ADDitions and Further Distraction

Continuing from yesterday:


8. Easy distractibility, trouble focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away in the middle of a page or a conversation, often coupled with an ability to hyperfocus at times.

When I was a teenager I would be in the middle of a book, a book I was loving, and realize I'd gone about 2 pages and had no idea what I was reading because I had drifted off onto some thought or fixated on a problem at school or whatever. I'd have to go back and figure out where I derailed.

I don't do this so much anymore because I easily catch the moment when I start to drift, take a breath and continue reading. But it took me a couple of years. My mother used to say "Yeah I do that too" so I thought it was normal. My mother was officially diagnosed with Adult ADHD a few years ago, by the way.

My childhood report cards, without exception, include notes from teachers about how "Johnny is a very intelligent young man, but he has a tendency to day dream...."

9.Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent.

While I might dispute the highly intelligent part, others would support that claim. Creative? Always have been. Not just in the usual ways (being an actor, writer, etc.) but in getting myself out of certain jams.

10. Trouble in going through established channels, following "proper" procedure.

I do tend to hesitate before beginning to go through these sorts of things, but I tend to do alright. It IS a stressful thing for me to do though.

11. Impatient; low tolerance of frustration.

BINGO. Best way for me to lose my temper is to have to wait a long time or feel like I'm doing something too many times to get whatever that something is right...And by too many I mean twice.

12. Impulsive, either verbally or in action, as in impulsive spending of money, changing plans, enacting new schemes or career plans, and the like; hot-tempered.

Oh the money thing...that's taken me YEARS to get a handle on. But yeah...I could be very impulsive. I'm much better about that now. Not having any money is good training for not spending it and I seem to have been able to carry that through the slightly better times.

I'm not a big one for changing plans. In fact I hate when plans change. I get stressed out if it happens too much. And by too much I mean twice.

13. A tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly; a tendency to scan the horizon looking for something to worry about, alternating with inattention to or disregard for actual dangers.

I do worry a lot. While one could argue that all worrying is needless, since worry in and of itself solves nothing, I usually start worrying well before the worry line is crossed. Well before there's an actual real issue. I think it relates to the crisis/stimulation point I covered yesterday. And of course the more I worry, the more there is to worry about. Nice cycle. Sometimes turns to self fulfilling prophecy.

This I've also spent a lot of time working on and when I keep my yoga practice regularly the worry easily and quickly to make room for solutions.

Keep up the practice you say? Well, yes...that's obvious. ADD.

Ok...more tomorrow!