They say I have ADD, but they don't understand...

I cracked up when I first saw this t-shirt! Yes, I am the poster child for ADD. My daughter would argue and say that she and my grandson are. Oh, well... I'll be generous and say that the three of us can share the title! LOL

I just realized that the last three posts I've made have been on the same subject. Enough of that! I have a reputation to live down to.

It amazes me, the number of people who have decided that ADD absolutely must be treated medically. Let's all run out and grab some Ritalin! Nope. Think of how recently the condition has become a regular diagnosis... Ugh. Those of us who are older had to learn mechanisms for dealing with it and we have! Yay us!!! I won't say that meds aren't the answer for everyone, just that society is too free with them.

My mind is constantly all over the place. I might be talking to you or typing in here and, I guarantee you, there are at LEAST three other activities going on in this tired little brain of mine. Actually falling asleep when I lay down in bed at night? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Before I go to bed, I have to have at least two of these conditions well established: Mentally exhausted, physically exhausted, sick, have a low pain level (I have tons of old, fairly serious injuries that still ache), have a few drinks in me, or take a handy dandy benadryl (I don't do sleeping pills and benadryl is what's in all of those PM formulas like Tylenol PM, etc.). If only one of those conditions exist, it's insane.

I lay down and start relax. Think how wonderful my nice comfy bed feels. A gentle smile begins spreading across my face. Yummmmmmmmm... Suddenly, my brain kicks in! "I know, I know!!! That's what we'll do tomorrow!" or "OMG I can't believe I did that" or "What's going on with ____?" or "Shit. I forgot ____" or all of the above plus more. The thoughts grow until they're of monstrous proportions. I deal with one topic and then the next insinuates itself in my brain. Then it's all circling around until I want to scream.

So, what to do? One of the mechanisms I've learned is to intensely focus on one thing... And that one thing has to be incredibly boring. So, I'll think about going to the grocery store with my list in hand. I'll picture myself going down each and every aisle, picking up the things I need and putting them in my basket, etc. Or I'll go through the household chores for the next day and mentally move through all of the tasks. If my mind tries to deviate, I have to rein it back in and focus more strenuously. It takes a hell of a lot of discipline and "discipline" is SO not my middle name! LOL If I'm only mentally tired, the whole routine is even more difficult. Loads of fun. Blah.

And moving through daily existence? Let me tell you, if you can hold my undivided attention through thirty minutes of conversation, you are truly someone special! Every comment leads to ten sidebars in this overworked little brain of mine. Even writing these posts takes an inordinate amount of time since I frequently get sidetracked.

So, what do I do about all of the real life stuff? I find ways to make the everyday stuff more pleasurable (read my post about Rituals) or find some exciting element in even the most mundane. Vacuuming leads to musical furniture. A day of running errands becomes lunch with a friend or a trip to Pier 1 (yes, I'm an addict!).

Learning new things can be quite difficult. For many matters, the learning process is far from stimulating... Not all of the time, just mostly. At least to me. The best way for me to learn is not from books or instructions, rather from an individual that is passionate, excited about what they're doing. And the new thing has to hold some interest for me (with those things I absolutely MUST learn, it can be almost impossible to find that interest) or present a challenge. Give me dry text and all I can deal with is a paragraph or two before the thing goes flying across the room (did I mention I have a temper??? ).

I have a fairly high IQ (scary, isn't it?). I don't know if that's common with ALL individuals with ADD. However, it applies to most I know. I WANT to be challenged! I WANT to be able to know or do uncommon things. It gives me my little "tee hee's" in life. It's very important to have those "tee hee's", ya know.

And driving? OMG One of my psych professors taught us that when we become comfortable with driving, we all enter this zone that's sort of like an automatic pilot. Add in a brain that's examining a variety of subjects at the speed of light... Well, I sometimes wonder that they let me have a license! Of course, that's an opinion I hold for 80% of the drivers on the road. Didn't they really get their licenses at the local discount store??? I can't tell you the number of times I've ended up taking a scenic route to my destination since I get sidetracked by my thoughts. I wind up driving towards one of my "normal" places rather than a place that might be a different direction.

I have ADD, not ADHD. Sometimes I feel that "H" is thrown around entirely too frequently as well. Some people are just naturally kinetic. And, kids? OMG I can't believe we expect them to sit through hours and hours of the educational process! I can't sit down that long and I've been on this planet for more than half a century.

I have a friend in the educational field who once said that all seventh graders should have nothing but gym class that entire school year. I loved that comment and heartily agree. Perhaps elementary school kids should spend at least the first two hours of their day in the same circumstance. Let them bounce off of the walls for a while, get past that endorphin stage, and THEN sit down to learn.

Another psych professor of mine once gave this alarming statistic: Something like 80% (it's been a while so I could be wrong on the exact percentage) of prison inmates are or have been on Ritalin. Now, is this a result of the condition or the drug? That's a question that neuropsychologists have been studying for ages. Still, it's a scary thought, isn't it.

So I say, let's enjoy our hyper brains. Find some mechanism that works for you and let's all have a good time with life. Put the fun back into dyfunctional! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!