Tag: mindfulness

ADHD: Overstimulation and Stress

Overstimulation is a state of feeling overwhelmed by the situation you are in. This might take the form of physical or emotional discomfort and feeling like your brain is frozen or you’re unable to think or process anything that’s happening.

VeryWellMind.com

It can also make a person irritable, panicked, or stressed, causing them to lash out at your friends or loved ones all while feeling a strong urge to escape the situation.
When an ADHDer is greatly affected by a certain stimulus, such as a sound or smell, this can lead to the following signs and symptoms:

  • Headaches, dizziness, or light-headedness
  • Feeling ill, faint, or nauseous
  • Increased anxiety and stress
  • Irritability and agitation
  • Issues with sleeping
  • Emotional outbursts
  • Difficulty focusing

WHAT THIS MEANS

If I am overstimulated, I will either shut down, hyperfocus or I will leave for a while. When in work this used to happen after a particularly bad call, and I would walk a lap, or three, of the floor.

Yup, I’m pretty certain when I’m overstimulated I resemble a Fizzgig. Certainly on the inside, but there’s a good chance on the outside too.

WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW

If I’m irritable or emotional. It’s not about you. I’m fizzy. One thing I always worry about is hurting people when I’m angry. One thing I’ve always been told is that I wear my heart on my sleeve. Basically, I’m not good at hiding how I’m feeling.
Oh and I may swear. A lot. Like, running four swears together. You will find it funny and you are encouraged to laugh.

Often if I retell what’s happened, unless I’m in tears, I’m usually going for ‘making you laugh’. Mainly because, in the words of John McClane in Die Hard 2 ‘How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?’… Only, Groundhog Day style.
There are many female grumps out there as examples, but in my retellings I am going for Perry Cox, James Acaster and Roy Kent type of humour. Also, I love nothing more than making people laugh, so there’s a good chance you laughing at my misfortune will break the bubble of anger too.

TIPS

Just that if I’ve started tapping on my collar and my skin starts to look red, draw my attention to it. There’s a good chance I don’t even know I’m doing it.

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ADHD and the Busy Han Mind

I have a very busy and loud mind.

The hyperactivity part of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) doesn’t just mean physical restlessness. It can also mean having a busy brain. A very, very busy brain. One that feels like the off switch is broken. A brain that becomes obsessed and consumed with its goals. Or a brain that can feel like a time machine, jumping unexpectedly to the past and critiquing your choices in one second and then to the future worrying about the next bad thing that might happen in another.

The Focused Mind

Me, I have about five trains of thought going at any one time as standard. There are a few that just run on in the background as permanent white noise. Two of these are *best if you imagine it being said in a Gollum voice*:

  1. No one likes you (not even yourself)
  2. You’re a repulsive, ugly inside and out, monster*.
*Trigger Warning

My Dad told me that he would have had me aborted if he’d known I’d grow up to be so ugly.

I tell you these things, not to make you feel sorry for me, but to explain why sometimes things that wouldn’t impact other people, hurt me. Also, to explain why I seem to have walls and appear stand offish (I’m protecting you from the monster that is me). 
These two trains of thoughts are so engrained, they’re core values. You cannot change them, only I can. I’m working on it, but I recently had a set back and Covid didn’t help.

Most of the time these two thoughts are quiet, exactly like white noise. However there are times when these are very loud (or one of the other thoughts) and I cannot ignore them. 

WHAT THIS MEANS

  • I am always battling the distractions that are going on in my head.
  • I might hyper-focus on the work in front of me.
  • I might be listening to something as this distracts part of my mind to allow me to focus.
  • I might not sleep for a few days if something is on my mind.
  • I might switch my working from home days.
  • I might hide away in a quiet space in work
  • I try and sit down first so I don’t force anyone to sit by me
  • I’m always early for a similar reason

WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW

  • I’m not avoiding you if I hide away or become quiet, I’m doing what I think is best. (I’m doing it as a kindness to you)
  • If you need my help, you can still come to me.
  • If you want to talk to me, you absolutely can. I’m just, in the moment, convinced you don’t want to.

TIPS

  • If I’ve not got a coffee, red bull or anything with caffeine in. It’s a good idea to see If I want to have a break and get a drink. Caffeine is what also quietens my mind. Not as great as it used to, but I’d imagine that’s a lot to do with building up a tolerance.

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