The last word I would ever use to describe myself is focused, but that's exactly what someone called me yesterday. I go to coffee houses often, and apparently, I seem incredibly focused when I'm sitting in front of my laptop at a coffee house. This came as a revelation, especially considering I have ADD.
When I was twelve years old, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. ADD means that I can't do one activity for an extended period of time; I can and will be distracted by everything and anything else. I could be in the middle of editing a paragraph in an intense, action-packed scene of a story when I suddenly find myself looking online at job postings. I could be in the middle of cleaning my bathroom when I remember I left a pizza in the oven too long, and no matter how fast I run back to the kitchen or how much I curse, the pizza will still be an inedible, hardened lump. I might be listening attentively to a lecture in class when I am distracted by a tangent. Ten minutes later, I might emerge from an intense daydream and realize I have no idea what the professor is talking about anymore. At nearly every live book reading I've attended, I've zoned out at some point or another through no fault of the speaker's.
Even if you don't have ADD, these sorts of things may have happened to you, so I hope you can relate to how annoying it can be to realize you've missed something important without meaning to do so.
I've always had ADD, even before the diagnosis. It's a part of me. There's no shame in it, and I have no problem talking about it with other people. As far as disorders go, I like to think that it is one of the milder ones. It's treatable; I take pills sometimes, though not often. I have no problems driving, operating heavy machinery, performing menial tasks, doing homework and paid work, shopping, cooking (other than a couple of burnt pizzas, I'm actually a decent cook); I'm not restricted in any way. Sure, sometimes I have to ask other people to repeat whatever they just said. And I've found that note taking or participating in discussions help me to focus while in class. I don't miss deadlines, either. If I have an assignment, I may write a few sentences, do something else, write a few more sentences, do something else, and so forth. It's not something that happens on purpose, but I can usually find my way back to where I'm supposed to be. The rest of the time, I just have to live with the fact that I will miss things I'll wish I hadn't and try to focus better next time.
When I was twelve years old, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. ADD means that I can't do one activity for an extended period of time; I can and will be distracted by everything and anything else. I could be in the middle of editing a paragraph in an intense, action-packed scene of a story when I suddenly find myself looking online at job postings. I could be in the middle of cleaning my bathroom when I remember I left a pizza in the oven too long, and no matter how fast I run back to the kitchen or how much I curse, the pizza will still be an inedible, hardened lump. I might be listening attentively to a lecture in class when I am distracted by a tangent. Ten minutes later, I might emerge from an intense daydream and realize I have no idea what the professor is talking about anymore. At nearly every live book reading I've attended, I've zoned out at some point or another through no fault of the speaker's.
Even if you don't have ADD, these sorts of things may have happened to you, so I hope you can relate to how annoying it can be to realize you've missed something important without meaning to do so.
I've always had ADD, even before the diagnosis. It's a part of me. There's no shame in it, and I have no problem talking about it with other people. As far as disorders go, I like to think that it is one of the milder ones. It's treatable; I take pills sometimes, though not often. I have no problems driving, operating heavy machinery, performing menial tasks, doing homework and paid work, shopping, cooking (other than a couple of burnt pizzas, I'm actually a decent cook); I'm not restricted in any way. Sure, sometimes I have to ask other people to repeat whatever they just said. And I've found that note taking or participating in discussions help me to focus while in class. I don't miss deadlines, either. If I have an assignment, I may write a few sentences, do something else, write a few more sentences, do something else, and so forth. It's not something that happens on purpose, but I can usually find my way back to where I'm supposed to be. The rest of the time, I just have to live with the fact that I will miss things I'll wish I hadn't and try to focus better next time.
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