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I had the realization tonight that one of the most frustrating ways my ADHD brain works is comparable to Dr. Manhattan from “Watchmen.” He experiences all of time at once. That’s my brain but with discrete tasks
On the one hand, it means that if I’m doing something, I’m probably also bopping back and forth between three other tasks at the same time, because they catch my eye during the first task and I suddenly remember “I need to do that, too!”
This continues until either they’re all done or -I’m- done and ready to quit. In my youth, I thought that this was what multitasking looked like
OR! And this one is more insidious, I see everything that I am Supposed To Be Doing at once and the feeling of both the anxiety of failing at one or more of the tasks, and the weight of how much is on the list, hits me all at once
Medication has helped keep it under control, narrowing my world to one slice of time, and allowing me to remember that thing that I’m doing in that exact moment
But sometimes like this morning, that’s not quite enough and it all gets to be overwhelming. It’s emotionally exhausting and feeds into the “wow you’re lazy AND a failure!” loop that just makes it easier to have that second version hit you
So yeah, blessing and a curse there. I’m trying to be more mindful and keep myself more grounded in the slice of time I’m going through and on the task at hand.
...and yes, I’ve absolutely been tweeting this thread as I’m cleaning the apartment for the night because I’m a WIP
...and yes, I’ve absolutely been tweeting this thread as I’m cleaning the apartment for the night because I’m a WIP
Two last things!
1) I’m glad that this was relatable to so many people. And it’s not all bad, I’ve been VERY LUCKY over the last few years to find myself in jobs/roles that play to my strengths and help turn my ADHD into a positive at times
1) I’m glad that this was relatable to so many people. And it’s not all bad, I’ve been VERY LUCKY over the last few years to find myself in jobs/roles that play to my strengths and help turn my ADHD into a positive at times
2) If you’re at a big adult age and wondering if you might have ADHD too, it can’t hurt to look into it and talk to a professional.
And shoutout to @annabroges for this amazing set of resources for adults who (like us) were diagnosed late https://www.self.com/story/adult-adhd-resources
And shoutout to @annabroges for this amazing set of resources for adults who (like us) were diagnosed late https://www.self.com/story/adult-adhd-resources
