Living with Attention Deficit Disorder

Thus causing the patient to be easily distracted from the daily routine of life. Attention Deficit Disorder is often genetic. A parent or sibling frequently has the condition also.
Attention Deficit Disorder generally begins in childhood. Often that child that is disruptive in class or the neighborhood suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder. It is difficult to concentrate on one thing at a time. The slightest distraction can be a major issue for the Attention

Deficit Disorder child. Whether it may be the snow falling outside the classroom window, a bird sitting on a branch outside of the window or the kid sitting near him or her swinging his or her leg, its all a distraction, and it changes the direction of the Attention Deficit Disorder child's focus.

As adults, the Attention Deficit Disorder will affect us in many other ways. Often the adult Attention Deficit Disorder condition allows us to multi task easier, but beware...it can also work against us. Completing a task we may have started may become nigh unto impossible. We simply cannot focus long enough on one task to complete it.

I have a prime example. One day as I was beginning to wash dishes I decided I needed a clean dish cloth. Remembering there were some in the dryer I left the water running to fill the sink and went to retrieve said dish cloth. Upon removing the dish cloths and towels from the dryer, I took them to a clothes basket in the living room reminding myself that I needed to put the clothes in the washer in the dryer. Upon arriving in the living room, I began to fold the towels. About 30 minutes later my oldest son wandered into the kitchen..."who left the water running in the sink?" he inquired. I told him I had. Then he went into the laundry room where the dryer door was hanging open as was the washer lid, "who was in the middle of doing laundry?" he again inquired. I again was guilty. It was a simple matter of distraction for me. In the midst of one task I simply went to get something I needed and began another, completely forgetting the task at hand.

For me, completing a task requires a lot more thought than just starting the task. I have to set small goals and follow through in order to accomplish things as simple as loading the dishwasher and vacuuming.

If I set a routine it can easily be disrupted. All it takes is the phone ringing, a friend stopping by or something as simple as a "shiny thing" (my husband's favorite phrase). Its not that I don't see what needs to be done, because I can certainly see that the laundry needs folded or put away, but rather that I get easily distracted. It doesn't necessarily take me longer to accomplish folding the laundry, but I have to consciously apply myself to a task at hand.

I have been this way since I was a child. I remember well my teacher in class telling me to pay attention or worse calling upon me when I had been daydreaming watching the bird singing out of the classroom window. I had no idea why she had called upon me, much less the question she had asked of me. It could be very embarrassing!

As most people with Attention Deficit Disorder I am very creative. I can come up with some great craft projects and articles to write. I have to concentrate on completing them though.
Our family doctor concurs with me that I have Attention Deficit Disorder. She asked me a series of questions and guess what....I passed this quiz 100 percent! I suppose I should be impressed that I at long last managed to pass a quiz at 100 percent. I'm not alone in this. I even researched some famous names and found that some of our most famous historical folks such as Mozart, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill were victims of Attention Deficit Disorder. Then there was the great list of actors and actresses such as Henry Winkler, Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.

There are many options available for treating this disorder. From exercise to retraining ones mind to medications I can work with my doctor to regain some of my lack of attention to the tasks at hand. As I am more of a natural remedy type person, I have chosen to set myself a schedule and require myself to complete one task at a time. It doesn't always work but its a good start. My family is extremely patient with me and they tease me about looking for the "shiny thing" as I go about my tasks.

I also reward myself for completing a task. Something along the lines of, "when I finish folding this basket of laundry I can stop and pour myself a soda" or something like "after I wash the dishes I can go outside and take a walk". By setting my goals smaller and rewarding myself I am more likely to finish what I started.
Its a great feeling to finish what I have started.