The Old and the Restless...

Lately, with the kids home from school and no real schedule, I've been having a hard time getting things accomplished. I jump from task to task, I have a really hard time engaging in lengthy conversation and I'm unable to do anything including unloading the dishwasher or blow drying my hair without taking a break to do something else. (Like look at my Blackberry.)

As I've mentioned before, I had diagnosed myself with ADHD. I talked to my uncle, the psychiatrist, about this and he told me that in order to be officially diagnosed I'd have to see a psychologist and take a battery of tests. That, my friends, is not going to happen. So, I've decided to take matters into my own hands.


Anyway, without further ado, I will start a series here on Caffeine Court entitled, "Focus on FOCUS." This series will chronicle my struggles with ADHD. It will offer support to those who have this affliction and perhaps we can get advice from those who do not struggle with it, but who can offer advice to the "attention span challenged."


Here's some stuff I found online:

For adults with ADD / ADHD, life can be a frustrating merry-go-round of running late, not getting things done, sleeping at odd hours, and feeling like things are out of control. Due to the nature of the disorder, even routine chores and work activities can seem overwhelming. However, there are many skills you can learn to help get your life under control. It’s a challenge, but you can recognize your strengths and use them to develop skills to work better, increase organization, and interact with people more effectively. With the right skills and support, you can counteract the effects of ADD / ADHD.

The following points really hit home for me.

If you have ADD / ADHD, paperwork to you might mean piles of paper strewn everywhere. You might not want to throw anything away, because it is too important—but when you actually need a document it is impossible to find!

Time can take on a fluid quality for those with Adult ADD / ADHD. Boring tasks might feel like they take forever, or you might get so absorbed in a diversion (like Bejeweled on Facebook) that suddenly you lose track of time and are late for an appointment.

Because people with ADD / ADHD often are impulsive and jump from one subject to another, completing tasks is often difficult. Big projects also might seem tough to tackle because of all the small steps needed to get to the end result.

Money management requires budgeting, planning, and organization. So for many adults with ADD / ADHD, it is a particular point of weakness.

People with ADD / ADHD often misinterpret the verbal and nonverbal social cues that most people take for granted. They might interrupt conversations, often with irrelevant comments or questions. They let their attention wander, making it look as if they don’t consider what others are saying as important. Or they may talk on and on, not noticing that others are becoming bored or exasperated. However, you can work on “retraining” your brain to better understand other people are communicating with their words, facial expressions, and body language.

Okay, that's enough for today. I'm bored, and I want to go over to Facebook and play Bejeweled. Pretty soon I'll find the attention span to write about some of the solutions to these problems. I might even try to apply these solutions to my own life.

In the meantime, I'll bet I sound like a really fun person to hang out with right? Let's get together for a beer sometime. I can look bored and interrupt you while you talk. Oh and make sure you bring money, because I'm not good at budgeting, so I might not have enough to pay.

Is it a date?