Of everything I was able to read about ADD, the best texts I can recommend on ADD are "Answers to Distraction" and "Driven to Distraction" by Edward M. Hallowell MD and John Ratey MD. If you are curious about the condition, or if you think you are affected by it, get them. They are widely available, and very engaging to read. If you find that your own image stares back at you from the pages of the book, you'll weep. Take my word for it....
Once you learn ADD is part of your life, you can use it as a gift. ADD brings with it many beautiful qualities; it's like raw energy. It's a matter of self-discipline to help you harness it. Like I said before, the key is education.
Hear hear!
I could say things like "it's a constant struggle", "I wouldn't want to miss the creative highs for anything", etc etc. But basically I see it as the way I am, the way my brain is configured. I believe that just like the spectrum of sexuality there is a spectrum of brain configurations going from very ADD or "hunter" to very "farmer" (iffy analogies btw, but good theory, don't get me started - at the very least call it "hunter/gatherer"). It is definitely a grey area, I see different degrees of it all around me.
I happen to be the daydreaming ADD type, not hyperactive and not extremely ADD, which could also be partly due to the way I was raised (my parents also turned out to be ADD and had the right behavioral environment already in place, not realizing it was different from other people's). In any case a huge weight of self-recrimination and self-defeatism fell off me once I found this out during my psych studies. Knowledge is definitely key. With some behavioral tips and tricks and the knowledge of *why* you act or are a certain way it becomes easier to adapt to the demands of our current world. Besides, there's a lot we should be grateful for in this instant-gratification, high-stimulation, high-info world of ours! Can't even begin to imagine the boredom of olden days... ;)
Current reading tip: "ADD-friendly ways to organize your life" (Kolberg & Nadeau, 2002). I find I'm already doing a lot of things right, which I learned early on: eg I'm able to keep clutter under control by acting like a waiter and "never going to the kitchen empty handed"; I can start an overwhelming task by "just beginning in one corner, anywhere"; I use my watch, plenty of clocks and calenders (including the tv guide) as my time anchor; I make lists (groceries, shopping, to do at work, to do at home, to DIY, etc) which also act as triggers to remind me to remember something... And I learned early on to just keep my mouth shut so I wouldn't put my impulsive foot in it - by now I have learned to weigh my comments for appropriateness and say them when the risk is within reason: kinda exciting actually, in a social gambling sort of way. And as a result I've become this 'popular' spontaneous and ingenious chick - total opposite to my supershy teen self. ;))
Where was I? Hmm. Ok. I could spend all morning writing about this, but I just noticed it's 10.39 and I really should get on with my work. So I'll remove myself from this pc, get a cup of coffee, and turn on some of my "working music' to get me on the right track again. Nothing like the challenge of telecommuting! :))
Ticia ',:) ---------- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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