Robbo –
When I was in high school, I spent copius amounts of time in my room listening to the radio, up on my tip toes, doing this dancing-around-the-room sort of thing. I won’t call it dancing. It was more like frantic, listening to music movements. Again, I won’t call it dancing. If you’d seen it, you probably wouldn’t’ve called it dancing either. That’s what I did instead of homework. I did it for hours and hours, every evening, kinda late into the night. Then, tired, but still wired, I’d turn off the stereo because it was getting late, turn on the tv and try to settle down. I would lay awake until the wee hours of the morning.
So, what I’m saying is, I hear you on the music thing. Also, it’s just dawning on me how ADD my behavior was – spending hours just basically moving at a frantic pace, trying to burn off this energy I had. It didn’t work; I think I just built up more energy, and even though I was physically tired, I wasn’t able to get to sleep.
Tiddler –
Years ago, I got a copy of this book “The Highly Sensitive Person” and felt like I was reading my autobiography. I wish that book had a chapter titled “Hey, honey, go get evaluated for ADD. Seriously, it ain’t bipolar.” If I had only known that things like being hypersensitive, both emotionally, and physically, were aspects of ADD. (If only I had known my restlessness and tendency toward shopping were aspects of ADD, and not to the level of mania, but that’s for another thread). When I was younger, I hated, hated, *hated* the long-sleeved shirts my mama would make me wear with the seams that ran down my arm; I would twist them around, but they still didn’t feel right. I hated all my clothes. I still hate clothes. I hate jeans. I *loathe* jeans. I hate the way they feel – so rough and tight and hindering. I’ve decided to wear skirts now, so I can feel free. Here’s an embarassing thing – I used to hate underwear to the point that I wouldn’t wear it. Basically, I hate the feel of seams of any kind on clothing. Panty seams, the in seam on pants, on sleeves, etc. I hate sheets! I hate feeling like the sheet is holding me down on the bed, like I can freely move my feet. Don’t get me started on blankets, or even forbid the layering of sheets and/or blankets. I can’t handle it.
But you should check out that book if you haven’t already. 