A Splintered Mind

In which I discover to my horror that ADHD affects me far more than I realized. By virtue of writing a regular blog, many ADHD readers over the years have been in awe of my "mastery" over my Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These readers obviously weren't regular readers. I am anything but a master of my ADHD. In fact, I am not so much a slave of ADHD as much as I am it's water boy and masseuse. That is why I'm interested in looking at ADHD anew this year using the techniques I utilize to manage my Depression. Cheek? Check. Humor? Well, at least *I* think I'm funny Optimism? Ha! Success? Not as much as I'd like. There are a few constant areas where ADHD affects me profoundly. Tardiness is one (unless I am being conscientious). Switching tasks is another (unless I am hyperactive that day). Most of all, however, I struggle with Multi-Irons Syndrome. Haven't heard of it? Perhaps that's because I coined the term. Surely you've heard of ...

It's that time of the week again... Hopefully, your weekend is going to be chock full of what you need, whether that be rest and relaxation, or time to catch up on projects. For me, I just want more time. I need it because I waste it finding delightful gems like these: Yep, this one is very useful in everyday English situations. In fact, I just used this expression the other day when I had AT&T explain my first phone bill. If your weird doesn't lay in that direction, then you may like this . The New York Times recently did a feature on Al Jaffee's fold-ins for Mad magazine, something he has done since the 1960s. If you aren't familiar with the term, "fold-ins" are those nifty sight gags on the inside back cover of Mad magazines where you have to fold the art up to reveal the secret picture. Sometimes obvious, but most times insidiously clever. This is an excellent usage of Flash technology. I hope you enjoy it. Have a good weekend. Good luck with your pers...

If you find your ADDled mind misplaces important items or forgets where they are completely, then these tips are for you. Terry Matlen, over on the ADDConsults.com , recently wrote about her tendency to misplace items. Considering that in the past I used to lose my keys, wallet, and eye glasses all the time, I know exactly what she is going through. ADHD seems to cause us to place things down in silly, absentminded locations which elude our memory later because we weren't really thinking about our actions. Lately, I seem to misplace my USB thumbdrive all the time, and I wonder if I spend more time looking for my pennywhistle than playing it. Terry recommends using what she calls "the ADD Mantra" to help impress upon your memory where you place things so that you can remember their location later. Here's a sample of her article. You can find the rest of it here : "I'm walking into the kitchen (following a shopping excursion). The bag is in my hand. The bag is ...

Has it been one of those weeks for you? It has for me. Lots of stress. Lots of activity. Not much to show for it. I'm busily reclaiming my life over here from the pandemonium and looking forward to getting into my next freelance assignment. I'm redesigning duihope.org 's website. As you can see, it could use a bit of spit and polish. I'll let you know how it goes. So far I've spent the week studying other anti-drunk driving advocacy sites and clicking around the labyrinthine duihope.org site determining which is the most vital content and how to present it. I'm doodling with a highway motif featuring sign shapes at present, but I've got other ideas knocking around the noodle as well. I finished Terry Pratchett's "The Color of Magic" . What a wonderfully silly book. It really picked up my spirits. I was also impressed with his clever writing and word play. Imagine Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , but in a fantasy setting. I've begun h...

Get a sneak peak into Douglas Cootey's mind. I'm feeling a bit blue today. OK, I've been feeling a LOT of blue lately. I realize blue is my favorite color, but in recent weeks it seems I've redecorated my life in wall to wall blue. The carpets. The counters. The drapes. Don't forget the matching towels. I've even painted my ceiling blue, but the only clouds I painted there were storm clouds. I guess I've been going for that Post Modern Somber experience, figuratively speaking of course. My " Things to Complete Before I Die/Turn 42 " list has had the opposite affect on me, since I'm focusing far too much on what I haven't accomplished - as if this list represents the sum total of my being. Silly stuff to you normal folks with healthy self-esteem and happy dispositions, I'm sure. Now, I do realize that many people, especially some over at Beyond Blue , feel that I do depressives a disserve. Some feel I cannot truly be Depressed because I...

Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella. ~Pepper Giardino Be careful all those of you who let your moods change with the weather. You're going to be in a world of hurt if you don't knock it off. According to the World Health Organization , Climate Change (the politically correct version of Anthropogenic Global Warming which hedges their bets either way) can induce psychiatric illness . Yes, I know. It may seem silly on the surface, but if you find yourself down in the dumps whenever the sky is dreary, you'll be avoiding the weather report daily from now on if predictions of global climatic calamity come true. Unfortunately for us, the climate changes all the time. It's a serious problem. Personally, I've noticed the climate changes in three month cycles getting progressively hotter then colder all through the year. I'm quite worried about it. W...

What could be worse than no reaction at all? Nothing that I can think of at the moment. You've probably heard by now about the Absolut ad that ran in Mexico that appealed to Mexican nationalists. It was an ad that played on regional pride and showed a "perfect" world where Mexico still had control over the Southwestern United States. Ads usually aim to be memorable and this one was no different. The problem was it was highly political and extremely insensitive to the people who live in the USA in the green areas. I happen to live in that area. Utah was one of the areas turned over to American control in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo . Putting aside the fact that Mexican control of that area was only a little over 70 years, or that the United States of America has had control of the area for over 150 years, or even that the people who truly were robbed were the Native Americans, there was one aspect of this ad that bothered me: the double standard. Would Absolut run a ...

A reader recently wrote on my ADHD: Bored of Boredom - Five Ways to Bear It. One Way to Beat It article... hello...at 64, adhd and recently retired, I am feeling something I have never felt before. The feeling comes when I am in my apartment. It is an overwhelming feeling akin to anxiety and sometimes NOTHING changes it. It especially closes in on weekends, but it comes and goes eventhough nothing else changes. I've worked 2 jobs most my life, now I feel like a fish out of water. When I'm with my grandkids, I feel just great and back to my normal happy self, but they can't always be with me. Any advice on where this brain chemical could be coming from would be greatly appreciated. I am not taking any medications nor do I imbide in any addictive behavior. THANK YOU! Hello, anonymous. Thanks for commenting. It sounds to me like you are suffering from a little AD/HD anomaly called Depression After Success. In this case, you are experiencing anxiety after success. This is my b...

Since I've been incredibly busy writing books, drawing, making music, and mastering the subtle art of cat juggling, I've not made time for this blog. I feel terrible about it. I really do. In fact, this was a perfect week to blog since I had a crushing bout of Depression that made me so fun to be around that my family began not coming home. I still wonder where my wife is. Honey? Dear? So while I think about how I can cheerily relate how I fought off my latest black mood with nothing but a smile and a pan of spicy ramen, I wanted to leave you with a link that you might find useful. Over at zenhabits.com there is an article listing 18 different ways to attack clutter in your home. Each point will only take about five minutes of your time. Since clutter can lead to chaos in the mind as well as in the home, I am a big fan of cleaning. Often, when I find myself overwhelmed, I am able to begin the process of gaining control of my life by picking one mess to straighten. Even one me...