Focusing, details, words that have always gone with me like peanut butter and jelly. I have always been known since high school and even before, of having the details, the instructions, everything down of knowing what to do, figured out. But then, I had kids.........and things changed.
To give some background, I was a great student, got my homework done ahead of time, usually above and beyond what was expected. I always had all my assignments, in great detail recorded as to what needed to be done. When I started to work, I was the same way, everything written down, all the details recorded. Then I became involved with my husband, and his anti A type personality, his relaxed personality. We were married. Years later, I could not imagine how that would drive me crazy, and that I would have birthed 2 boys, with his ADD, that would have given me several gray hairs. So lets talk about those kids, two boys and 1 girl to be exact, the girl, thank goodness, was like me when I was younger, so I didn't have to remind her about a thing, so I got a break there, with the boys, I got the lions share.
Losing my mind, one brain cell at a time. So I have a theory, as to why we feel like we are losing our minds. My theory, as wives, mothers, employees, etc, is we are expected to remember everything for everyone. Our brains, if you picture them like sponges, can only absorb so much. So just like a sponge that is too full of water, will start to have water trickle over, if our memories are too full of things we have to think about, so those factoids will trickle over as well. Not to mention if they are told to us if we are distracted, or told to us in a run by(litterally, your kids run by, and tell you!) It could be organic as well, I have a friend who had chemotherapy for cancer, and there has been some studies shown that it can affect your brain, show she blames forgetfullness, on chemo brain. I had brain surgery, had some dead tissue along with a tumor removed, so I blame it on part of my brain removed.
There has been an email that has circulated however, that has talked about adult ADD, where someone is looking for their keys, goes through the house, finds this, then picks up that, remembers to do that, sees somethings else they need to do, and after going through the whole house forgets what they were originally doing. We all find this hysterical because, we all live it now! I remember in early college, coming out of a night class, after a lengthy final, having a hard time finding my car, the security guard escorting me to my car thought it was the funniest thing I couldn't find my car. Well this was after 2, two hour finals, now I can't even go in to Target for 20 minutes without forgetting where I parked.
My family says, that I occasionally seem to zone out, entering the twilight zone, if you will,sometimes I am just chilling cuz I need it but I may tell them, I am just charging my super powers. Resting my brain for what lies ahead for the day. I still stay on top of things at work, still focus, pay attention to details, but I have top secret weapons now that help me, they are called post its, smart phones, calendar messaging at work, and reminder notes. I know my limitations and am learning how to work with them.
There are alot of things I miss from when I was younger, my metabolism is definetly one, my ability to focus can be another, but my ability to reason and compensate, shows this ole girl isn't near ready to go out to pasture for many years to come!
Cheers!
Linda
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