Why is it so hard for us to concentrate?
Maybe this has happened to you:
- You are reading something important and suddenly... your mind has already wandered.
- Or you sit down to work and every noise, every light, every sensation... pulls you out of focus.
- Or the opposite: you concentrate so much that you don’t blink, don’t drink water, and don’t notice that three hours have passed.
If any of this sounds familiar, this article is for you.
Because attention it is not a generic mental function. It is a complex, diverse network that is profoundly modulated by our neurological particularities. And in neurodivergence, it operates in ways that the "neurotypical" model often does not understand.
What is attention exactly?
Attention is the brain's ability to select certain stimuli and disregard others.
Neurobiologically, this involves the functioning of various networks:
- Executive network: management of voluntary attentional focus.
- Alert network: general activation state.
- Guidance network: shifting of focus according to stimuli.
In neurodivergent individuals, these networks may have different regulation, attention! Not worse, just different, for example:
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- Difficulty filtering out irrelevant stimuli.
- Fluctuation between constant distraction and intense hyperfocus.
- Low dopamine regulation, which affects motivation and task initiation.
Autism
- High sensitivity to sensory stimuli (noises, lights, textures).
- Sustained and deep focus on specific interests.
- Attention directed from internal motivation, not from external expectation.
Highly Sensitive People (HSP)
- Deeper sensory processing.
- Rapid saturation in environments with many stimuli.
- Frequent need for breaks to self-regulate.
AACC (Altes Cognitive Capacities)
- Great ability to focus on topics of interest, but distraction when something is not motivating.
- Tendency towards divergent thinking and mental hyperactivity.
- Possibility of attentional mismatches if there are no stimulating environments.
Bipolar Condition
- An impulsive hyperfocus may appearhyperconcentration, where attention jumps between ideas without a clear structure (flight of ideas).
- In depressive phases, attention can be severely compromised, with hypoconcentration, cognitive slowness, and difficulty maintaining focus.
Schizophrenia
- Sustained and selective attention often poses a challenge.
- There may be difficulties in ignoring irrelevant stimuli, which generates a perceptual overload.
- There may also be a disruption in the executive attentional processes, making planning or shifting focus difficult.
Do you see? It's not a lack of will. It's neurobiology.
The myth of "lack of attention": what science says
And what if I told you that it's not that you can't pay attention, but that your brain is paying too much attention at the same time?
A study from the University of Cambridge (2021) confirmed that, in individuals with ADHD, the prefrontal cortex shows more spontaneous activity, which creates difficulty in suppressing irrelevant internal and external stimuli.
In simple terms: your brain is not distracted, it is saturated.
In autistic individuals, research by Keehn et al. (2013) shows hyperconnectivity between the visual cortex and the orienting network, which explains why small visual details can involuntarily capture attention.
Understanding the approach from diversity
Attention is not a straight line. It is a sea of waves. And in neurodivergence, these waves feel different; I will share some real examples, okay?
Real example: Paula, PAS and ADHD
"I can't work with noise. But also not in absolute silence. I need a soft playlist, diffused light, and for no one to suddenly talk to me, because I bite. When all this aligns, I can be in flow for 3 hours without getting up. But if someone enters without warning, I get thrown off, which is bad."
Real example: Diego, autistic and AACC
"My attention works like a laser. But I don't control it. If something interests me, I can spend days reading about it. If not, my brain shuts off. How great it would be to find this ON/OFF switch."
How can you help your brain focus better?
Here are strategies that can change your day-to-day life:
Design a neuro-friendly environment
The space should support you, as we say at A-tipic Biointeriors, your home and workplace should be refuges for you, and you can achieve this with simple steps like these:
- Soft lighting, without flicker or annoying buzzing.
- Avoid mechanical or irregular noises.
- Visual order (not extreme minimalism, but without visual chaos).
- Calming textures nearby, natural materials like wood or linen are safe bets.
2. Use your circadian rhythm to your advantage.
- Take advantage of your peak alertness hours; if you're a daytime person, wake up early; if you're a night owl... make the most of the night.
- Don't fight the low: adapt it to more mechanical tasks, I fold laundry.
3. Divide time into attention "sprints."
- 20-30 minutes of focus
- 5 minutes of regulation: breathe, move, hydrate
4. Eliminate guilt
- Do not compare yourself to someone with a different brain
- Your way of concentrating is valid, even if it is not linear
And in childhood or adolescence?
Neurodivergent children and adolescents also show different attentional patterns. They may not always be able to sit for 6 hours in school. But they can be immersed for 2 hours in something they are passionate about. As parents, we can actively seek schools that understand our children's challenges and talk to teachers to explain that getting up to take a walk and returning may be just the key for them to stay focused for the rest of the hour.
Redefining the way we understand children's concentration is key to avoiding stigmatizing diagnoses or control strategies that only generate more anxiety or even depression.
In summary
- There is no one way to attend to this. And not all methods work the same for every brain.
- Attention neurodivergent needs to be understood, not corrected.
- Creating environments that support focus, rather than demand it, is a form of deep care.
For you, who are part of ATÍPICS
If you have ever thought that you had an attention problem, perhaps you just need a different type of approach. Literally and figuratively.
Your attention is not broken. It is just designed for a different way of looking at the world.
And that is also valuable.
With affection,
Verònica Martín
Co-founder of ATYPICALS