Hi! You have arrived just in time! Welcome to a plain, ordinary day in John Q's Life!  We are about to start our day and we have much to accomplish."

Sort it!

But first. . .    a word from our sponsers---


But first . . .

   "I call it "But-First" Syndrome. YOU know. It's when you decide to do the laundry. So you start down the stairs with the laundry but then see the newspapers on the table. OK, you'll do the laundry.

   BUT FIRST you decide to put the papers away. So on your way in to put the papers away, you notice the mail on the table. OK, you'll put the papers away.

   BUT FIRST you'll pay that bill that needs to be paid. So you look for the checkbook. Ooops...there's the baby's bottle from yesterday on the floor. OK, you'll pay the bill.

   BUT FIRST you need to put the bottle in the sink. You head for the kitchen. Darn it, there's the remote for the TV. What's it doing here? OK, you'll put the bottle in the sink.

   BUT FIRST you need to put the remote away. Head for the TV room. Aaagh! Stepped on the cat. Cat needs to be fed. OK, you'll put the remote away.

   BUT FIRST you need to feed the cat...

   So, do I need to describe what happens at the end of the day? (Hint: Laundry not done, papers on the floor, bottle on the table, bills unpaid, checkbook still lost, cat ate the remote control...)

   Perhaps someone enters about this time and asks: What did you do today? And, when you try to figure out how come nothing got done all day, you are baffled...you KNOW you were BUSY ALL DAY!!

   That's "BUT-FIRST" Syndrome."
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Another word for clutter is "chaos" . . .

  C Can't

  H  Have

  A  Anybody

  O  Over

  S   Syndrome

               from the deCluttr mail list
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What is ADD - just an excuse?

When I speak to someone about my ADD I sometimes get this reaction.

   "Oh God, someone else trying to blame behavior on some kinda disease. "

Of course my first inclination is to get upset.

   "Excuse me ?" I'll say. " What exactly do you know about ADD ? "

   "Well..." he/she will say, " Its just an excuse for either bad parenting or for laziness. Why don't you just do something when you're supposed to do it ? "

(Right, like its that easy. )

I used to argue the point with them, but I found that this never worked. so I decided to try something new. Ahhhh....creativity, one of the BENEFITS of ADD.

   "Okay. " I said, " Lets do it this way...I want you to think of any two objects. Anything. Something that in no way should be related in anyway to the other. "

   He scratched his head for a min and said, " A Twinkie, and my shoes. "

Really creative, I thought, especially since there was a Twinkie wrapper next to his foot.

   " That easy.. " I said, " Polymers. "

   " What ??? " he asked.

   " Polymers. " I said again, " Plastic. Both the rubber souls of your shoes and the wrapper of the Twinkie are made of polymers. Now give me two more things."

   He scratched his head again. " Okay...my shirt and that dog across the street."

He smiled quietly to himself.

   "Do you want me to just do the two or would you like me to connect all 4 things? " I asked.

   "Its your hole, " he remarked, " go ahead and dig it."

   "Its easy, " I began, " That dog across the street is a rottwieler, originally bred to pull small weapon carts during the Roman era. A type of bread was made at that time using meal to give it more flavor and nourishment during the long marches. Today that bread is made by a company called Roman Meal, which is wrapped in a plastic bag. A polymer. "

   He smiled, " Ha !! What about my shirt though ? "

   I smiled back at him.. " May I see the tag ? "

I reached to the back of his neck to look.

   "50% cotton, 50% polyester. POLYester " I said (accentuating the syllables "poly").

   "What does all of this prove?? " he said, " Fine, you see links between things, it still doesn't explain why you forget to do things. "

Now this is where I make the kill.

   "Actually it does, " I explained. " Imagine for a moment that everything you see, everything you touch, your mind races to correlate it with every other thing you have seen or touched that day. Imagine that everything is a distraction, because your mind won't stop trying to link everything together."

   "Now imagine your wife tells you to take out the trash, you say OK but as the words come out of her mouth, you're thinking not just about trash, but about land fills and how bad it is for the environment, and you see a Styrofoam cup and wonder if they can really recycle it so that its safe again for the environment. Then you remember an article you read about cups and how many are thrown away. You recall that while reading that article your friend had come by to say 'Hi!' You think to yourself that you haven't seen or heard from that friend in a long while. You should give him/her a call and see how they are. So you reach over to the phone, call the friend and talk for an hour. After you're done, the trash truck has already come by. Your wife asks why you didn't take out the trash in time."

   "THAT'S ADD!"
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The above Authors to remain anonymous...



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ADDvice for ADDults

The following has been specially written by Dr.Scott E. Borrelli and has been copied from the large amount of information found on ADDNet U.K. Please Link to them from our Mental Health Internet Links, for more information.

   ADDvice for ADDults

   ADD/ADHD: A Developmental Process of Self-Discovery and Self-Acceptance

   As a professional psychologist and counsellor who is no stranger to the worries induced by ADD, I would like to present a mixture of personal and professional reflections. As the title of this brief article suggests, self-discovery and self-acceptance is a dual process that is life-long. Those who face symptoms of ADD/ADHD are particularly challenged. Unfocussed attention, lack of completion, overactivity and nervousness, impulsivity and "accident-proneness" have a wide range of negative effects on our relationships as well as on the development of a secure and integrated identity. Low self-esteem, poor self-confidence and loneliness ("not fitting in") are but a few of the reactions we develop. We spend a great deal of energy apologising and compensating for our "dysfunctional" behaviours, and hiding our "disorderly" lives. In the process, we risk losing respect for who we are, and may take on different public facades which prevent others from knowing our true selves. This set of occurrences provides a perfect breeding ground for loneliness, depression, and anxious feelings . The first step out of this situation is awareness.

   I remember well, a few years ago, when I discovered a book on ADD. I was relieved and inspired. At last, I could understand some of my own behaviours, and I knew that others could, too. My first steps were to EDUCATE myself further, and to reveal my discovery to family and friends once I felt more confident in my knowledge. I met with various reactions ranging from support and acceptance to denial of the existence of this "currently fashionable" disorder. I am better able to identify true sources of support for what I now know and believe, and to surround myself with those who understand and can help. The ADD/ADHD Support Group is a major resource in this respect. Putting a name on my ADD experiences and contact with like-minded people may be only the first step, but it is a giant step. It can be hugely satisfying and continues to bring joy and pleasure with each new conversation and discovery.

   There is now a great deal of information about the causes and management of ADD/ADHD in children and adults. You will discover a variety of approaches, including time and behaviour structuring, counselling and psychotherapy, relaxation and stress management, cognitive-behavioural techniques, and medication. Most important, begin to imagine that your symptoms are flexible, and that your energy can be channelled through the power of your thoughts, expectations, and surroundings. You have choices about all of these things which can improve the quality of your life.

   Finally, here are some TIPS to remember as you pursue your journey:

   ¢Take your journey seriously and find at least one person you love who can do the same.

   ¢Also, find the humour and learn to laugh at yourself, respectfully and compassionately.

   ¢Read the literature, some of which is available through the Support Group.

   ¢Talk about your experiences of ADD/ADHD with those who can support you.

   ¢Seek professionals (counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, GP s, psychiatrists) who are open-minded, compassionate, and willing to listen to your concerns, and who can provide you with treatment and management strategies.

   ¢Know that discoveries about ADD/ADHD are being made all the time, and that there is no consensus about the causes and treatment. This actually allows a great deal of flexibility in the development of treatment programs.

   ¢There are a variety of interventions that do work. A predominant one is medication, which may be a stimulant, an anti-depressant, or and anti-anxiety drug. Usually, a collection of strategies work best, such as medication and counselling.

   ¢Your strategies are personal and ought to be tailored to your own needs. If one set of strategies do not seem to work, make small shifts and check the results.

   ¢With appropriate professional support, you can experiment with different management strategies safely and successfully.

   ¢Ask others for their honest assessment of any changes you might be making in yourself. We often are the last to see the positive changes, and need others to affirm the changes.

   ¢Let go of some of your efforts to control too much. People with ADD tend to think that they should always be in control. This is an impossible expectation, and you will make mistakes.

   ¢Remember, sometimes life is just plain unmanageable. Don't always blame your self.

   You may have ADD/ADHD symptoms, but you are much more than this. You do not have to let these symptoms run your life. Some you can reduce; some you can eliminate; some you can channel more positively; and some you can learn better ways to live with. The resources have arrived!

   - Dr. Scott E. Borrelli,

That first post was so dang funny. LOL

I was just recently diagnosed with ADD (in November) and kept questioning my PDoc about it and not quite believing him. I read that and just laughed and said to myself...OMG...that is me.

Thank you for the article