A.D.D. is killing me

[breedlowe]

Hello all,

First time poster. for a couple of months I have been addicted to Stevepavlina.com & the articles in a continual effort to improve my life...

To cut to the heart of it, i have Adult ADD & it is ruining my life...I have all the creativity & potential in the world but just can't get over the hump...Mediocre "Office Space" jobs, Financial instability, & some self loathing due to years of underachieving...I am SICK of it...I take medication for ADD, but still can't seem to maintain a level of enthusiasm to produce anything significant.

I am also trying to learn how to Auto-Pilot my income to support my family & give me the freedom to pursue my goals. I wish I had some help.


"The Courage to Live Consciously" article has been very inspirational for me. I have SO MANY ideas for screenplays, songs, books, but can never seem to make them materialize...

I WANT TO LIVE CONSCIOUSLY, get off the merry-go-round, & be able to support my family...Any advice would be helpful
Thank u

[JHL]

Hi there Breedlowe, you sound really frustrated with how things have been going and you're very ready for change!

Well I think you've come to a great place, Steve's site is full of great articles and useful information. Please there's a chance someone else here has had similar experience with ADD, or knows someone who has, and hopefully they'll add their thoughts.

Can you explain in more detail how you feel the ADD affects you? Does it disturb your concentration levels and focus?

It seems like you certainly have a lot of ideas you would like to run with, but really need some help with respect to your approach - how to remain motivated and enthusiastic enough to see things through.

You've definitely come to the right place! I think what would help, though, is if you explained in a bit more detail how ADD has been frustrating your efforts, and anything else really that you feel is holding you back. Hope to hear from you soon.

[ticktockclok]

This might help you....

[demk]

Meditate!!!


I am inclined towards the ADD mentality and for ages thought I had it. I read some stuff by Thom Hartmann which changed my mind. A similar attitude can be found on this site - Attention Deficit Disorder* -* Born to Explore! . Although I don't know the severity of your situation I think the whole Hunter/Farmer paradigm is important - Hunter vs. farmer theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Meditation has been the thing that really has allowed me to function mentally. It has totally allowed me to rise above the brain fog and gain some real clarity. It will be dificult at first but it is worth sticking with it for a few weeks so you really get the benefits.

I have also been using this - The Worlds First Digital Drug (FLAC version) - The Pirate Bay) . It works really well for gaining some momentum with your meditation. I can be in a really brain foggy mood and listen to this and be clear minded. Make sure you get a flac or wav if you use binaurals because mp3s don't work apparently.

Good luck. You will get there. It is totally possible to fucntion better mentally and I am testement to that fact. Keep trying till you get there because something will work.

[Dolazy]

I have ADD too. I sometimes encourage myself by telling myself that the Law of Attraction always works. It doesn't care whether you have ADD or not, it doesn't even know.

I find that focusing on ADD can be confusing, because it's such an abstract concept. Even though it is very real! I find it helpful to focus on specific things, real experiences, that I want to improve in my life, and use one of the Abraham-Hicks processes on it. They can be very effective.

The most crucial step is making the attitude switch from looking at yourself as an ADD-victim towards an attitude of appreciation about what you do have, and what you do like about your life.

[shesaboutspirit]

I read this thread because I have adult ADD also. There are good words of advice here.

One thing is that you may not have all of the answers with whatever meds your taking. Dr Daniel Amen writes tons about the various aspects of ADD on his web site at Brain SPECT, ADD, ADHD, Depression, Help, Books, DVD Mindworks Press, Amen Clinics He's quite the leader in this field thanks to his raising of awareness of the SPECT brain scan. His point is that if all of the brain isn't addressed in the balancing with medication, a person will not get the relief they need. I began with his main book on ADD and it's pretty much all anyone needs. The natural supplements have worked better for me than the prescription drugs which made me worse.

If you still lack motivation...which I totally understand, there is still some imbalance. When the amino acid that I take kicks in, my motivation rises and it's very obvious the difference. I need to really see stuff work to bother with remembering to take it. I'm still experimenting with different things until I get the best results possible.

I was diagnosed five years ago when I was forty. What I've learned is that the more I focused on "having ADD", the worse it got and the worse my life became. Guess that law of attraction thing isn't kidding. I focused hard on having this disorder because it helped me explain my life. Maybe focusing on something else will improve it the same way. Imagine focusing on the thought of being someone who achieves for a change...hard for me too, but my whole body feels better just thinking it. I'll forget...so I use lots of bright visual cues around me for whatever I want to add to uplift my thoughts.

One other thing that comes to mind is this. To keep myself positive, which is a daily process, I ask myself what I need to add... a new thought, new system for something, a new idea, a healthier food, a new supplement, some form of exercise or whatever. Just add one positive thing when you need it...a new habit even. When you trust yourself to follow through...you can add something else. Keep it simple...so you can feel success often. Maybe that's what we really need.

Good luck,
Pam

[shesaboutspirit]

there are lots of other writers on this forum... I read their stories all the time of how they are beginning in this profession. You might start a thread and get their input and support with that. Also, I've noticed they have similar struggles without using the word ADD. So maybe focus on it from another angle...just to see what you get out of it. Maybe those challenges are just normal for a new writer...

Pam

[Greek Dog]

Daniel Amen's books are helpful. He explains the physiological experiences. I was diagnosed 5 years ago and it helped explain so much about my life.

I could have written the following sentence about myself: Financial instability, & some self loathing due to years of underachieving...I am SICK of it...I take medication for ADD, but still can't seem to maintain a level of enthusiasm to produce anything significant. But I have found a way to build a life. First I had to address the issue of "self loathing". That, in and of itself, was the greatest barrier to overcoming the obstacles of ADD.

I have found that the results of the self loathing mimic the very problems of ADD. Self loathing exacerbates the inability to focus and the inability to stick with a task or chosen goal. I encourage you to deal with this issue as soon as possible. - Greek Dog

[toptemp]

I never had ADD as a child; I began to literally develop in myself as I began to think independently and develop my mind. That said, I see ADD as a natural state of mind, a state which is naturally good and shouldn't be suppressed by medication (most of the time) or be manipulated in any extreme sort of way.

I find that I am able to be miraculously productive when I am pursuing pure freedom, when I am pursuing dreams which are true to who I truly am even if it means neglecting all the advice others give me or if it means overcoming the restraints society places on us. I also find that I must do things for the sake of doing them rather than trying to fulfill some pretentious goal I've set for the sake of my ego or others.