I started stimulent meds back in March and while a lot of things improved it was still monumentally hard to attack the piles in my house and get things organized. Recently I added a supplement that increases serotonin and not only has my anxiety eased way off, but I'm attacking and conquering rooms that have been an unmitigated disaster of stuff I couldn't figure out what to do with.

I think what I've figured out is that between feeling overwhelmed by the sheer size of the task and anxiety that always comes up for me in trying to find things or decide where they go, I simply avoid the task. Now it seems that I can go and get started and keep plugging away because I don't feel so anxious and I'm also getting more satisfaction from ordinary things (like seeing progress) without having to keep my overdriven mind occupied ever second. In several days I've accomplished things that have been left undone since the beginning of the summer. My executive functions still aren't perfect, but without the anxiety I can stick to and accomplish something anyway. Anybody else get blocked by their own anxiety around organizing and cleaning?

Scattered

Anybody else get blocked by their own anxiety around organizing and cleaning?

Your singing my song.....I am the "master procrastinator"!!!!

In the book "Fidget to Focus" the ADD brain is one that is under aroused seeking arousal=hyper activity or inattentiveness is determined in part by weather our brain seek stimuli from with in or with out.

Stimulants do the stimulating so we do not have to run around like the mad nor do we drift off like the stoned!!!

I have found stimulant medication help me get started, some time re-started on task I am avoiding because they are either over whelming or over whelmingly boring!!!!!

A short time on medications I discovered I had a great deal of organizational abilities many of which were born out of my own impatience and disorganization. I discovered the gift of simplicity.

I now begin every house hold reorganization project with deciding on what stays and what needs to go......there are only so many placed to put stuff. The more stuff the more places I have to find!!!! So a slight impatient mood is better than a sentimental mind set.

I have also learned that when doing a major re-organization of an area always leave room for more stuff to be added...as I always tend to find other things I want to keep....this allows a particular organization to last longer!!!

Interesting, I have noticed that I clean before I start my homework. It's kind of procrastination and yet i like it when my environment is neat, then I can then get down to work and stuff.

Scattered - what did you supplement with?

I now begin every house hold reorganization project with deciding on what stays and what needs to go......there are only so many placed to put stuff.That's the trick isn't it -- getting rid of stuff, unfortuantely that's what trips me up the most (although I'm getting better as I care less about stuff). I terrible at figuring what needs to go and what needs to stay.:eyebrow:

Interesting, I have noticed that I clean before I start my homework. It's kind of procrastination and yet i like it when my environment is neat, then I can then get down to work and stuff.I do this too. I can't study in a cluttered environment. Back in college I was absolutely obsessive about keeping my room with everything in place -- the last time in my life sadly I could say that about my domicile.;)

Scattered, what did you supplement with?I tried St Johns Worst (broke out in a rash); Prozac (got weird, lethargic, and irritable); and finally tried 5-HTP (it works great for me!). I don't take it all month just for the 10 days or so before my period when my serotonin level drops. It starts working right away with no side effects for me at the right level. I bought it at Albertsons for $12 something (it's a lot more expensive at the health stores). It comes from a plant in African which is the only natural source outside your body which produces it from Tryptophan (the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy) and it is the precursor to Serotonin. I only take 50 mg. I started getting anxious on a higher dose and really speeding up. They've done research on it for depression in Japan and some in Europe too. I learned about it from Amen's book Healing ADD. He recommends it for the overfocused type of ADD which described me pretty well.

Scattered

5-HTP (it works great for me!). I don't take it all month just for the 10 days or so before my period when my serotonin level drops.

This serotonin let me see that helps keep mood "level" drops 10days before menses :eek: ....I do not begin having any real problems until about 5 days out (10 days prior-one of my cleaning strategies as I am less sentimental but not irrational -yet)

Insanity, bloating, and brain swelling and a host of other things begin at the five day mark...okay can't clean, file, because the urge to begin a bon-fire becomes overwhelming----5-HTP huh...have to check that out...just what my pill cabinet needs another herbal supplement (lol) :o