The Forums › Forums › The Workplace › Struggling › Is modern life and work just too complex to keep up with? › Re: Is modern life and work just too complex to keep up with?
Wow, this is me, and so naturally, I am listening!
Me as in, I’m doing fine, I’ve had some successes in my life, I don’t feel myself to be at the same level of impairment as a lot of the folks I’m reading about here and in the ADD books.
On the other hand, yeah, there’s been a fair amount of craziness behind the scenes of a lot of my accomplishments. And I certainly haven’t accomplished as much as the folks around me. (Although I do have to remind myself I live an a crazy town full of hyper-achievers ) Still, I’ve no doubt that I could have accomplished much more without all the craziness.
And I’ve spent a lot of time feeling like I need to legitimize my concerns about possibly having ADD. Because, like you, everyone I talk to says “No, you don’t have it, and I’m like that too.” But somehow this doesn’t reassure me, because, deep down, I can’t let go of the idea.
I wish I had some useful advice and/or answers to your questions – Again, because, well, they’re my questions, too! Only difference is that at my stage of life I’m not dealing with the stressful work situation, aside from the parenting stuff, which is, of course, by no means a small thing. And, wow, you want to talk about getting the “Oh, I do that too” answer, just wait till you’re trading parenting notes.
I think what we’re finding out is that it can be nearly impossible to have perspective about this one, especially when we’re talking about a spectrum disorder. Could it be better? Yeah. Could it be worse? Sure. Funny thing is, if it turns out we do have ADD, well, that means we lack even MORE perspective, because supposedly this is common with ADD’ers.
BUT – what we lack in perspective, we make up for in experience. As in, nobody has seen more of your life than you, your own self. Maybe you can’t interpret the picture, but at least you see the WHOLE picture.
So the question is, Do you have ADD, but really, the *immediate* question is, Can you handle things? and from the sound of your post, I think the answer is, not right now, without help. The fact that you managed for 27 years doesn’t change what’s going on right now, this second. And the fact is that there’s something keeping you from getting the job done. The other people in your office are getting the job done. They’re stressed, but they’re getting it done. You are not getting it done, despite trying very hard. To me, that is a hugely legitimate reason to consider that an illness might be a factor.
Is it ADD? Maybe. What if it isn’t ADD? Does that mean you’re just not cut out for the “fast pace of modern life?” (A worry for all of us here in the land of the not-yet-diagnosed).
Well, here’s the epiphany I had last night: there’s SOMETHING going on, something that is worrisome, something that is nagging at you and me. It could be ADD, it could be depression. Or anxiety. In short, it could be something that is treatable, fixable. Something that could be helped by a professional.
We owe it to ourselves to make an appointment and get it checked out.
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