Lame44
Member posts quite a bit
Posts: 207
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Post by Lame44 on Feb 2, 2010 12:47:22 GMT
I know by reading here that I'm not alone in thinking 'If only they'd have found out when I was a kid'. It would have stopped so much trouble happening, like debt, relationship problems, drug, drink, gambling addictions etc etc, but there must be something good to come out of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
What are your good things?
Mine is being relieved, looking forward to trying meds, and living life in a better way. Knowing that I'm not a complete idiot, or lazy, or stupid etc etc.
Although I stioll have a few issues that need sorting out which may be something else, the ADHD has been a relief for me!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2010 8:28:03 GMT
Yes, absolutely. I wasn't diagnosed until my early 50s. My positives are very much the same as yours. Naming the beast was the big one: at last I know what the hell is going on. Another is that it helps other people to understand (especially people I am close to) why I act the way I do--they can fit it into a framework with my other behaviour.
Meds for me have only been a lever in helping: at my age I have to accept that a lot of my ADD behaviour is now an ingrained habit, and that I've got a lot of changes to make there. But I now know much more about what I do need to change and how to set about it, what I can just live with and am not going to try to change.
I have realised that the main reason I've struggled is I've been in the wrong kind of job for all my working life. It may be too late to change that: I can't stop working to retrain, and at the moment the effort needed to keep the ship afloat workwise means I couldn't sustain retraining at the same time as working. I haven't worked out what to do about this yet.
I've found it helpful to combine my new knowledge about ADD with learning about other things: for me, starting to study Buddhism has helped hugely as well (although I would not describe myself as a practising Buddhist in any sense). And I'm hoping to start meditation classes again soon, as I now know what it is that I'm trying to deal with and how much I can realistically expect from myself at each stage.
Knowledge has created one additional challenge: now I know I'm ADD I have to do what I can to make sure that other people don't suffer as a result of my behaviour and I've a long way to go there.
It's also made me more tolerant of other people: if some of my difficult behaviour is down to ADD, then their behaviour could equally be the result of some long-term experience or condition that they are not aware of.
I hope that your experience continues to be good, and that knowing why you are as you are helps you to lead a fruitful life.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2010 17:49:48 GMT
I hope there will be "good" in being diagnosed as an adult Ryan.
So far I have been feeling relieved and positive about the future and been making more and more effort to counteract ADHD traits than ever. Been exercising twice a day since now I have science backing up the knowledge I already had worked out myself that exercise helps my brain work better. I have hardly fucked up anything in the last month, just forgot a few things, just walked out of one restaurant, just ne of my kids the bollocking of a lifetime, even managed to do a few things I really really hate like going to the bank. Even managing to force myself to stay in bed most of the time when I can't sleep and then when I get to sleep wake up ns later and can't sleep again. I still might only sleep for 4/5 hours a night but at least I am in bed for 7/8. I haven't rowed with one motorist, although I gave loads of motorists a laugh when I got out the car and slipped in the snow, got back up and chased 4 school boys down the road for throwing snowballs through my open window. I am up to date with one of my courses but decided and paid for another course in a matter of five mins and this course I predict will make me fuck up both untill I have to plead and beg with the tutor to give me an extension. So I have seriously reduced my rage in the past month. Also, haven't done anything too impulsive which is a great strain, also haven't procrastinated too much, by playing solitaire whilst listening to lectures on the net for 6 hours straight when there are massively important other things to be done. I don't think I have offended anyone in a really bad way by pointing out the bleeding obvious with little disguised irritation and condescending impatience. Apart from the bank guy who I said I won't sit here and listen if you are not concise and get on with it, and that I am not stupid, it's just I have a limited attention span, I thought I was being nice and letting him know it's me who is odd. See, I think I need to warn poeple, because I don't look odd. But, I know my stuff is not as bad as the stuff I have just read on the other threads. Also, if I can manage to not fuck up so much or so often or not as severely if I really really try and also exercise morning and evening and also constantly monitor what I am doing, what other people are doing and trying to remember what i should be doing next, and not getting upset when I fail or people are stupid around me maybe I don't have ADHD, but I think this is going to cause me to explode, and I just can't really explode because that then causes an implosion, where I just disintergrate with failure. Going back to the psychiatrist nest Tuesday, feeling very uneasy about it. Oh, forgot to mention where I pointed out where the receptionist was rude and wrong, but I did manage to walk away without complying. But, actually, i have had a good month if you were to compare it to normal. Sorry, I know loads of others have it so much worse than me, but, I should be better than I am...I can't keep trying as hard as I am, it's torture, it's too difficult
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