ADHD / ADD Support Group

Hey Gigers,
My boys were sick this week (and my hubby today) so I have not been responding to post as I like. EVEN if nothing was ever diagnosed with you, I can say that the procrastination and not carrying sort of thing happens often with FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS so do not feel alone there.

However, considering the things you have shared, have you ever considered going to see a psychologist and seeing whether or not they will diagnose you for ADHD? I know that is NOT idea as no one wants to hear the diagnoses thing, but it may (not certain, but just maybe) answer a lot of questions as to why you focus or lack focus for that matter.

I know that a lot of kids, especially boys, go through some things when they feel academically either NOT CHALLENGED or TOO MUCH! When things are too hard or too much it is easier to act like you don't care, procrastinate and put things off then to actually deal with the issue at hand. However, the same can happen when one is not properly challenged as well.

Which do you feel describes you, if you agree with either of those statements at all? Hey, don't spend all your money on cigarettes b/c you will be broke over a habit that is addicting but not helpful at all, lol! Plus, a lot of cigarette smokers don't realize it, but that stuff stinks! :-)

CHALLENGE YOURSELF no matter how frustrating it gets because no one can stop you from the things you need to succeed but you!

The determination you have, even in having to squeeze the effort out of yourself, is well worth it. Try and be a little more optimistic with yourself, you sound like you are truly gifted but annoyed at your own lack of progress. Rather then worrying about WHY things are the way they are, try to focus on what it is that you can do to get yourself to a place you feel you need to be.

Even if you are diagnosed that doesn't mean you are doomed, lol. You may never need medication or there may be other things to assist you in your progress but the best place to start is being positive even with your outlook on your life.

You know I'm no PRO, but that is my advice.

I think I know for some part it is just the stress of keeping my finances going and steady..... But I am also sure there has been something going on all my life. My mother believed I was "gifted" in some ways because I'd spend so much time on my art and writing stories and having good homework at a young age, (that changed lol) but she missed out the parts where i was drifting off into daydreams for more than half an hour or so, (explains why I was apparently a perfectionist) so it took me a long time to complete anything - with my art I never completed a drawing because I could see the image in my mind (same with everything), but wanted the end results straight away....
being 'here' now, is a problem, I want to be here but I live in a dreamworld and I am not sure i could get out lol....

I find it very difficult to concentrate and finishing things I get lost mid-sentence and midway through projects.

Man, I definitely know what it's like to be a daydreamer...Gigers, your experience (especially your childhood description) reminds me a lot of myself.

lol I have read others posts too and thought the same - but without that piece of paper you tend to go around feeling a bit freakish....
I need to stop being obsessed with AS because it's just the block stopping me from looking at other things; there are some truths I find hard to swallow....

yeah ok, people have problems but, coordination problems, math problems, daydreaming, laziness, complancency, sluggish movements and thoughts that don't align with body - well yno, that's been there eons, so, it can't be just stress....

Thankyou for your replies - I need to stop moaning and get my arse moving!

ok your last paragraph just summed up the story of my life!

My primary problems are in relation to Concentration and Absentmindedness, I often, leave something behind, or leave something on or open, or forget to do something I would normally do... its not something that is uncommon as such in the general population, however the amount It affects me it is...far beyond normal... most people sometime in their life maybe one year leave a car door open... me all in the same week I leave a car door open, the stove on after I've been cooking (which is actually something I avoid doing - I tend to use the microwave instead - so it hasn't actually occurred to me it was just as an example), leave my backpack in a shop and misplace a CD and perhaps several others...

Btw, interesting to note that you wouldn't hate yourself if you had no reason to, as in you do do this stuff, buy cigarettes for example, and hate yourself afterwards?, doesn't track, if its behaviour you ARE in control of, you can stop it....
the Procrastination and focus issues, however, are another story, I'm the same, and even when I have to do something, I get all anxious and sometimes do something absolutely wrong...

Try to find ways you can work on what your good at and not be held back by things your bad at... also keep your teachers in the loop, let them know the issues your facing, they may look for other methods in your case, if something else is better or if you have a suggestion for them, try it, worst that can happen is they say no and things remain as they are right?...

hia
I can completely relate to the confusion about why I do certain things and why I am certain ways, and I worry more than I should about what others must think of me. I had terrible fears that people thought I was stupid, air headed, lazy, incompetent, weird etc etc. Distraction and procrastination and fear, (god, fear of everything!) were major stumbling blocks.
I saw a psychiatrist, found the right medication and got lots of counseling to learn how to accept myself, and I'm on my way to a better place.
Don't let people tell you you're lazy, including yourself. Talk to your doctor and request referral to a psychiatrist and counselor because you don't have to stay in the place you're in now. It can be a lot better. That's the big fuzzy picture.
Small piece of advice. It seems like you do like to accomplish things. Try making a list for yourself with the daily things you have to do. Even if it includes things like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, or washing the dishes, or doing laundry... Might sound silly, but the point is you'll see that you are accomplishing things and that'll feel good, and if you're like me, you might find it helps you get through things that would normally sit in the back of your mind and nag at you.
Hope that helps. Keep up the good work.

Hey there: I was diagnosed with ADHD about two years ago. I am so glad that I was because I was really starting to wonder what in the heck was wrong with me and the people in my life were unrelenting - why do you keep losing things, you are so irresponsible, why can't you follow a schedule. My self esteem had hit rock bottom. So the first thing I did was get some medication. The next thing I did was learn to block out the haters.Just remember that ADHD is a real - as real as Diabetes, lupus, etc.

I survive with ADHD primarily because of the following:

1. Constant/persistent research on how the brain works, strategies for coping with its symptoms, diet and nutrition for people wtih ADHD.
2. Read lots of positive, self help kinda stuff - its not that i am sure we don't know it but when our brains get stuck we need something to jog our memory about our decision to manage ADHD at all costs and to live the best lives we possibly can under the circumstances.
4. Counting in my head when I feel anxious or impatient.
5. Believing in a power higher than myself - I happen to be Christian, but to each his own.
6. Avoid too many commitments and situations when your creativity is under the gone or will be scrutinized. People with Adhd have to trust in ourselves much more than others and do things that please us because we are truly different from the status quo.
7. Pretend you have a boss in your head who asks you specific questions to make sure that you are on track.

Good luck with everything - my life is far from perfect but I am so much happier now that I have taken control of the ADHD. I am very proud of myself and refuse to let anyone take that away from me.

Take care.