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Cross-Train Your Brain – Free

Cross-Train Your Brain – Free2013-01-15T15:54:34+00:00

The Forums Forums Tools, Techniques & Treatments What Worked For Me… Cross-Train Your Brain – Free

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  • #118435

    shutterbug55
    Participant
    Post count: 430

    About a year ago, when I first started this journey to figure out ADD and why I am the way I am, I was constantly forgetting to do things. Brushing my teeth, tying my shoes, leaving pots of water on the stove to boil out, leaving lights on, not turning lights on, watering my lawn for a couple days… the list goes on.

    I figured out, for me it was a matter of routine. I did something so often, it became an automatic act, then got lost in the noise going on in my head, and didn’t get enough attention to get done right. At that point I started looking at doing things differently. If I turned on lights at the wall switch, I moved the plug and turned the lights on at the lamp. If I brushed my teeth with my right hand, I switched to the left.

    Thinking about the things I needed to do and how I did them, brought them back out of the noise. Do I still burn things on the stove? yes. Do I still leave lights on? yes. Are my car keys still playing hide-and-seek? yes. But not NEARLY as often. I think it is because I have to think about things so much, I have to get VERY distracted to let that stuff get forgotten. My car keys haven’t hidden from me in months, lights are still a problem, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn’t that big a deal. My smoke alarm battery lasted the whole 6 months and neighbors are wondering why there is no smoke pouring out of the kitchen window so often. I am not tripping over untied shoes. Hair is combed, teeth brushed, face shaved.

    Question: What is working for you? Have you tried to retrain your brain?

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    #118439

    Fabulous
    Member
    Post count: 173

    This is a very interesting approach, @shutterbug55. Many of my mess-ups are due to my brain slipping into autopilot mode when it shouldn’t. For example, I will be driving to destination X, and suddenly I stop consciously thinking about navigating the route to destination X and instead I go into autopilot and drive to more familiar destination Y, following my regular route to Y.   The advice that we so often get, to “create routines” and try to “make things routine as much as possible,” has always struck me as a little counter-intuitive with ADHD. I think you might be onto something.

    Also, I’m curious to know what connection you see with neuroplasticity — if any? (I noticed you referred to the name of that post)

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    #118450

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    Heyy gRRRReat! this is great. We’re great. This whole web site is great!!!

    Totally great!  I even read each and every word on this one too. Hones.

    Yep, Neuroplasticity is a very hopeful key. a big one. I’ll dig up that thread about tit too.

    Later, if I can jst slow down.

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    #118458

    shutterbug55
    Participant
    Post count: 430

    Hi Robbo!

    I was reading your post and thinking about it on my way home from work. Neuroplasticity sounds pretty cool, but everything I have read about it, applies to to brain injury and how the brain finds new pathways to old information.

    I think a lot of it is how information is stored in the brain. I work with computers and files are laid out in contiguous sectors (locations) in memory an on the hard drives. In the brain, information is scattered over regions but no one place in your brain has the memory of your first ice cream cone. That memory would be stored all over the place, the sensation of cold, the sweetness and taste of the ice cream, and the smell of the ice cream store. All stored in different locations and together make up the one memory. I am sure Dr. J can fill in far more details.

    I kind of discounted neuroplasticity in the treatment of ADD, because we are not “damaged”. There is no injury or trauma, or anything like that. For us it is how our brains are wired, and as far as the brain is concerned, “all systems normal”. The bad news is, normal for us, is not normal for those blessed not to have this affliction. I am sure if someone watched me go about my day, “Brain Damaged” would come to mind.

    I try to retrain myself to do things, so I have to think about them and once I start thinking about them, they don’t get forgotten. Other things I developed an almost OCD ritualistic behavior, which is unnatural to me and again keeps the things I need to do all the time in the forefront of my thought. I still get distracted and diverted and I forget things, but not to the extent I used to.

    I would like to read that article you are trying to find. This 60year old codger is always learning new things!

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    #118459

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    It’s been a while since I wrote a book. Here’s some mud in yer eye gang 🙂

    This post is my greatest achievement in 2013. A marvel of ADHD victoreeeee!.

    Thanks a bunch shutterbug, that’s some excellent homework you’ve done. I can see your point and I agree that ADHD ain’t because we bumped our head one too many times. I have ADHD, and have to accept that a certain amount of my struggle cannot be fixed through the hard work that people with bain injuries or stroke can hope for with neuroplasticity. (this was a hard sentence to put together) It’s a tricky balance for me because I never will get to know how much of my struggles are just ADHD and how much of them are due to an accident so many years ago. Two different issues. Two different kinds of recovery. But not really. A big annoying “yeah butt”. We don’t actually “recover” from ADHD, but we do recover from living a painful life with it. There might be more hope with a brain injury. Who knows?. Dang what a mess.

    I had a very productive therapy session today. I’ve missed many sessions over the holidays due to my own failing mental n physical health. And the physical health struggles of my therapist. Very fortunately for me is the fact that she’s very much an expert on ADHD. She’s got it too. Real bad!. lol. But that’s good! because she’s deep into recovering from a life with it, as well as being deep into recovering from an auto accident similar to the one I’ve had. She seems too good to be true. I was tripping on that today. Freaked out because there’s so much about this lady that seems too good to be true in my vision. I have a strange tendency to make things much more dramatic than they actually are. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about me, but let me tell ya. It’s true. 🙂 I need to take a break n laugh about this brain I’ve got hanging out between my ears. BRB.

    okay, heeer we go.

    I think I wanted more hope about leaving this ADD business behind me like a person recovering from a brain injury might be able to do. You haven’t smashed my hope, so don’t trip on that man. Fortunately you’re giving me this info after about 17 months of focusing on mostly just the ADHD. I was never really sure about the extent of my head injury, and still don’t get to know. For all I know I’ve been using that accident as an excuse since the psychiatrist told me the true definition of a brain injury in 2010. I’ve been saying I don’t remember the first 10 days after an accident for so long that I feel like it’s written in stone. The truth is that it’s my best guess, I got crap health care considering what’s possible and what I actually got. But then I think about how folks had to deal with injuries 30 or so years before me. What a mess!!!, I won’t beat me up. But I feel like I got ta be honest n find some kind of happy middle ground here. I’m very sure the guess I have about the extent of my brain injury is close.  But I simply don’t get to know. So I live with that. We all live with uncertainty. I know that I’ve never been able to write this much as clearly as I am tonight. So maybe it just doesn’t matter. Yep, it don’t matter. I think. lol.

    I’ll think more in the future about playing this neuroplasticity card in the ADHD card game. For me, and that’s the key. In my case, brain injury just might be some factor. It ain’t the case with typical plain ol ADHD. Not that there is such a thing as “plain ol ADHD” huh?. I bet you understand where I’m coming from.

    This ain’t fun. This is truly uncomfortable. You and I are part of a very important community and I feel like we’re doing a good job of talking. It’s a feat of immeasurable greatness for all of us to get along so well in this support group of a web site. It’s practically famous in the figurative sense how well we all get along here. I’ve only participated in one other forum like this one. It was a veritable hot bed of character assassination, flame wars, disagreement, and mal-communication.

    We simply rock here. And I have to say that my ability to write has flowered like a darn bird of paradise bush. Huh? (don’t mind if I do say so)

    Dude!, I respect you a lot and I’m super grateful for your service here and over seas. It’s also true that you got a right to disagree with stuff I say. In this case it’s more like you’re just correcting me, or more accurately, helping me to see the truth a llittle bit clearer. That’s help, I’d pay you but I doubt you would accept anything other than a thank you kindly sir. I remember when you shared about your daughter flying those massive airplanes across the world. That’s real cool man! 🙂 More recently I’ve got some new hope and see some real light out in the future in regards to my relationship with the offspring. The offsprings doing great, she’s got a job she’s happy with. She hasn’t kicked me out of her life. I got no complaints. I sent her a text a few days ago that went something like this

    (I saved it)

    “I sure do love you a lot kid doe, my lil deer (with spots all over you like Bambi) how cute huh?”

    She didn’t reply, but as I was telling my therapist today. (and showed her the saved text still in my phones outbox) The kid’s got a very dry sense of humor. I could easisly see her trying to keep a straight face in my minds eye. ***grins proudly***

    The time we communicated before that was another very short text message exchange. Mine to her just said

    “Send me your new address or I won’t love you any more”

    she sent me her address only!. Not even a dang smiley!. no “lol”. NOTHING. The lil brat expects my imagination to picture her straight face glaring at me as she struggles to keep that grin off it. lol. I’m an old fart now and get to write “lol”, starbucks calls my coffee “old school” so when I went through the drive through today, something my anti-capitalist brain can’t believe I did. I gave them some new adjectives (I’m guessing at the definition of an adjective, I ain’t no termite)

    “Don’t call me old school”

    I never go to starbitches. But the pastor at one of the churches I go to made me meet him for coffee last week at one of those little rip off houses. I complained about the ridiculous $4.25 for a cup of joe today. fortunately I discovered earlier this week that coffee mellows me out like freakin magic. I forgot all about that, that ain’t cuz I got hit in the noogin, huh?. I can hear an echo in my head from the psychiatrist back in 2010 telling me “if coffee helps ritalin will really help”. Today I found out from my therapist that since she has a masters degree she can make recommendations about my medication!.  A revelation of magnanimous proportion indeed. I’ve been nursing that cup of joe for over 5 hours. I mix a lot of milk into the remaining coffee cuz I need the protein to smooth out the calming effect of the caffeine. Kinda like the methyphenidate I used to take last year. After talking with my counselor today, I’m okay with taking the generic ritalin once again. I’ve got much better guidence on exactly how to take it. I felt kinda hopeless and out on my own alone last year. That’s part of why I quit taking the generic ritalin. The main reason is the way it mellows out my clowning around. Well heck, now I see that I simply need to become friends with the idea of growing up a lil.

    I’m okay with that.

    Anyways, I think I’ve got it straight. For me brain injury may or may not be an issue. The distinction is that the brain injury issue will go away eventually. The ADHD monster stays… Well that’s just the shits huh?.

    Yep.

    The shits. It’s kindof a cute monster though. Some. A lil bit. Actually I like it a lot sometimes.

    Thanks a bunch.

    Drive to the next window…

    PS The thing about my offspring is that she’s got this great sense of humor. When she started going to University (It’s so hard not to write “the University”, I just don’t understand English) but I’ll just trust the way you guys use this language for now. Later maybe I’ll try school. mebby not.

    So kiddo started calling me “Dad Yo” when she went off the college and the communication switched to email “books” (that’s what the lil brat called my emails to her) and notes scribbled n scratched on random pieces of paper to try n show her how to reduce re-use n recycle by example. That’s when she started callen me “day yo”. We just ran with it from there. We’re the clown family. Every neighborhood’s got them. I bet they’re all ADDers.

    Thanks please drive through.

    PPS, it just freaking blows my mind how well plain ol caffeine works. Reminds me of how the methylphenidate used to work. I just don’t get to clown around as much. This way I’m more like a sane person though. Not sure I’m ready for that. But the world needs me to be seemingly sane huh?. I’m less frightening this way. The childlike properties of my mental apparatus are beckoning me to never drink that evil liquid again… I’ll do like my lady doctor said today at therapy. Just use the junk when I need to write something important. Or something about functioning better. I forget.

    She’ll remind me. That’s real cool huh?

     

     

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    #118462

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    I’m sooo dang pissed off. I can’t stand it.

    Oh dang!!!

    That post above was a veritable masterpiece of finger engeneering!. I even used the quote buttons right!. but when I copy and pasted the text from the totallyadd page to my mac word processor. worked on it n then copy n pasted it back onto the totallyadd page. It didn’t put the stuff in quotes in larger, bolder print, and larger margins. And now I can’t click on edit a 3rd time cuz the word “edit” ain’t there no more. That’s frustrating. This must be what my therapist was talking about when our anger gets triggered by a seemingly little no big deal nothing thing. It turns into a giant debilitating super destructo monster in the middle of my core. That freakin hurts.

    I guess that’s the real reason there seems to be an echo in 0ur support group of a web site lately. Lot’s of folks just can’t stand learning to use our new forum and new tricks we got to play with.

    Ah, I almost feel better, not really though. I know that ain’t the right way to use our quote function. But I’m sooo freakin angry about not being able to edit my post more than a couple times that I think I might freaking melt my car outside from the white hot heat of the anger in my soul. I was hoping using the quote thing in this post would make me feel better but nope. I’ll “write about it” like one of the dudes from church encouraged me to do today when we were talking about how much I simply cannot stand being forced to use the monstrosity of a behemoth…. never mind.

    The stuff in quotes up above in my longer reply should be just like part in this one where I say…

     

     

     

     

    Ah screw it. It ain’t that important.

    But, but… crap!   letting go sucks. It blows massive dead bears!!! yeah… dang right.

     

    WHY CAN’T I EDIT MY POST MORE THAN A COUPLE TIMES!!!

    WHY

    WHY

    WHY!!!!!

    WHY

    WHY

    WHY!!!!!

    WHY

    WHY

    WHY!!!!!

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    #118465

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    GRRR, well I was reading the stuff I said about kid dow, on the post I can’t edit and found a typo. It’s different when I’m writing about my loved ones. I should be able to edit that. But NOOO!, this new software rocks really hard, but I ain’t too crazy about not being able to edit my posts more that a couple, maybe 3 if I’m lucky. Times!!!. That BLOWS NASTY STINKIN DEAD BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Here’s the sentence that I goofed

    That’s when she started callen me “day yo”. We just ran with it from there. We’re the clown family. Every neighborhood’s got them. I bet they’re all ADDers.

    N here’s what it was supposed to say.

    That’s when she started callen me “dad yo”. We just ran with it from there. We’re the clown family. Every neighborhood’s got them. I bet they’re all ADDers.

    Dang, I got to use the quote function but I don’t feel any better.

    I quit.

     

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    #118472

    devadmin
    Participant
    Post count: 25

    Hello Robbo, I am sorry that you are experiencing difficulties. Could you please check to see if you are able to edit your original post now?

    Thank you.

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    #118476

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    @adnim, I think the problem is that, on the old site, we had 30 minutes (or was it 60 minutes?), in which we could edit our posts as many times as we liked.  However, this new site only seems to allow 3 edits or 2 minutes (whichever comes first).

    If you could bring back the Edit set-up that we had on the old site, that would be amazing!

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    #118477

    MarieAngell
    Member
    Post count: 140

    @shutterbug55, I’ve practiced some of your method over the last couple of years. I find it a little too aggravating to have to think so hard about everything, but it helps me to transition to practicing more mindfulness, which is very helpful.

    It would seem that neuroplasticity surely can come to our aid to some degree.  Would love to hear Dr. Jain’s thoughts.

     

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    #118491

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    I’ll bet some of us have brain injuries and don’t realize it. How many times have you been knocked out that you remember?, that’s the thing, we don’t remember all the times we got knocked out because we we’re knocked out. How many “micro strokes” have you had that you don’t know you’ve had?   Yep, creep scary… huh?. I guess while trying to play the neuroplasticity card we can sometimes build new habits and find out it just does not matter why we’re making progress or how. As long as we actually make progress.

    For me the trick seems to be not taking too much credit when Grace happens. It does happen. It ain’t easy to accept. But it’s possible. it’s real cool when I don’t have to question why things are going well

    @Larynxa  Thanks!!!!

    we had 30 minutes (or was it 60 minutes?), in which we could edit our posts…

    That’s brilliant!. Seriously, thanks. (I sometimes think it’s sarcastic when Britts say “Brilliant!” but that’s just how you folks talk huh?. 🙂 ) You really helped me out a lot. I was really getting freaked out, now I know I’ll just need to take my time and move alil slower. You’d think I would have learnt that by now, huh? Don’t answer that. Thanks a gazillion million my dear.

    I think I’ve developed some kind of humor mechanism to help me deal with being born into a world I Just Can Not Stomach. So I’ve managed to bend my reality into a much more humorous and light hearted one. Of course I can be serious when it’s absolutely necessary. But moslty I’ve found out that it’s rarely necessary. When I’m dealing with serious human suffering. I naturally tend to be more compassionate and caring. That’s when I can be very serious indeed. My biggest change since coming to this web site has been my ability to slow down and listen when it’s important to do so, some. And I’m also learning to beat me up less when I screw up again, n again. Pholks like us can end up all broken apart and bleeding internally if we keep on beating ourselves up every times we goof. We could die!.

    Don’t die you guys!. Stick around here instead n learn how to deal.

    @admin  You Crack Me Up!!!.  I like your profile too. Funeeee.

    Now quit goofin off and get back to work!. Fix stuff. Now go home.

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    #118501

    Patte Rosebank
    Participant
    Post count: 1517

    @Robbo, it’s rare, but brain injuries can cause ADHD.  Most ADHD is genetically inherited from a parent (or two), but there are some people who develop it from a major brain injury.

    __________________________________

    Your observation about the word “brilliant” demonstrates one of the problems with written words.

    If the word was being spoken, you could hear the person’s tone of voice, and know whether they were being happy & excited, or if they were being sarcastic & miserable.

    Since the word is written, you have to figure out for yourself what the writer means by it.  And sarcasm is something that’s really hard to convey with written words.

    ___________________________________

    That “humour mechanism” you mention is pretty powerful stuff.  It’s gotten me through a lot of really awful stuff, and it’s a great way to bond a group of people together, especially when they’re in a high-stress environment.  This is why stagehands have a certain grim, ironic sense of humour.  (And why a group of stagehands is called “a grumble”.)

    The humour mechanism works, because if you can laugh at something, then you diminish its power over you.

    It works with people, too.  This is why bullies and dictators can’t stand being made fun of.  And why some guys feel threatened by girls who can make them laugh.

     

    So keep using that humour, Robbo.  And more power to ya!

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    #118506

    Robbo
    Member
    Post count: 929

    Thanks. We got a cool crew working in this show, huh?.

    At church I just did the sound for a short time. Mostly I listened. Again, it’s the listening. 🙂

    I ain’t no roadie!  🙂

    ———————-

    I like the way you separated your comments. (I almost goofed it though) lol This communication stuff is soo0 very easy for us to goof huh?. Communication skills are the main gift I’ve received from Rick and his bosses. This community is a spark in the dark n cold recesses of the Internet. A better facebook.

    Facebook for freaks!!!

    ______________

    The more I get used to the format we’re given here, the more I really like it here. This is real cool, I’m glad I got to watch this thing come together.

    It’s exploding and growing and building and improving. It’s US!!!. A community. Good people. I’m gonna try to find that “were nice people” thread”. It’s all about US 🙂 We’re turbo nice, sooper nice, and also empathetic n compassionate.

    We’re the greatest web site of all time!!!. It’s also real fun to exaggerate.

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