Work in Progress--Aren't We All?

I have a problem. Well, not a problem. A sidekick. An accessory. An additive.

A.D.D. (And maybe H, but you'd have to ask others about that. I don't see it.)

I realize the diagnosis of this disorder has been thrown around in the last two decades as a "catch-all" for unwanted behavior in children, especially those in a traditional, outdated classroom. It seems that when children get into middle school, many of them are diagnosed with having ADD, both girls and boys, mainly boys. Medication is only one solution. There are also other strategies that have to be learned (and taught). And some may argue that ADD isn't a real disorder. That we all have difficulty "focusing" in this multi-tasking world. That this label is nothing more than excusing behavior that is unacceptable....

I was diagnosed as an adult. Frankly, I was a bit shocked. Honestly, I thought my friends and colleagues were kidding about my being ADD; but, when I told them, their response was one collective: "Did you think we were joking?" Umm....yeah, I did.

Throughout my initial schooling, I coped with a sidekick I've always had but not yet named. In jr. high school, I did my homework at a table in the living room, where no one lived. By the time I got to college, I realized in order to focus, I had to be in the "quiet room" where no one could disrupt me and I couldn't either. There was not any medication because there was no diagnosis.

Understanding an accessory like this means accepting one's limitations and also the gifts that it can bring. I do believe I'm more creative because of it. But the restrictions it places on me at times is what I'm working on to change.

Take Your Medicine!

So here's the funny thing about ADD meds as an adult with ADD. They give you the scripts in advance and date them ahead. You can't fill them until a particular time AND the pharmacy won't hold them for you. Hahahaha. Yep. I forget to fill the script or I lose it. Superb. Sometimes, I believe the meds are unnecessary. And then I take my actual prescribed amount and I am razor sharp focused and incredibly productive. 

What the heck? Why haven't I been taking the correct amount consistently to feel so in control of what I have to accomplish in a day?

I'm working on it.

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