.... or maybe just need a holiday.
ADD is just SO MUCH hard work - you never get the day off.
For me, the defining difference between normies and adders is the sheer amount of effort we have to put in, just to achieve the ordinary.
It's like being on a ski-ing trip - except that while the normies have fun ski-ing downhill, we have to "ski" uphill .... it's about the same effort/reward ratio.
Result : whatever the normy does, he ends up somewhere - regardless of however much effort he puts in .... but the adder stays right where he is/slips backward unless he's continually putting the effort in.
I think it must have been an adder who first said "life is SO unfair".
I hope God is making careful note of our endeavours - and bestows upon us, our reward in heaven ... 'cos God knows - it sure ain't here on Earth.
Anyway - so much for that upbeat post.
I'm just tired today, tired of treading water.

Skiing uphill. Just a note to tell you I hear ya. I agree. I am learning some techniques, but like you I am treading water, too. One tread forward and one tread back.

I just can't do the reward-in-heaven thing, though. For me—wherever the rewards are being passed out from—it's gotta be delivered here or not at all.

And that's MY "upbeat post." Keep on keeping on, ADDled, and know you are not alone as long as these forums are here.

ADDled have you ever taken the time to write down what you can do that a non-ADD'er can't? Like I can multi task, I have boundless amount's of energy, etc. I agree it is hard work but remember there is a reward at the end of the line. Good luck and fight the good fight.

Like Ace said............keep on, keeping on........one of my favorite sayings. :cool:

This isn't a liability it's an asset . Those poor bu**ers that don't have this thang wade through lives that would bore me to tears!

I've met people and gone places others can only dream of. My ADHD has offered it's fair share of struggles but man.. like Fut's said.. the benefits far out weigh the downers..

Sheer lust for life counts as a huge plus. I have to be careful what head I feed ADDled. If it's a positive one then that's what I'll grow.

I thought this image was so cute.. I cleaned up the language some just in case we can't swear here... :frog:

http://adhd.kids.tripod.com/50great.html

Entertain your friends with witty one-liners and sharp come backs. ; Insomnia makes for more time to stay up and surf the net! ; The drive of Hyper-focus ; Sparkling personality; Drop names like Edison, Einstein, Walt Disney and Beethoven in conversations ; Can see all of your wordly possessions at one time.. because they are all over the floor ; ENTHUSIASTIC; innovative; A strong sense of what isFAIR ; Willing to take a Risk; Alert ; Eager ; creative ; provides original ideas ; or isn't afraid to steal them. ; Make far reaching analogies that no one else understands. Write them off as "Deep Thoughts" ; Theoretical ; Abstract Thinkers; Spontaneous ; Always Hopeful ; Keeps meetings lively; The Mind of a Pentium - with only 2Mgs of RAM ; Aesthetically oriented ; Pleasantly and constantly surprised by finding clothing you had forgotten about. ; Able to tie seemingly unrelated ideas together; Funny; Able to see The Big Picture while others stumble around in the dark.; Independent ; Demands to know WHY?; Last of the ROMANTICS ; Has a wide variety of interests ; Good conversationalist; Qualify for bulk rate mail on tax returns because you have at least 24 W-2's attached.; At IQs of 160 and above, virtually all people have ADD symptoms; An innately better understanding of intuitive technologies such as computers ; In class popularity contests, always voted "Most Entertaining"; "Most Energetic"; Great Improvisors; Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound (did you actually read that?) ; Honestly believes that anything is possible ; Great at Extemporaneous Speaking ; Quickly assimilates new information; Usually a little smarter than the average bear ; Willing to "step out in faith" ; Rarely satisfied with the status quo ; Empathetic; Can easily replace missing childhood photos with panels from "Calvin & Hobbes" ; Pleasantly and constantly surprised by finding money you had forgotten about.; Blows up, but then usually recovers quickly ; An unstoppable dynamo of human energy; Doesn't know when to quit; Intuitive ; Compassionate ; Persistant ; Spunky; Hidden TALENT; Closely attuned to the moods of those around them ; ADD is especially common among artists, musicians, and other creative people ; Can always be depended upon to provide a different perspective ; Visionary; An Individualist; Many successful entrepreneurs exhibit ADD behaviors; Provides job security for writers of Spell Check programs ; Will fight for what they believe in ; Excellent motivators of others; Highly organized, punctual and generally responsible (OK, so I lied);

Originally posted by ADDled

For me, the defining difference between normies and adders is the sheer amount of effort we have to put in, just to achieve the ordinary.

i recently told my friend (who has a thing for greek mythology) that, "Sisyphus had it easy. All he had to do was roll a rock up a hill. Every day, I've got laundry to fold and put away, dishes to wash, and a toilet to clean."

my husband likes to remind me that *everyone* has aspects of their job that they dislike. but, i wonder if he understands that it's not *just* dislike, some days its *dread.* and then, when the dreadful task is complete, there is no reward, just another dinner to cook and more dishes to wash.

and i *hate* complaining! how's that for irony, complaining about complaining....

i know that, for me, the key to avoiding the funk is that i need to remind myself (sometimes constantly) that it's o.k. to not be just like everyone else. i loved ian's link to "50 great things about having ADHD." it's a good reminder that although dinner is never on time, i am *always* ready to play. so what if we are having cereal for dinner, we had a great day at the park. :)

so, addled, is there some specific task that can be delegated or in some other way taken care of so that you can get back to doing something that comes easier for you? can we help you brainstorm?

you said you are tired of treading water. please remeber that you have other options, you can float, you can swim, and you can hop in the lifeboat.

Yes, we everyone has to suffer in this life - but why do adders have to suffer constantly .... for the crime of being born ?

Ouch!
It seems mostly societies expectations of us I think that makes it rough.
But I am another happy in my ADD brain person although I would love to be organized, guess I wouldn't be me then.
I am always frustrared over the continuous housework and fix it stuff. I thought most everyone was also including non-adders?

Living exclusively in an add or a normy mind is great - but I get to live in both .... the normy mind when I have a cold/fever and the add mind when I don't.
This underscores and highlights the difference between them and the immense NET disadvantages suffered by adders.
I say "net" because while there are advantages associated with add, they are vastly outweighed by the disadvantages and suffering.
Every time I come out of a cold, I go through a period of intense mourning for what could be - but after a couple of weeks, I've forgotten the reality of how much easier and more fulfilling life without it was.
Disorganisation is the least of it - the MAJOR bummer is the lack of internal peace, tranquillity and clarity.

addled, i really *do* know how you feel. i've been there/am there too. you are not alone. it *is* hard in this society to see our ADD brain as a gift. especially if we are in a work/family environment which doesn't support or lift us out of the daily drudgery.

i've read many stories of adaptation and i can see that some folks here have found ways to use their ADD brains to their best advantage! there is hope.

reading a couple of the theories of possible reasons for an ADD brain has helped me feel less like an abberation and more like someone with unique talents.

i found great comfort in why's theory on living life in a nonADD friendly society... here is a copy & paste of a post that'll take you to his river/canoe theory ...
________________

The canoe/river theory is just a little idea i have about how to deal with my ADD/OCD I expressed it here:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/sho...26443#post26443

and here:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/sho...26473#post26473




the "The Whole Hunter Farmer Paradigm" thread is a good one too. http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1858&highlight=farmer

also, waywardclam mentioned a book, ADD Success Stories that looks like it'd be worth a read.

in the meantime, i hope you can take some comfort knowing that you are not alone in your struggles. i think it is safe to say that *everyone* here at the forums has been in this spot as well.

take care.

I think we should start our own business together. Only ADD people can work in the upper management positions and the normies get to do all the grunt work. We will come up with all the fabulous ideas and the grunts get to deal with all the small details of bringing our ideas to fruition.

I see it as being the director of a movie. You just keep telling the actor what you want. You can change your mind a hundred times and the actor just does what he/she is told. You can re-work every scene over and over until it's JUST right. Then you go home and let the editing people piece it all together and add the music, etc. Then, at the end, you watch the final piece and again make some changes. I really think that ADDers are awesome with seeing the big picture but have a hard time not being overwhelmed with how much work is actually involved with getting to the result.

I don't know if I explained it correctly, but I just picture myself in a room full of ADDers just brainstorming all day and coming up with all of these "out of the box" ideas. When you brainstorm with normies, they just sometimes can't see the big picture. They don't dream the way we do. It's such a shame.

I just saw something on TV about Isaac Newton. He realized something about how the planets move around and stuff (I'm so articulate, aren't I?) but he couldn't figure out the mathematics to prove it and put it down on paper. 20 years later, the question came up from other professors about how the planets orbit the solar system. He locked himself up at home for 2 years to put it all onto paper. I think my point about that is, when we (ADDers) can find something we are REALLY passionate about, we will go all the way to see it happen, even if it takes 20 years. I don't know if Isaac Newton had ADD but they mentioned bipolar (which is often misdiagnosed and confused with ADD).

I've had very few things that I've been passionate about but those things are pretty much the only things I've really succeeded at. They may not be a big deal to normal people but to me, I was very proud of my accomplishments regardless of how small they were.

Now that I know I have ADD, I've just stopped comparing myself to other people. I judge myself by what I think I'm capable of. That means setting the bar lower to where society thinks the bar should be. But for me, my bar is positioned just right. I'd rather set teeny, tiny goals for myself and succeed, then set huge goals that I think I should set and then fail. That's why I always felt so useless before. You just have to be your best friend and cheer yourself on. When I mop the kitchen floor (which is not too often), it's a HUGE celebration!! I don't have to do anything else afterwards. If it's the only thing I do the whole week, I'm still so proud that I actually did it!! I DESPISE mopping the floor. I want to invent a kitchen floor where you peel away the top layer once a month and have a clean surface again. Wouldn't that be cool? We need to invent some ADD friendly products to make life easier for us!!

Sorry so long and rambling but that's how my brain works!

Andrea

Wanted to offer another thread link on a similar topic:

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=15440&highlight=bob+seay#post15440

:D smoo

smooch some of those were pretty funny... I laughed out loud at the one about the 2megs of ram. I often like to describe myself as a Winduhs XP system running on 8 megs of ram.. yup.. it's a toughie.. heh

Ggrreat post Andrea, the kitchen floor idea is great. I agree about the big picture theory. I have always been a bottom line person as well. I see the bottom line and see no need to bother with certain details.
I Think there are a lot of ADDers that want out of there chaotic brain. But, I can not imagine it for me. Even though there is no rest in here. I just can't imagine anyother way to be. I might be a martyr. Also I feel it is the ultimate goal to be able to manage my brain. Or at least a reasonable amount.

Wheezie - you clean your bathroom and fold your laundry every day? Granted, it's just me in my apartment and maybe this is too much information but these things for me only happen weekly.

mrb,

actually, the only reason i have laundry to fold everyday is because it's left unfolded for *days*, so, i look at it everyday and think, "hmmm, i have laundry to fold today."

and, my def'n of 'clean the bathroom', is to swish the toilet. just so it doesn't get scummy. (too much information?)

so, this my list was really just a "to do list" not an "everything that got done list." ;)

i lose details when i'm on a role or going for a laugh. it's my story-telling nature shining through. never mind that all the details may not be accurate.... :)

Wheeze - you keep right on telling those stories - maybe it will inspire me to get my act together - I actually had to do some declogging today - loooooovely (but suceeded! Yay something went right) and got some other things done as well but am putting off working out like a champ.