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Thanks, Indigenuity.
I have been doing some really good work on mindfulness with a counsellor at my school (I “get” a lot of Buddhist concepts now, on a gut level, that I only intellectually engaged with in my early 20s – that has been really awesome), which has been very helpful in school, work, and for my overall mental well-being. Next semester we’re going to tackle building sustainable physical health habits – I’m hoping that that might help with some of the symptoms that I mentioned above.Good to hear that no one has kicked you off your meds yet.
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Speaking as a student in college finally having a successful semester, the Centre for Students With Disabilities (at Centennial College, Toronto, ON) has been a *huge* help for me. The two people I have had the most contact with are both counsellors (one of whom is identified as a “Disabilities Counsellor”), but I have also worked with an Assistive Technologist and Learning Strategist (neither of these people for very long, since I don’t use a lot of assistive technology, and the Learning Strategist works with people who have identified learning disabilities – lucky for me, I just have ADHD – but they are both really nice, and still check in with me to see how I’m doing
Even the office admin has been great, just to pop in and chat to, get favours from, and celebrate/brag my successes with.
REPORT ABUSE Also in the office is a Disabilities Technician/Assistant – I believe her role is to facilitate the use of tech recommended by the A.T.
Speaking as a student in college finally having a successful semester, the Centre for Students With Disabilities (at Centennial College, Toronto, ON) has been a *huge* help for me. The two people I have had the most contact with are both counsellors (one of whom is identified as a “Disabilities Counsellor”), but I have also worked with an Assistive Technologist and Learning Strategist (neither of these people for very long, since I don’t use a lot of assistive technology, and the Learning Strategist works with people who have identified learning disabilities – lucky for me, I just have ADHD – but they are both really nice, and still check in with me to see how I’m doing
Even the office admin has been great, just to pop in and chat to, get favours from, and celebrate/brag my successes with.
REPORT ABUSE Also in the office is a Disabilities Technician/Assistant – I believe her role is to facilitate the use of tech recommended by the A.T.
I have a “volunteer” ADD Coach – a friend of mine. We sat down and worked out the ground rules prior to setting up this arrangement. Basically, she checks in with me on a regular basis, to make sure that I’m doing what I need to be doing, and if I’m not, to figure out why. I share my Google calendars with her, too, so that she can help me with scheduling. She proofreads papers for me, if I would like her too. She also provides validation, in that she will cheer for me when I do a good job. She has been an awesome support, as has one of my counsellors at school, with whom I have been working on mindfulness techniques (Buddhism has long interested me), both as a coping strategy for my ADHD, and a depression-prevention tool. The one thing that both of them need to kick my butt on more is my fitness – I’ve been meaning to start running again, and get back to tracking my food, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Anyway, I’m going to ask that of them.
Anyway, I’ve found it to be worth having my coaches. But I don’t pay either of them (directly – tuition pays school counsellor’s salary
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Mike – I’m right there with you. While struggling/failing with post-secondary work, I spent several summers in my early 20s training lifeguards, and then managing 100+ people (actually, I was better with the training – managing involved too much paperwork
REPORT ABUSE. Many people will never manage that large a workforce in their entire lives…but it didn’t matter, because of the many other failures.
Don’t be afraid! I was diagnosed this summer (ADHD-Combined), after over 10 years of chronic depression, and a childhood of never quite fitting in. It was *such* a relief to have an answer, pretty much to the entire puzzle that has been my life. I’ve been depression-free for 4 months and counting, and I’m on my way to completing an entire semester of college courses (going into exams with an A+ average!) for the first time since beginning my post-secondary journey almost nine (!) years ago.
Also, there are other conditions that can cause some of the symptoms of ADHD – it’s probably worth the visit to your doctor. Here’s a thought – book the appointment right now. Don’t tell yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow” – there’s no reason to wait!
To be fair, I was certain that I had chronic depression, and “just because…some people’s brain chemistry is like that” was pretty much where all of the various clinicians that I had seen over the years stopped as far as trying to figure out why I was so depressed. I already figured there was something wrong with my brain, so I think that made the idea of ADHD much less scary. For me, it’s a much-easier-to-manage kind of brain wrongness.
Good luck!
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