of what they say..im not sure what the treatment is for this..i do think caffeine helps this but then u have the crash etc etc..

i exercise every day too and i feel sluggish too much of the time..it really sucks, i have to drag myself out to workout..it gets very old..
 
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