more from ADDer world...

in response to a post about sensory overload...
I do have this problem to some extent, but in certain area, or some days I can handle things better. Since I've started taking medication it has helped a lot. I can be sensitive to certain noises, at certain times. For some reason I LOVE having my music up loud and going... it actually helps me, and the t.v. is ok loud if it's something I don't mind watching. There are certain times were too much is just too much though. We have a fan in our room, and having it on is not a problem, in fact it helps!! ...unless it starts to rattle... that will drive me insane!! it's things like that, there are just certain noises that grate at my nerves. I am wicked hypersensitive to touch. I'm an interesting type, when it comes to people, I love being close, I love hugs, I love cuddling, etc, but for example, growing up, I always wore really baggy clothes, that were several sizes too big for me, I didn't know I had adhd, all that I knew was that tight clothing bothered the heck out of me, and made it hard for me to sit still. In fact it was painful to wear closed shoes, I remember times, when I would actually start to cry if I couldn't wiggle my toes, even with my medicine I avoid wearing shoes and socks if i can. I also never used to wear a coat to school, even in the dead of winter because it was just too much!! And another one that really drives me crazy is things on my fingernails, whether it's polish or a bandaid or anything that might get stuck to them. When I was really young I couldn't stand being touched, but that has since changed :)

My post about best time of day "what's your time of day"
ok so I'm fairly new here on ADDer world, so I don't know if this has already been discussed, but I was wondering if anyone else ever feels like there are parts of the day that they can handle better than others, like is it easier for you to get up in the morning and function better then and such, or do you function better and feel better as it gets later? Maybe this is a weird question but for example I have been out of my medicine for the past few days and still trying to get in to get more, and I hold up ok without it, but I've noticed that the later it is, the easier it is for me to handle myself better? I've also read that some people with ADHD function better and even do their best work at night, especially when/if they can't sleep... sometimes I feel like that's the case with me. Anyone have any thoughts or comments or similar experiences??

in response to someone's question about ADHD and music...
most definitely!!! it sounds like you just described me Rohan! Music is a huge part of my life!! I love music, I have it on almost all the time, it helps me focus and can definitely influence my mood. I've almost always needed music on when I'm trying to do homework, or anything really!! It give my brain something else to focus on, and keeps me from being overstimulated by everything else that might be going on around me, and on the other side of things, complete silence will drive me crazy, it's deafening for me to sit in complete silence, and sometimes even white noise will start to get to me depending on what it is. Music also has a huge influence on my mood, happy sad, whatever!! and it helps me to superfocus, or if anything focus a little better on whatever I'm doing. I fall asleep to music a lot, walk around listening to it, driving, cleaning, almost everything. and also what i'm listening to really just depends on the mood i'm in or the mood i want to be in, I tell people that if they want to know how I'm feeling, just find out what i'm listening to. Also I'm a musician myself. If there's one thing that can help me focus, or whatever, it's sitting down with my guitar, or at a piano... or trying to learn something new. I write and sing, and those things help a lot. I love music!

In response to a question about ADHDers being drawn to each other...
interesting... yea I can see that, I dunno though. I've only met very few other people with ADHD... the first boy I fell in love with had ADHD, I don't remember when he told me about it, and I wasn't diagnosed until sometime after we had stopped dating, so it's very interesting to think about!!... I get along well with just about EVERYONE but especially people who might not be ADHD, but who are similar (really i don't know if they are or not) but they are just as dynamic and wild and things like that and we have CRAZY fun!!

In response to post diagnosis dating fears...
Yes I do worry... I'm different!! Whether I look at it positively or negatively, either way I'm different... my brain works different, my life moves forward differently, i handle things differently, i see things differently... heck let's face it I'm a handful!! There's just a lot of me to love, a lot going on in my mind and all of me going 100mph. I worry that I won't meet someone who can handle all of me, don't get me wrong, I love all of me but still I wonder! My mom knows me better than I know myself sometimes, and she has always thought that I would need to meet someone who can handle me, and will love me for all of me :) I like that. But yes, I do worry and get nervous about how my ADHD will affect my relationships and other things.

In response to a question about perfectionism...
oh gosh yes!! I'm quite the perfectionist... I expect SO much of myself. I'm learning though, just as some have already said, that really I'm just trapping myself and being unfair to myself... I'm learning that I can do my best and that really that's enough! That sometimes, things will happen the way they happen, that when those things happens it isn't always my fault, and that either way there is something for me to learn. I have to remind my self of these a lot, but it gets easier as I do more. Sometimes I make simple things much more complicated than they need to be... but the more I remind myself that I don't have to be perfect, the better I feel, because I don't feel like I'm letting myself down... I struggle quite a bit with perfectionism, but I'm learning, with lots of help, that I can give myself a break sometimes :)

In response to a question about the T.V. and radio...
Oh man yes!! I almost always have to have background noise... the tv, some music playing a fan going... something like that, always, if it's absolutely silent it will start to get to me and make it harder for me to do anything! Having something else going on, like music when I study, or a movie to sleep, helps me drown out some of the chaos in my mind, as well as every little random other noise around me. Or when sleeping, with a movie on, if I can get myself to listen to that, my mind doesn't dart off in every direction as much, as I'm trying to sleep, because if I enjoy the movie, and it's one I've seen enough times, I can listen to that and fall asleep easier. My parents used to not like it when I would listen to music and study, they thought it would distract me and I wouldn't get my work done, but it really does help!
Today my roommates and I turned on a movie, started a game, and grabbed some snacks... it was interesting that really they could only do one or the other... i played the game, watched the movie and probably could have started doing a few other things, it was kinda funny.
Chaotic noise distracts the heck out of me though, and can drive me insane!! Like sitting in a meeting where the room is supposed to be quite, and to most people it is... but I can hear every whisper, every yawn, sneeze, squeaky chair, candy wrapper, paper, etc, etc, usually magnified, and it drives me crazy!! I can't focus on the meeting or anything else, same with homework, or in a library... studying in the library can be hard for me. I get so bored that I can't focus and I start to daydream, or search for something more interesting without even realizing it.

In response to a question about favorite teachers ans why...
I had a few teachers that I really liked, and it was usually because they were pretty darn chill about things. They were the teachers who gave second chances. They were willing to show some personality in their teaching, it made it so much easier for me to pay attention to learn. My favorite teachers were especially the ones who I knew took an interest in me personally, it made me want to do better, almost the same thing I've read in some of these other posts, about forming a more emotional connection with your teacher because you knew they cared, and at least for me, and emotional connection with anyone makes things that much easier! If a teacher became angry with me or got on to me, I wanted to become distant. Do my work and not really associate if I didn't have to. I think that I had 2 favorite elementary school teachers. Mrs. Reeves and Mrs. Kolb... I had a nasty fear of failure, but both of them saw my potential and were constantly encouraging me to do better and to be better, they saw me for who I was and what I could do if given the chance and pushed a little. It was so cool, they are teachers that I could go back and talk to and they would probably remember me, especially Mrs. Reeves my 3rd grade teacher. She could see what I could do and encouraged me so much to succeed!! My least favorite teacher was actually a substitute that we had frequently in elementary school. She didn't treat us like people, she was very, very strict and never seemed happy, and we felt the repercussions of that... it was a sad day when you know she was subbing... I feel bad for her though because she didn't seem happy, and since we felt what came from that, she probably knew that a lot of students didn't like her, it was just a vicious cycle... oh well, I made it through!! Now I'm a university student with a lot of really good teachers and a lot of really good opportunities!! OH bottom line, I say... any child, especially ADHD needs to know that a teacher cares, and that a teacher will give them every opportunity to succeed, and help and encouragement! Knowing that someone else believes that you can succeed can really make a HUGE difference!!!

In response to "you know you have add/adhd when..."
hahaha i do stuff like all of this all the time!! I've learned to laugh at myself, and for the most part it's hard to embarrass me. I also loose my words a lot or stumble with them. I'll be sitting talking about something and I'll know exactly what I'm trying to say and then just lose the word!! I put stuff in the wrong place a lot and misplace things, and leave food in the microwave and yea, all sorts of stuff. one of my big ones is i'll be talking to someone about something, good conversation, and something completely random and off topic will cross my mind... and i'll say it out loud and just as part of the conversation... they get confussed but recover quickly and we move on... or we laugh.

anyway... life is good :) I'll have ritalin in the morning, my life is wonderful!! And being so ADHD I just realized that it's after 3 in the morning and I need to get to sleep :) goodnight blog world.