I am reluctant to admit that I am sometimes easily overwhelmed. Things like noise, chaos, disorganization, and crowds can send me into a tailspin. If there are too many things going on at once, people talking loudly, lots of motion.....aaaargh!!

How about you all?

Same here. My worst time is between 3pm and 8:30pm.
Kids get home from school, homework, chores, dinner, playtime, showers... and the whole time I hear " Mama.. Mama ... Mama.."

It got so bad one afternoon... that my husband came home to find three subdued children sitting on the couch and me locked in the bathroom.

Any type of gathering is a problem for me... for example parties, family gatherings, and even sometimes Wal-Mart. PLEASE don't ask me to go to the mall... just can't do it.

Sound like you?
Ky

I understand completly. I have children also. And wal-mart is a night mare much less the mall. Along with the children I have problems with volentering to help family members and school. Over extend myself all of the time never have time for my own college studies. Noise and large crowds make me feel like I am screaming inside.

The Wal-mart Super Centers really overwhelm me. All that stuff plus all those people. Wow!!!

Yes absolutely....family gatherings....just sitting down to do homework gets me REALLY overwhelmed....also just when a teacher passes out an exam...very heavy traffic on a Los Angeles freeway.....awakening on a Monday morning.....picking up the phone knowing I have to make a difficult phone call....these situations get me overwhelmed.....Joan

Kids getting home from school can overwhelm me. However, major expressways are my big downfall!! I love to drive but lots of cars zooming by me on a 4 lane highway is my personal nightmare.:eek:

Ok...I'm not a woman, but this is a topic I relate to. When driving, and trying to find my way to a new destination, I actually have to turn the radio off...I get overwhelmed...overstimulated.

I too find it difficult if more than 1 thing goin on.the phone ringing and the postman stopping at my letterbox are my 2 biggest

I definitely have problems if there's too much going on. Especially if I'm trying to concentrate. If I need to work on something - it has to be quiet. Otherwise I'll get distracted. Coffeeshop music is okay - if it's in the background. but I can't talk/have a conversation/ or listen to someone AND do anything else requiring thought or attention at the same time.

Today at work, they installed two air conditioners. My office is really just 2 large rooms and the humming of them plus the radio one of the engineers has is enough to drive me crazy, especially if I have to add answering the phone to my CAD work schedule. Oh my Gosh its madness!

Oh, Jeeeeesus, God in Heaven. My Admin job is going to drive me to doing drugs. I swear, I just can't handle it and I feel like such a loser because of it.

It is a CONSTANT swirl of activity and I simply cannot keep up. Today was horrible. I'm thinking very strongly about quitting.

Memos, faxes, phones ringing, meetings, people asking questions, things to be ordered, things to be picked up, charts to update, people to escort, paperwork to be done, documents to redline, charts to be created, mail to be delivered, parties to be planned, things to be locked up, expense reports to be done, forms to fill out, things to be distributed, things to be collected, things to be turned on, important calls to make, VIP's to deal with.....

Oh Dear God, I'm drowning. :(

I'm going to quit.

Is there really a God?

:confused:

Overload: Is your post about quitting a job or is about is there really a God? or both? Can you look for another job WHILE you are there? OR is the situation that unbearable? Sounds like the job requires incredible MULTI-TASKING talents....which for some of us does not work....:(

Have you been there long? If not, perhaps it's reasonable to quit....what do you think God would be saying to you if there IS a God? :)

Personally, I think there IS a God....who leads me and guides me day after day....but I have to ask for that guidance....which you are doing...so that's good...PLUS I also think that he does put opportunities into our lives but not until we are ready to accept them....Maybe he is closing a door for you (with this job)...and preparing a more suitable job for you....:)

Multi-tasking bites! It bites me right in the butt. I simply cannot do it. I've actually wanted to break down at work and cry about this sometimes.

Only being facetious about there being a God. I know in my heart and spirit that there is a God. That's for sure.

Sometimes though, I don't understand the reason why God allows certain things to happen, you know? Like why did I have endure the humiliation that I did at this job? :confused:

Joan, some days I'd just pray, pray, pray all through the day and I know that God got me through some tough spots where things just magically came together. But I guess even God has to take a break sometimes so there were many disasters while God was 'on break.' :)

I'm going to do my best to be positive about this and hope and work towards the best. You're right. Maybe a better job for me is just around the corner.

You have a cute sense of humor Overload....God taking a break...and so things happening while he was on break so he missed taking care of them??? That's great....I never thought of it that way....I think you're right though....:) Yes the ideal job for you might be JUST around the corner....we never know those things....the next phone call or the next click on the mouse right reveal the next job......:)

I have to multi task. It is part of my job. I just have little posty notes all over . There are different colors to let me know what is most imprtant. Xample: Hot Pink means now, it can't wait. Blue means asap. yellow ones are just reminders. I take them down as i get things finished. But, i do not throw them out for a day or 2 and i look at each one before i do. just to make sure I did get it done.

Sounds like certain kinds of noises can creep into your mindset and irritate the heck out of you. I can understand. Is there a "white" noise that might block this out? Such as a fan on your desk, etc.(Or would that put you over the edge, lol?)

The noise of a fan can really drown out alot of the irritating background noise for me. I know white noise doesn't exactly help with the multitasking but might help with the background distractions.

I completely understand where you're coming from about that. I feel like totally overwhelmed- just by daily things that people don't really seem to understand. I went to work today & I took out a small stack of papers & tried to figure out a way to work through things- to increase productivity, but man- did I bomb out. Just hang in there... It can be very difficult. You just have to know how to cope with those things that are overwhelming for you or see if there is anything that you can do to make adjustments so that it's not so overwhelming for you. I'm doing the same!
Good luck to you!

Overwhelming...what an overwhelming word. LOL
Don't know about you all, but I have a tendency to take it all in and not necessarily shut down.

In fact...when I am bored..I love going to the store or the mall just for all of the visual stimulation of window shopping and such...sometimes I will go and just tire myself out on it...perhaps that's why I love flea markets and garage sales...lots to look at and hardly anything to spend.....LOL

Jaime

Malls are terrible for me. I get overwhelmed there so fast. Too many things going on at once I guess. I work at a store in the mall and never go anywhere but my store. Luckily it's one of the larger ones and has seperate entrances so I never have to walk in the mall at all. I even go to lunch at one of the places outside, when I don't brown bag it.

Wow, I am so with you all. Read "The Highly Sensitive Person."

I had a job coordinating 5 programs, doing multitasking, and I did these kinds of jobs for 8 years. I was trying to prove to myself that I could. I got tired of being told that I was too sensitive and of being miserable juggling 8000 things in my head. I told a friend it's like being in the middle of a small room and ping-pong balls are being shot at me from all directions and I can't stop them, I'm imprisoned and they hurt and I want it to stop so I try to escape.

I was ready to have a nervous breakdown so I finally fessed up to myself that I wasn't a total loser for hating all that mess. I have avoided having children for this very purpose -- and sadly, I don't know if I ever will. I joked to a friend that I would adopt deaf-mute children, so I wouldn't have to deal with the noise -- and I was only half kidding.

Now I'm on a hiatus and I spend most of the day in total silence as my husband is at work -- no TV, no radio, nothing exept for my cat meowing occasionally. It is heaven. People don't understand how wonderful quiet is. I'm never alone because I sit and chat with God. And I'm not depressed, finally. I'm full of peace!! I'm so happy with it though that I don't want to do anything now that will upset my peace (like housework -- I can't very well have an excuse for avoiding that anymore). I know I can't do this forever but now I'm convinced I need a job that incorporates silence, reflection, meditation.

Martin Luther locked himself in a room for days reading and writing. IN this hurry culture it's like a sin to be instead of to do, but in God's economy it's totally cool to relate more and produce less. We have more than anyone in the world except for time and peace -- my hubby and I don't have a lot materially, first because I'm horrible of taking care of it, second because it's a burden, and third, why incur the stress and the debts? A minimal stuff life is the way to go for a person with ADD.

My self esteem has gone way up now that I'm not trying to be some professional hard-hiney that I am not and never have been. Just because sweet, sensitive souls are taunted in our production line society doesn't mean there's anything wrong with us. We just aren't as at home on this earth as we will be, in my opinion, with the Lord. According to the word, there's going to be a lot of singing, dancing, and hanging out -- and the work we'll do will be suited to us.

Now that I have enough silence I find myself more attracted to people than I used to be -- since I saw them as a source of judgment and pressure.

!!

Me too, amiegrace! I am so afraid to have children because I don't know if I can deal with all of that chaos! (in addition to the overwhelming fear I have of childbirth)

If I am cooking something, I have to clean the kitchen first - if I am studying, it has to be dead silence. I have repeatedly told my family that if I ever do have children - PLEASE do not buy them noisy toys! And I refuse to buy other people's children noisy toys.

I can multitask, but I have to be hyper focused on multitasking. Sometimes if I have something to do, my mind is just a fog and I don't know how to begin. I end up just sitting there with a blank stare.:confused: But if I am able to get over that hump, I can be highly productive.

you know, I totally have issues with too much noise. I teach 4th & 5th grade & I wonder sometimes how I manage with the noise. Sometimes I can tune it out, and meds & a good night's sleep REALLY help.

But still - sometimes I can hear EVERY single little pencil tap on the table, fingers drumming on the table, kid humming under their breath, whispers, someone rubbing their eraser on their spiral notebook, ETC. It doesn't stop and it can really drive me crazy at times. It is SO distracting - and I swear it hurts my ears. I tell my students that, to help them understand why I sometimes will ask them to try NOT to make those noises. Sometimes I can put up with it, but often enough, I just can't. It's like the fingers screeching on the chalkboard. argh!

When I'm working at home or at school, getting a project/schoolwork ready - it's often quiet. I only seem to put the radio on in the morning, when I get ready for work (keeps me on time & from falling back to sleep/being bored). But otherwise, I rarely watch TV, I leave most radio, CDs, etc to when I am driving in my car. My boyfriend likes to crank his radio up so loud though - it makes me cringe & hurts to hear it. Are my ears just sensitive, that I like the quiet? Do things actually just seem louder?

Not to mention, when multiple people are trying to ask me things/want things from me at the same time! I tend to feel very overwhelmed & shut down. If it gets really bad I'll say, "stop! wait!" and close my eyes. I feel like a moron - but honestly - I can't deal with that much incoming information & data all at once. information overload.

Anyone else have problems like that?

When I'm tired music of today as in my daughters music ( the constant beat over and over really drives me and winds me up quickly)

I found when I notice it if I just turn it off life slowes down again

Originally posted by Cait

Not to mention, when multiple people are trying to ask me things/want things from me at the same time! I tend to feel very overwhelmed & shut down. If it gets really bad I'll say, "stop! wait!" and close my eyes. I feel like a moron - but honestly - I can't deal with that much incoming information & data all at once. information overload.

Anyone else have problems like that?

I can totally relate to that!!!! :) Very overwhelming!

wow lots to respond to. I get overloaded by noise, words actually come out of my mouth sometimes inappropriately, i think I told the daycare teacher that the other kids were too loud and I did not like them. yes I think actually said I didn't like them out loud..

anyway, I find I have to be in a job that requires multi tasking, I cannot do the same thing all day, and I have to have the radio on while I'm working... have to! I drink a butt load of coffee all day which doesn't help, I actually had the shakes yesterday. I fidget my feet all day at my desk. all day. I have mastered the art of appearing frightfully organized at work, really, my boss actually came in and said 'wow you are keeping your new office nice and clean'. okay, come over to my house.... lol
anyway, I keep file folders, one is labelled to be faxed, one is labelled misc. fax records, I have everything in a file cabinet. I know that fridays are my busiest day because it is a cut off, so on wednesday, I start to file all the paper and customer info that has accumulated since last thursday. I make my desk clear for the Friday when I'll be up to my eyes in data entry. I do the tasks that are daily at the same time everyday. I've streamlined some tasks, I used to get a daily report that I copied daily and at the end of the month sent it off to the controller. now I just file each report and copy it once at month end. (duh).
one good thing about my work is that when you start they give you a detailed job description which is a list of what you do basically and another list of what other people do (what you need to do if someone calls in sick). excellent reference. I just took over another job and have tons more work, I would never remember new tasks without the job description, try to make your own and follow it. set your lotus notes or whatever to remind you of tasks that need to be done for the week, or month etc. I have mastered the office, and I do not appear to be an ADD person at work at all (until you actually look at my accounting, sometimes things are done two and three times and reversed and redone a lot...lol). it takes practise, but you'll get there. enjoy your different tasks, mundane would kill you.

good luck!!!!
(sorry about the length, I love helping...)

oh yes... and if you open my drawers in my desk you will see my add side, what a mess!!! but no one but me sees it and the rest of the office looks pristine.. (not to mention my purse is the black hole...that is ANOTHER thread)

Too funny. I love caos on my desk. It looks like hell most of the time. I am most productive while multitasking and under stress -- up to a certain level.

If I'm down to the min. on my work load... I won't even do that.. I'll just surf the net, unless it's a HOT item...
I get bored in a flash while I'm not working under pressure. Even at home, I need constant stimuli.

Originally posted by Flyfisher
Kids getting home from school can overwhelm me. However, major expressways are my big downfall!! I love to drive but lots of cars zooming by me on a 4 lane highway is my personal nightmare.:eek:

The cure for that; just hold the gas pedal down until you're zoooOOOMMING by them.

If they won't let you by in the fast lane, just give them a little toot on the horn, bump their bumper lightly, and make a crazy face, and they will usually let you right by.

*NOTE* The last paragraph is intended as humor, and not recommended unless you live on crazyworld.

I actually have cured myself of driving stress. I used to drive like an idiot, and had extreme road rage to go with it of course. Now I drive the speed limit ALL THE TIME, boy do the people speeding by me look like a******s !! You just look so ridiculous, I mean really, are you that excited to get to work in the morning? I take my good old time now, and I am totally relaxed on the road. what a difference, (by the way I didn't figure this out alone, I got a speeding ticket and stopped speeding after that, got to be a lot easier to drive like a normal person, I wish I could thank the speeding ticket cop!)

When I have too much to do and get too overwhelmed, I tend to shut down and do none of it. Then I get even more stressed because it's not getting done, but it's like I physically can't do it.

For example, if it's a completely messy house, I just stand there and look at it in frustration. I have no idea where to start, and even if I did know, I would completely freeze up and go turn on the tv instead.

Thank goodness for the Christmas break!! My house is clean and uncluttered and my laundry and dishes are done!

Someone's post up there ^ made me think of this. My DH's and my nightstands are identical, from the manufacturer, same finish, size and number of drawers, same hardware, each has an identical lamp. That is where the similarity ends.

Mine: drawers are neat,organized into small bins and baskets and not overloaded, contents are what you would expect: a small photo album, flashlight, small sewing kit, a couple pens, a clear plastic envelope containing Social Security and ID cards, birth certificates, immunization records, etc..lip balm, two books, hand cream....you get the idea.

The top surface is spilling over with mail, jewelery, old paper plates, some markers, empty box of tissue, very likely some used tissues (yuk, I know)some beading I was working on months ago, kids drawings, crayons, people nail clippers, dog nail clippers oh yea...plenty of dust.

His: top is dusted every couple days, One family photo in frame, small pewter tray for keys, glasses & change. That's it.

If you dare to open a drawer, and if you are able to pry one open, God only knows what you will find crammed in there. I know for sure that there is a frightening mix of personal and business paperwork, a dozen or so golf balls (he has marked on each of these his score from a particularly good game) recipts, candy, a kajillion old keys, whistles, the cell phone graveyard, the eyeglass graveyard, the remote control graveyard, (I find them being buried together very odd, almost unsettling like finding a headstone that says O'Reilly next to one that says Greenbaum.)There is plenty more to weird to mention, you get the idea.
I get the sentimental stuff, but there is some straight up garbage homogenously mixed with it. That really bugs me.

I can't stand his way and he can't stand my way. He thinks his way is perfectly acceptable, while I think my way is a pretty decent start. The way he keeps his drawers bothers me; I want to get in there and weed the s**t out of them. This is much higher on my list of priorities than clearing off my own surface.

I am overwhwlmed by this dilemma.