I'm pretty sure I have ADD/ADHD and always have. I was wondering if other people that know about it would agree and if those that have it have any suggestions. - I've always been really bad at organization and lost things all the time. It's been a big problem starting in maybe 7th grade. - I don't remember being a particularly hyper child, especially when I first meet people, but now I definitely can be. Especially if I'm bored (math class especially. Last year, 2nd semester, I almost never paid attention and spent much of math talking) - I have a REALLY bad tendency to procrastinate. I'm a sophomore, and since freshman year I have pulled 2 all-nighters to finish work - one because it was two final projects, and the other was late and I think it absolutely had to be handed in the next day. I just never seem to be able to get anything done, and sometimes I really hate myself for it. I tell myself to do something, know how important it is that I do, and then instead I choose not to. The past couple years it has gotten to be more of a problem. - I zone out a lot. Sometimes while people are talking, sometimes in a lecture. Especially if I forget a notebook or something, but sometimes I'll be paying attention and then just realize that I missed an entire example problem. I'm not sure whether I used to do this when I was younger. I do remember one time, in 1st grade, we were taking a spelling test and I just got zoned out while the teacher was reading the word. - Very often I'll start to talk and then just forget what I was going to say, or I'll completely blank on a word I'm looking for. Again, not sure if I did this when I was younger. - It feels like a lot of the time I say something quickly and it just comes out way more awkward or mean then it sounded while I was forming the sentence, like maybe I speak impulsively. I have plenty of friends, but sometimes I can be overly bitchy to people I don't like. I used to be more afraid of confrontation, but now I say things and often regret it. - My family tends to get in a lot of arguments, but that's not completely me. That's just how we are. I also used to argue in group projects, although I've learned to bite my tongue some more. My mom has even mentioned a couple times that I probably have it, but always that it's a touch and seems to treat it as no big deal. But my grades are starting to slip and I feel like they're out of my control, or in my control but I don't have enough willpower to do anything about it. I'm advanced in classes for my age and, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I've been bright enough to handle it. It feels like as classes and everything else I'm juggling (theatre, recently science fair, etc.) it's getting harder and harder. Any advice would be much appreciated!
It's definitely a possibility and something worth looking into. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 8. There definitely came a point when things got to be too hard for me to just coast on my smarts anymore, and I had to learn study skills and organizational skills. Luckily I did, since I'm in grad school now and lord knows you need study skills and organizational skills to survive! A couple things that I've found have worked for me: -Block off a bunch of time for studying and writing to account for the fact that you're going to zone out, take a lot of breaks, get distracted on the internet, etc. That way you won't feel quite as much of a time crunch, and you may actually finish stuff earlier and feel good when you do. -Move around. If I have a long day of working from home at my desk, I will sometimes shut my computer off and physically leave the house to go get lunch/tea/something. It gives my brain a break and a chance to reset. -To the extent that you can, go paperless. Too many pieces of paper makes things chaotic and cluttered. I do most things paperless--bills (you're not there yet but you'll get there), class syllabi, reading--so that my space is less cluttered. Hope this helps!
I was diagnosed with ADD at the age of 47. What you describe about being bright enough to figure things out your own way really struck a chord with me. What you really need, first and foremost is a formal diagnosis from a trained professional. Next, if the diagnosis is positive, you can try to avoid the meds by taking on several strategies, the most important being not to spend too much time organizing (believe it or not, that is a form of procrastination, a lot of busywork accomplishing nothing). True ADD also has moments of hyperfocus, where nothing can stop or distract you. These don't happen often and can also be pretty destructive if you have other more urgent priorities... But hey, don't sweat it if the diagnosis is positive, you're in good company; from Richard Branson to Winston Churchill, we are a creative and generally intelligent bunch, with a few issues of distractibility. One thing for sure, we're easy to get along with, we don't hold grudges, generally, cuz we've probably forgotten what upset us in the first place!
