:) Hi, I am new to the forum here, I did not even know there were any ADD forums on the net DUH.....

Here come the holidays, and I cant seem to get even my lists organized. :mad:
I have presents stuffed here and there.... nothing wrapped.... I have no idea who I still need to buy for and I keep thinking I really should get moving but one day falls into the next and before I know it the day is gone.

On top of all that I keep wanting to organize my life and here I am 45 years old and still unorganized and a pack rat. :(

I have cleaned up a few of my messes lately and once the stuff is put away I feel much better, but I still keep too much stuff. I wish there were a guide for us ADDers telling us what rooms stuff really belongs in and how many of each thing to keep.

Like 6 sweaters, 12 pairs socks......... 3 wooden spoons..... instead I save stuff because I get overwhelmed trying to figure out what to keep. Or its just too good to throw out, or If I ever have a garage sale......

Before the holiday rush I was beginning to see the light all my cds in one room, all my books in one room, all my sewing and crafts and art supplies in their own areas, now with the holidays approaching I am overwhelmed again.

By the way.... HI, my name is Mudpuppy, and I am frazzing out feeling the 10 days before Christmas rush. :faint:

I'm very stressed out ! :eek:

:) Merry Christmas back at ya!

I am going to start a list, that is the first step, LOL, still have not even done that! :D

I can join your club.

Due to my GREAT need for organization - I started Christmas shopping months ago. Only thing is that I have a rubbermaid box full of stuff & not sure who gets what. (Next year, I"ll put it in a bag or something with a name on it).

And, I employed our 13-yr old to help with wrapping ------- DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES :D

I have only a few more gifts (3 or so) and I'm DONE.

Hi, Kiisethwa:)

I got off the internet last night and I made my to do list on the computer. I feel much better.;)

Its not as bad as I thought it was, I broke it down and now if I just print it off and follow it I should be ok.

Have a great weekend!

I know exactly how you feel right now. I am extremely overwhelmed. This month has been crazy. All three kids are sick, we just got finished getting all the kids their christmas gifts. In the past week, I have had to get a mammogram (at 28 scared about some lumps I have in my breast), get checked up on my adhd with another doctor, then get 5 fillings in my molars plus have gum surgery. Then add on top that my husband and I have had to help my mother in law because my father in law is in the hospital having two toes amputated because of no circulation in them (plus infection had set up), its been a rough week. This is the first time I have been able to sit down and actually relax. And thats only because I am doped up on a loratab trying to kill the pain in my mouth. =(

So believe you me, I know how you feel about being overwelemed lol. I still have to wrap all the gifts for the kids and am trying to figure out what day can I squeeze that into lol.

My husband says maybe I need to create me a to do list every week so that I can keep myself on track lol.

Also Mudpuppy, I have a rule I live by and it helps me stay somewhat organized. If it isn't used within 6 months, it is donated to charity or thrown away. It helps keep my house from being too cluttered. (I married a pack rat lol)

My life seems to be one big list! The holidays are sooooo stressful. I keep putting everything off making it worse!

Overwhelmed? Big time. Over the last year since knowing I have ADHD we have made some adjustments. The biggest one is knowing the limits of abilities and when to pull back and say too much is too much.
I am a pastor/elder at our church, husband, father of three kids, assistant coach on our son's soccer team, lead at work, and going to school for my doctorate.
When we had our baby this summer it really hit me and kicked things into another gear. Between our teenager in sports/school/youth group and our six year old in soccer/ swimming/school and top that off with a new baby and part time ministry responsibilities, I realized my limit. Since taking a break from the ministry so I can better focus on the family it has helped out tremendously. Tough call, but I want to do what we do with excellence, and sometimes that means minimizing what we can do to get the maximum out of it.

Take care,
Mark

SHEW!!! Let me tell you, I feel your pain!!! I am nearly finished with my shopping, although the stocking stuffers are ALWAYS last...I try to make lists, but I find myself feeling depressed and anxious over everything I HAVEN'T gotten too, no matter how much I accomplished successfully!!! Eventhough, if I have a list, I more likely to accomplish 95% more than without one...why do I hate them so badly??

Anyway, just like Mark said, you have to realize your limits and just do what you can....but then again, how do you prioritize...that's a big problem with me...where do you start....

ARGH!!! where's my Adderall????

Strangely, I never quite get to overwhelmed unless it sneaks up on me (sitting down to eat dinner with my family at IHOP and suddenly break down because I realize the deadline for mail in rebates from black friday has passed). At some point my brain refuses to absorb any more tasks...i can write them down and once I begin that I see that "ok, wow theres a lot on this list", but in general its seldom that i feel that constant pressure or stress cause theres some sort of shut down mechanism in me that says ok, im not even going to try to absorb this. Its strange but im grateful for it.

SHEW!!! Let me tell you, I feel your pain!!! I am nearly finished with my shopping, although the stocking stuffers are ALWAYS last...I try to make lists, but I find myself feeling depressed and anxious over everything I HAVEN'T gotten too, no matter how much I accomplished successfully!!! Eventhough, if I have a list, I more likely to accomplish 95% more than without one...why do I hate them so badly??

Anyway, just like Mark said, you have to realize your limits and just do what you can....but then again, how do you prioritize...that's a big problem with me...where do you start....

ARGH!!! where's my Adderall????It helps me to make a list of EVERYTHING I can think of that I need to do and then number them to the order of which I need to do in what order by days. Then I make another list and put them in the RIGHT order on the right day. Of course this only works if I remember where I put my list and to look at it :o

u girls are ALL way ahead of me. i cant even wrap the g-d presents let alone determine what has and has not been bought for whom. i guess im riding on people understanding my limitations these days. :(

I can't live without lists. They save me from having to actually remember things.

Today, however, I can't seem to get out of dawdle mode. You will notice that at this moment I am definitely NOT wrapping packages as I should be.

:) HI Everyone!
I made the list and....

Well 5 days later and here I am DONE!!! YAY!!! WHoo Hooo!

I did it .... I did it .... Yay for mee... Yay for mee!

:D Doing the happy dance right now!:D

Oh my gosh it was hard but I stuck to it, pushed myself even when I wanted to quit and did the family stuff in between my getting ready for Christmas time.

:cool: This is a big first for me, done before the holidays, even the mailed packages are sent. Now I know why people start before Thanksgiving. That will be my goal next year. This feels great!

So, I just thought I'd stop back and say
MAKE A LIST!! Then get to it.

I am terrible about thinking ...thinking...thinking.... then forgetting.... forgetting... forgetting....Then...... OH crap I needed to do that! ...Crap, how did I forget to do that! I remembered just a few days ago.....

This is my endless cycle when not medicated, which has been the last 11 years.

I quit taking the meds 11 years ago and decided since I no longer wanted to be medicated ever, I had been off and on for 5-6 years, but I kept forgetting to take the meds then there was the call the doctors once a month to refill and I'd forget that too....What a hassle....so I quit.

I deided to go it alone again, I am wanting to stay off the meds.

Ok, for those of you still overwhelmed make a list! :) And follow thru! Just be sure it is doable for a normal human in the first place no super human lists :p

Also Mudpuppy, I have a rule I live by and it helps me stay somewhat organized. If it isn't used within 6 months, it is donated to charity or thrown away. It helps keep my house from being too cluttered. (I married a pack rat lol)

OK, so how far away from me do you live LOL! I need your muscles for throwing suff out or donating it!

I do this at times and then get out of the habit. (off to make a list)

GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!! :D :D :D

sometimes that means minimizing what we can do to get the maximum out of it.

Mark, that is the one thing that keeps me on track, I have learned that I can't be everything to everyone,
I say "no, I am sorry but I just can't do that I have other obligations."

Years ago I would say OK, I'll try ..... even when I knew I was doing too much.

I have always come thru with anything I said I would do, but the difference now is that I say no and don't fill my plate so heaping. Sometimes you can just give too much of yourself.

adhdgirl


You go GIRL!:D

High five for Muddpuppy! And I did eventually finish wrapping the presents.

Peridot,
YAY! Another ADD finish line! Good for you!

We've simplified the holidays tremendously.... the kids in the family are old enough that a nice check solves the gifting issue. I had a Christmas morning brunch at my house, and lazed around the house the rest of the day.

My son and husband did the tree... a little strangely and Seussian, like the Grinch brought it over from Whoville.... but it's wacky and festive and I did not have to do it.

All I did were the stockings, really... and I find that fun, sort of pokey shopping over a couple of weeks. And then I panic briefly the night before Christmas when I realize - every single year - that I haven't put the stockings together. My kids are 26 and 13 though and are of course well aware of where stocking stuffers come from, and the weaknesses and foibles of their particular Santa-ette, so haphazardly presented cool gifts in a large gift bag "stocking" are what they know they're gonna get. Yes, I still give a "stocking" to my adult daughter. It's fun to shop for.

So it was a fairly stress-free Christmas... except for caring for Mom, who's slipping a great deal and lives with us now, and is nervous and asks a lot of questions and pokes around random stuff of mine all the time saying "Oh, I've been looking for this"... apparently she's been looking for my souveniers from Peru, my son's martial arts mouthpiece, and my employee newletter from work.