[nellie]

I think in part the difference between hoarding and just having lots of stuff that’s totally disorganized with ADD is that the hoarders often go looking for more stuff. Whether the accumulation is via garbage picking, going to yard sales, shopping or whatever, it seems to be deliberate and purposeful accumulation even when they know there is too much. There is also an odd justification process that goes with this as to why to keep it.

As a person with ADD I can get rid of things, just find it overwhelming to deal with large volumes of stuff. My basement and garage are pretty bad but no rotting pumpkins thank goodness!

I’ve seen that show and while it does seem exploitative in one sense, and I think the people are at their wits end & are just desperate to get help any way the can. It would be interesting to know what happens to them a year after the show airs. BTW it is also available online with some behind the scenes footage.

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

I think the clue to the deadline issue is in the word you used :Excitement.” I’m going to guess the novelty of doing something you hadn’t done before & the creative thinking you needed to solve the problem gave you a shot of adrenaline and made the costume one heck of a lot more fun to do than the “basic” headdresses.

Also the deadline gives you an excuse to procrastinate on the other things your supposed to be doing and provides a temporary feeling of relief Been there!!!

Lately I’ve been following the GTD method ( Getting things done) which breaks things into steps and this really helps with those tasks that end up becoming albatrosses the longer we push them off. It’s amazing how productive one can be by breaking things down step-by-step. You then follow the steps one at a time so things don’t feel quite so overwhelming.

The more steps you check off as completed the more gratified you feel . You also feel more in control . I think it’s probably typical of ADDers to take an all or nothing approach. If I can’t do it all I won’t do any, which of course perpetuates a terrible cycle of procrastination.

Is there something about your headdresses that is causing you to procrastinate? Perhaps if you write each step down it might provide a clue.

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

My daughter and I watched the modern Family episode and totally cracked up. Thanks for sharing the link! The Dad and son doing the project is so us it’s scary! Think I’ve found a new show. Will have to look for The Middle next.

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

Wow Elizabeth that actually must have been quite frightening when you realized you had forgotten her!.

One of my kids once wandered off while she was a toddler at a busy outdoor flea market. It took my husband and I about 20-30 minutes before we found her and I’ll never forget the panic I felt. Both my husband and I were distracted looking at stuff and thinking the other had her with them.But I assume that can happen to anyone, not just those who are ADD.

I do suppose the ADD predisposes us to doing that sort of thing when engaged in something, in a hurry or stressed.

My kids are in their late teens now but still accuse me of wandering off in grocery stores!

Recently I was under deadline to complete a project for a volunteer organization and was rushing to deliver some items one evening. One of my daughters was at a friends home working on a school project but I instructed her to be ready at a specific time to be picked up so I could be on time for my meeting. I made a point that I shouldn’t be kept waiting and she should be ready to get in the car when I arrived to pick her up.

Well…as usual, I got so wrapped up in what I was doing that I completely forgot to pick her up until she called me 2 minutes before I was about to leave for my meeting!

At her age it isn’t as big a deal as it might have been if she had been younger, but I felt really silly. It was dinner time for the family at whose house she was and it was probably a tad inconvenient for her to be there.

Luckily my husband was able to pick her up on his way home from work.Two hours late mind you but something I should have planned for in the first place.

Once again the old adage holds true: fail to plan and you plan to fail!

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

Hey everyone, having a good laugh about the frozen food stories – here’s another if you can bear it:)

Years ago I left a 20 lb frozen turkey in the back of my SUV during the winter. Guess I never drove around long enough for it to de-thaw. Granted things smelled a little off once in a while but my car always had some sort of food left in it so didn’t bother to investigate. Anyhow, we went on vacation for a couple of weeks and asked our mechanic to pick up and work on the truck while we were away. Well, the weather was in the -30s when he picked it up. He had a small shop at his home and pulled it into his single garage to warm up. The car warmed up nicely . Took him a while to realize no one had actually died

He was really ticked off when we came back and only now, as I sit here with far more clarity than I had then, do I understand why and realize most people probably don’t forget large turkeys in their cars

But I still think it’s funny and am LMAO!

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

Vhunter here is a link to Psychologist Dr. Miglena Grigorovain the Montreal area. She specializes in ADHD & Learning Disabilities. You can read her bio on the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php?profid=61400&sid=1267591737.5173_13522&city=Montreal&state=Quebec&spec=6

Good luck

REPORT ABUSE

[nellie]

Oh you just made me crack up!

I just realized while reading your post I think I’m still on that plan with Bell for one of my phones:) I think we’ve had it 15 years now and I did try to return it to the Bell store a couple of times over the years but the lines were too long which I was too impatient for .

So I took it back home for a year or so each time. I would leave post it notes on it – I felt so efficient when I did that!

At some point my husband said where’s the phone ( it was the one in his home office) and I put it back. Maybe 2010 will be the year I finally get it together and return it. I cringe trying to think how much I’ve paid for it by now

REPORT ABUSE

[Author]

Posts