Posted by Mark H. on February 21, 2002, at 20:23:58
In reply to Anyone Who's ADHD and Also on Some Sort of Stims??, posted by IsoM on February 20, 2002, at 18:18:46
Dear IsoM,
You look completely organized and on-task compared to me! I have frequently threatened to go hire someone off the street out of my own pocket for minimum wage to sit beside me during the day and ask me every 15 minutes if I am on task, what should I do next, have I completed the things I need to get done, are my "visit Psycho-Babble reward breaks" in proportion to my work-time, and to clap and yell "Yay! Another page of the proposal edited! Good job! Good job!" from time to time as though I were a golden retriever learning the rudiments of fetching.
I can't even *remember* where the morning went during the months that I couldn't get to work before 2 or 3 in the afternoon. You at least can identify your interests and keep track of your activities. (I'm beginning to sound like Burt Lancaster in "Atlantic City": "The Atlantic ocean? That's nothing. You should have seen it in my day!")
And I'm not even ADHD, I'm plain old bipolar II. You're my MODEL for how to apply more self-discipline and stop waiting for the right med to get me to work by 10 in the morning.
Sue starts calling me at 7 in the morning (at my request). "Time to roll over and take your meds." Half an hour later, "Time to get up; when shall I call you again?" Half an hour later, "Hi, honey, just checking to see if you're on track." Without her, I'd have to have an answering service.
However, I also realize I need a balance. I spent YEARS getting to work and completing tasks through pure, unadulterated self-hatred. It worked, but now I have adrenal glands the size of baseballs and the bad skin to prove it. I also used to indulge in road rage, racing from one late appointment to the next. Now I basically refuse to break the speed limit, but sometimes it means I slip into indifference.
Balance, balance, balance.... Meds PLUS self-discipline; self-kindness PLUS a little motivation; being in the moment PLUS some carefully chosen goal-orientation.
Have you read the article "296 vs. 314" yet, IsoM? I re-posted it awhile back. It brilliantly reviews the differences (and similarities) between ADHDs and Bipolars by noting the way the two manifest in children. Fascinating!
After reading it, I knew my boss was SO ADHD and I was SO bipolar 2; it's like we're both cariactures of our syndromes.
Which reminds me... I just let another day slip by without remembering to call my psychiatrist's office for a refill of my new stimulants. But I *did* complete the editing of a proposal this afternoon. "Yay! Good dog! Well done! Thata boy!"
Affectionately,
Mark H.
poster:Mark H.
thread:94837
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/95044.html