Easing back in

[Tybee]

I don’t even have any idea how you evaluate an adult for ADD. But I work with kids, and I am quite sure I do not have kid ADD, and I did not have problems in school. I think I mostly have bad habits and “ while I’m here” syndrome “while I’m here I (will/should/can/might as well...)

just now now I wanted a cantaloupe. So I went out to the garden to see if there was a ripe cantaloupe. There was. But between me and the cantaloupe were three bushes of overgrown squash and a lot of weeds. And I had to say “stop!” “You May pick the (8) squash, but you may not pull any weeds. And you have to leave the squash right here next to the garden. You can come get it later if you want it. Or maybe the chickens will find it and eat it and save you the trouble of moving it. There is plenty of squash.” .

My husband has adult ADD. He did well in school, too, and in fact has a master's degree and is a college professor. He also gets frustrated with his inability to do everything at once, exhibits hyperfocus a lot, will lose track of time when he is working, can be difficult to communicate with as he interjects about ten ideas and conversational threads at once, etc.
He was diagnosed by a psychiatrist. Diagnosis has been since confirmed twice by two different psychologists.
It has caused him some real pain, living with a brain that works somewhat differently than many in the mainstream. On the other hand, his brain can do amazing things, so there is that. But it is definitely a condition that will complicate working, communication, and relationships.

[Chicken lady]

Yeah, that all sounds like me. (Minus the advanced degrees)

so are there non-drug coping solutions?

[Tybee]

Absolutely-- he has found a counselor and talk therapy is really, really, really helping him. He gets coping strategies all the time from him and counselor will interpret what DH tells him about what is going on through lens of ADD and it makes a big difference in how effective the CBT is.

The psychiatrist put him on medication and he's been on medication twice and it worked for him but he hated being on medication so went off it and now must work on non-drug coping solutions, which I respect.

I remember this book was helpful:

https://www.amazon.com/You-Mean-Lazy...5481784&sr=8-6

as was this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Healing-ADD-R...aniel+amen+add

Dr. Amen is a big believer in organic differences in the brain and uses things like nutritional therapy to help.


This one I have not read but it looks very promising:

https://www.amazon.com/Adult-ADD-Dia...ords=adult+add

because it talks about immediate strategies you can use. I think I may actually order that one for me, as I have been having a lot of focus problems lately, and the strategies help me, too.

[mschrisgo2]

In my early to mid 40's, when I went to my ob/gyn and, among other things, complained of excessive tiredness and slow recovery time, and lack of focus, no get-up-and-go, wanting to sleep longer, she said I had classic symptoms of depression- and gave me a referral to psychiatrist for meds. And I tried every med that was on the market over the next 8 years, and nothing really helped, although a lot of them really turned me into a zombie.

I finally fired the psych, and turned to food, vitamins and supplements after much online research. And that research eventually lead me to a group of doctors who focus entirely on metabolic disorders. After extensive blood tests, I was diagnosed with low thyroid, and prescribed a compounded T3 supplement, along with continuing my vitamins and others supplements, most importantly D3 and chelated magnesium. The effects were immediate and very positive. I know if the lack of motivation to move and intense desire for sleep return, my supplements are out of whack, and I get everything checked and get back on track. It's been more than 10 years now and it's all good. And I've recently learned that more of the positive side effects are not developing diabetes and maintaining appropriately low cholesterol and blood pressure.

[Chicken lady]

A lot to think about today.

good solid successes in the morning.

had to go out for flea medicine for the cat and stopped on the way back up the driveway to grab the squash. Gave 4 to the chickens tonight.

my afternoon was kind of draggy/tired. I did put away the laundry (5 loads that were sitting around), and I watched some videos, spent time online, and read a little.

then I decided to make ravioli because I have wanted to for a week and I had all the stuff. Even some mushrooms I got while I was out getting cat medicine. The ravioli was good. I don’t know if I can say it was from “scratch” because I cheated and used premade pasta. OTOH, I bottle fed the grandmother of the goat who provided the milk I made the cheese filling from....

so, that was my whole evening. Dh got home late and had the second seating of ravioli.

i feel a little bad about my afternoon because I feel like I could have done more, but my energy level was really low.

only a few things to to do have the room ready for tomorrow, and then off to bed!

[SteveinMN]

i feel a little bad about my afternoon because I feel like I could have done more, but my energy level was really low.

Tomorrow is another day...!

[Chicken lady]

So, I think making about 8 to about 10 (I ran ten minutes over again) my outside work time is good. Of course, I have a class tomorrow morning, and I volunteer on Monday mornings, and school is about to start, and the weekend schedule is driven by dh....

so, Tuesdays, 8-10, if it is not raining I will work outside.

Today i I pulled weeds, picked done squash that were a good size for dinner, cleaned one more wheelbarrow out of the stall i’m working on, and fired the burn barrel.

I have also showered and gotten my homework ready to take to the class i’m taking tomorrow.

i have done planning to do for school and light housework, so that will be my afternoon unless I hear from the woman I need to reach about picking up some materials for school. - then my afternoon will be mostly driving.

[Chicken lady]

I do not know why this box keeps changing “some” to “done” I must be hitting either the d or the n when I type and not noticing. (The n, I guess, dome is a word.)

anyway, the woman called, and all the materials for our recycling program are now in the assistant director’s office, ready to be set up (by the building manager) before school starts. I got a little bit of my housekeeping done too, but not my planning. I feel so much lighter with that job done though - it has been a rediculously long and paperwork intensive process with far too many shareholders!

today I have class in the morning, and I know there are leftovers for dinner. My barn is in routine mode, my laundry is caught up, and my house is clean enough for me. So today is feeling pretty low pressure. I still have 5 days to do these lesson plans.

[mschrisgo2]

Ah, Ease!! Enjoy!

[Chicken lady]

So, today, I am tired. I did my basics, and I went to class, and I took care of a few things at school, but I didn’t accomplish much, and I put off my homework and lesson plans, and I feel like I spent too much time reading and online and just resting and wasting time.

but I am doing well at changing the way I am THINKING about it.

I did a lot early in the week, and so it is not unreasonable to need rest.
we ate well.
the house is messy, but it won’t take an unreasonable time to catch back up.

i had an exhausting conversation with Dd2. I love her, and I am not a bad mother because she is exhausting. I am also not a bad mother because I resent being asked to make a two hour round trip to fetch her contacts because she planned poorly.

dh is working from home tomorrow, so I can sleep in and I won’t have to pack lunch, so cleaning up is less important.