ADD and Me

I got to talk to a wonderful woman last night about our mutual problems with ADD...and it was amazing how similarly we deal with it.  For those of you who have never struggled with it, let me explain.  You know those days when you feel constantly interrupted, constantly pulled away from your tasks, you have ten million things to do and little time to do them in--days where you feel like you just have way too much to do to keep it all straight?  That's pretty much every day for me.  It's like having your plate full and just not knowing what to do with it all.

Frustrating--that's what it is.  For most of my childhood years, I just thought I was dumb and flighty.  Now I realize that had I been able to focus, I might have been a great student.  I guess it says something that I passed all my classes without ever really studying and not being able to fully concentrate on tests.

My friend and I were discussing the fact that our environment seems to influence our abilities to deal with things.  She agreed that when things around us are messy or crowded (cluttered or haphazard) it's like visual noise.  It's similar to trying to go to sleep with a radio blaring.  My environment can make my brain shut down--too much going on.  Not that I am a perfect housekeeper, but I can definitely tell a difference when my house stays clean (you know, the impossible task:).  I feel much more content and able to focus on other things.

We also talked about lists.  I know a lot of people make lists, but this is essential to my mental well-being.  I can't go to the grocery store without one because I just can't focus on all the aspects of the job and remember anything on that list.  I make lists for everything--what I want to accomplish for the day, projects around the house, things to look for when I go to yard sales...  And my calendar-WOW!  I have to write down everything-when the oil was last changed, when I last shampooed the carpets, errands, e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.  But it's for my own good:)

It's always nice to talk to someone who deals with the same things you do, and talking to her made me feel like I would be okay.  Isn't it funny how different yet how alike we all are?