A trip through 90 seconds of the ADHD brain

[Aerobigirl]

I'm certain I have ADHD. I've never been diagnosed, and it appears differently in women than men. Learning the symptoms and traits as they show up in women was like, "Wow! That's me! And it puts so much into context!!!"

A lot of times, ADHD gets me multi-focused, overwhelmed, and a surprise or distraction bumps me off my train of thought. I joke when I'm teaching that if you ask me a question, I WILL answer, but then you will have to put me back on the train and tell me what we were talking about. Sometimes, my interestingly-intertwined synapses will come up with bizarre but useful stuff, in bizarre but useful ways!

Case in point. Today is the day I have 2 hours to clean my house, right now, before going to work. So, what do I do?
1) Checks out TLP chatty pad to talk with scrapbooking friends
2) Starts to answer an email about keeping letters / cards
3) Thinks about mom's hoarding of cards and letters and other things
4) Things about a newspaper clip of a kid in high school
5) Thinks about how that kid is now a top ganga farmer in my home state
6) Medical ganga makes me think of a friend who has cancer and another friend who just had a stroke
7) Thinks I should send a card to the friend who had the stroke and just got home from hospital
8) Decides house can stay dirty
9) Decides to make separate thread about ADHD
10) Will finish thread and go make a card, which hopefully she will enjoy if not save.

Does anyone else meander along the path of life?

 

[IntenseMagic]

I am fairly certain I have it as well and your post is like a walk through my brain lol. I will start 10 different things before I make my way back to whatever it was I was originally doing.

 

[AnneofAlamo]

My mind is a steel trap, focused like a laser beam...it's my darn body!
I mowed the lawn this morning- a 45-minute task- and sat for an hour after
then speed vacuumed house - tops 30 minutes
sat for another hour
did deep mop on kitchen/dining and quick one over the wood area. 30 minutes
fell asleep for 30 minutes and then sat for another hour

I am the other side of the spectrum, so obsessive and organized.
major list maker, and oh list checker offer!
All these things my mind is telling me to do, and my body is keeping me from it. ha ha
I think of it as a kinda blessing.

 

[Aerobigirl]

I'm the product of two opposite parents. My mom was very disorganized, saved everything. EVERYTHING. My dad was super organized and liked to threaten to toss her stuff out if she didn't clean itup. So I get disorganized to a point, freak out, then clean my craft room so thoroughly all the papers, markers, pencils, embroidery thread, etc are in rainbow order.

I guess it's a blessing to have a body that won't do some of the crazy impulses. I have done some very crazy things. And now my ADHD is thinking it would be fun to start a thread called 2 truths and 1 lie., since some of my experiences are a bit "out there!"

 

[tiffany scraps]

YES! Daily struggles. I typically find myself reading another book or listening to another podcast to try and figure out how to get things done or to get my brain on task LOL.

 

[keepscrappin]

I’ve gotten really bad with this lately.I’m all over the place starting multiple things and getting sidetracked and going down rabbit holes before I can get anything done.

 

[scrapchyck]

I opened my laptop an hour ago to start on the art journaling challenge, and now it is 10 minutes until I have to leave, and all I've done is checked on comments on my layouts, left love in the gallery, and checked out the forum...which did not disappoint this morning between the AI discussion and now the neurodivergent brain! I am actively avoiding having to deal with things like eat breakfast and make a lunch for later (both of which I hate doing, but need to do because I know what will happen by 4 pm if I don't...sigh). I really just need to go to work now. Bye!

 

[Karen]

Yeah, I think my mind definitely following all kinds of random tracks throughout my day too. I swear that our world makes all of us very distracted! Between emails and texts popping up constantly on our phones and the feeling to need to be all things to all people, a lot of us get pulled in too many directions all at once and never seem to get all the to-do things done. Lol.

 

[umyesh]

My brain lately is “let’s just be lazy” so I’ve started saying “I don’t want to do this but I’m going to do it anyway.” I need to write a list to keep my priorities straight.

 

[Aerobigirl]

I am fairly certain I have it as well and your post is like a walk through my brain lol. I will start 10 different things before I make my way back to whatever it was I was originally doing.

Yes! It's like opening a book to a page, then opening another book and stacking that book on top of book 1. Then finding another book, opening it up and setting it on top of book 2. Read a few pages and see a shiny new book cover. Now I have 3 or 4 books open and nothing done, lol.

 

[Aerobigirl]

YES! Daily struggles. I typically find myself reading another book or listening to another podcast to try and figure out how to get things done or to get my brain on task LOL.

I listen to a lot of audio books. Sometimes it helps. For example, if I need to fold laundry, I'll do it if I have a podcast on, and it will sit forever if there is silence.

 

[Aerobigirl]

I’ve gotten really bad with this lately.I’m all over the place starting multiple things and getting sidetracked and going down rabbit holes before I can get anything done.

SQUIRREL!!!!!

 

[Aerobigirl]

I opened my laptop an hour ago to start on the art journaling challenge, and now it is 10 minutes until I have to leave, and all I've done is checked on comments on my layouts, left love in the gallery, and checked out the forum...which did not disappoint this morning between the AI discussion and now the neurodivergent brain! I am actively avoiding having to deal with things like eat breakfast and make a lunch for later (both of which I hate doing, but need to do because I know what will happen by 4 pm if I don't...sigh). I really just need to go to work now. Bye!

Yep, you've just described my life. That might be why I scrapbook. Although I like to be creative, I don't have the patience to knit, sew, or follow complicated directions.

 

[Aerobigirl]

Yeah, I think my mind definitely following all kinds of random tracks throughout my day too. I swear that our world makes all of us very distracted! Between emails and texts popping up constantly on our phones and the feeling to need to be all things to all people, a lot of us get pulled in too many directions all at once and never seem to get all the to-do things done. Lol.

Technically definitely feeds into ADHD and short attention span. Urgency versus importance. I turn the ringer off my phone and flip it over for a little while if I'm doing something important.

 

[Aerobigirl]

My brain lately is “let’s just be lazy” so I’ve started saying “I don’t want to do this but I’m going to do it anyway.” I need to write a list to keep my priorities straight.

Lists definitely help!

 

[littlekiwi]

I shared this with my mum who was late diagnosed with ADHD at 55 & she could relate..... actually so could I (I'm undiagnosed ADHD most likely as well)

 

[scrapchyck]

Yep, you've just described my life. That might be why I scrapbook. Although I like to be creative, I don't have the patience to knit, sew, or follow complicated directions.

And that is why the embroidery kit I purchased is still sitting there on the table mocking me, half done.

 

[elseepe]

I feel like that is "normal". My daughter has a diagnosis for ADHD, she often tells me I probably have it too because it is hereditary, and some of the "rabbit holes" and diversions are characteristic as well as the hyper-focus. I tell her, ok, but at my age it feels normal to me and it's ok to not do anything to change it. It may explain a lot.

 

[bcnatty]

My daughter has ADHD, and is definitely like that. Earlier on when she was first figuring things out, she would send me videos that someone made to describe what it was like and I would cry because it must be so exhausting. Sending out love to everyone who has to deal with this constantly.
Lately, in coming close to perimenopause, I definitely feel like I am totally all over the place and can't remember anything!!

 

[VinGirl]

My brain lately is “let’s just be lazy” so I’ve started saying “I don’t want to do this but I’m going to do it anyway.” I need to write a list to keep my priorities straight.

I feel this exactly. I think for me, I just feel overwhelmed, and my brain is trying to 'help' with that. I always joke that the wheels on the struggle bus do not go round and round, since I just feel stuck.