Due to popular and positive feedback……..TOP TEN!

Reasons I love homework/ internet classes!

1.            I love to compete with time an hour before deadline with two hours of sleep.

2.            A lovely excuse to break out of any family aka unwanted event; which is always taken with understanding sympathy.

3.            It tests my writing ability, especially when writing a paper with as little research/reading as possible.

4.            Gives me the excuse to buy cute school accessories in order to “organize”.

5.            What is homework without a homework snack?

6.            Allows me to feel so productive/ responsible  that I may cancel all other chores for the day as a reward.

7.            Catching up on TV.  Who else does homework doing commercials?  I’ve been perfecting this practice since elementary.

8.            Open Book.

9.            Flexibility.  Should I go to the party and cram tomorrow, or cram tonight and party tomorrow?

10.          –> insert something about the wonders of learning here <–

Dragging my book out I tried to think of any last minute things I should get done before I start reading my homework.  I get up to water the plants, realize the bird feeder needs more seeds, then decide to sweep the whole patio just to avoid reading what Christopher Columbus felt as he settled in the New World.  Procrastination is  common adversary, even for those without ADHD or learning disorders.  Often I will find that I finished the chapter only to find out I have no idea what I just read.  I could not tell you what it was about or even recall the pictures.  Frustrating, I know I have to reread and only hope that it sticks this time around. 

Finding something that relates to you within the reading helps those with these problems.  As vain and absurd as it sounds, I usually try to place myself as the main character in my head.  Therefore, the things that are being done in the book I envision myself doing them in order to maintain my interest.  Who isn’t interested in themselves?  If the subject matter does not include people, using common day issues or evens to make the matter relatable to you is an alternative.  I set a schedule time everyday to read for a certain amount before moving on to anything else.  I will let the plants thirst, and the birds wait.  It is such a great temptation not to, but by making a routine and setting a schedule I know it will all get done.  Might as well get the dreaded task done first to ensure it is safe from procrastination. 

I will also pull someone aside to tell them about what I read, and try to recall as many details as possible.  By regurgitation I am helping the information to “stick” ensuring that I will be able to recall it later.

As mentioned in the blog prior I do my best not to let my everyday struggles turn into everyday excuses for not being up to par. I received a “starter” package from the ADDA organization for ADHD adults, including a sort of conference call audio. People were calling into a queue with questions regarding their ADHD; one was a lady who was a nurse. She was complaining that she might lose her job for multitude of reasons; I felt for her yet I only heard excuses. If you find yourself getting to work late on a regular basis due to your dawdling, lack of motivation, or forgetfulness start earlier. I know that I am very prone to daydreaming when listening to certain music in the car, so I don’t. I listen to rap (which some people find odd) but I know that this helps from experimenting. Too often people use their diagnosis as a way to receive special treatment. Growing up, anything below a C was still failing to my parents, even though I did have trouble with the material. My chores still had to be completed before I left in the morning, regardless of the fact that I am subject to distraction. By letting these struggles or diagnosis make excuses you are allowing them to control you, inhibiting the chance for progress. There is always an alternate way to reach a similar goal.

Categorizing characteristics into a diagnosis takes time, many questions, and research. There are still some out there how are not convinced however (such as @thisisrobv), that ADHD exists, and is an accurate diagnosis. After many, MANY conversations with my boyfriend about the diagnosis itself, I am coming to terms with the fact that he does not acknowledge this as a legitimate disorder. He does acknowledge the “symptoms”, struggles, and massive frustration but they do not account for a diagnosis in his opinion based upon the speculative process of diagnosing.

This was really upsetting me, I felt stripped of a lifetime struggle to understand a part of myself. Using recognition and visibility as a means to solve or confront an issue has been a vital step in my problem solving processes. I must be able to see it, put a name on it and then research everything I possible can on the subject. He does not see me as a disorder, for which I am very grateful, and I have never seen myself as such. I believe this is due to the fact that I did not get diagnosed till my early twenties. Growing up without that label allowed me to find other ways to accomplish my goals and what was required of me. After time though I decided to pursue help in order to reach my “full potential”. Why is this label so important to me though? Why do I feel so strongly in defining myself by the DSM-IV now?

By taking all of these struggles, “defects”, traits that are relative to the ADHD umbrella I can separate myself from the things I find undesirable. The negative connotations that come with ADHD can be harmful, even the traits themselves set you apart from others at a younger age before diagnosis. I remember my best friend, Stac, giggling at me in Theatre Arts class asking me why I have a dazed look on my face and a quirky telling smile. The same smile I had on last night when my boyfriend asked what I was smiling at as I gazed into the space in between me and my computer. Daydreaming has always been the hardest struggle for me to deal with; it is so involuntary that next thing you know an hour as gone by, you’ve arrived at work, or it’s the end of a lecture. This of course is just an example; however, it is easier to blame it on ADHD. The one thing I have never done is used it as an excuse. I do not believe in doing so. You are only hurting yourself while preventing real success. It also may not be entirely healthy to blame something upon a disorder, but if it helps me to put a name to the face so to speak I will continue to do so. I more than anyone else, just as you, know how my brain works. I have had years of practice in trickery of the cognitive processes in order to function. This label is just that for me.

There may be no such thing as ADHD; it could be something that the medical industry has made up for the prescription drugs industry to make more millions. Or it could be a valid condition; science just hasn’t been able to produce the gene in which it is carried. Either way, believe what you will and what works for you. In my eyes neither way is wrong, so much as having the respect for those with struggles. Everyone has something they have a hard time with other’s are just more visible.

10 Reasons Why I Love Nature Trails/Hiking!

1. Bribing Robert to buy me OrangeCup yogurt afterwards.

2. Sweating out water weight and/or the alcohol from the night before.

3. Getting closer to my dream for all my freckles to come together to form the perfect tan.

4. Not having to worry about putting blush on for the day. My face holds a natural cherry color after 15 minutes in, and after an hour it’ll last the whole day!

5. ……………………….The Silence.

6. Being able to use my new awesome water bottle.

7. Picking out places where people can drop off dead bodies.

8. I guess I should put something about getting healthy here.

9. Not having to worry about sweat showing, but am actually to display it proudly as a declaration of my exercise/ self discipline.

10. Almost dying of a heatstroke/ asthma attack makes the rest of the day feel much cooler, while also helping you to better appreciate life.