Cait, Rachel, and Adult's w/ADD,

I was diagnosed with ADD in 2008 and have been on medication, which helps a lot. I adopted my 17 year old daughter with special needs in 2010, and I am now operating on empty...0000000! I work in a prison and was working in case management at the time my symptoms caused me to seek therapy. I was also recently diagnosed with CPTSD (Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) which, I am told, is common among correctional workers. I cannot get organized enough to get organized...does that make sense? I always end up too exhausted at the end of the day to do anything; and I won't get up early enough in the morning to get anything done. My house is a mess! I feel like I am right on the edge of getting it together if I could just get some motivation. I would appreciate any advice or positive success stories.

Thank you,

Mary



>>> On 3/11/2011 at 3:24 PM, in message <306.874.1299882251824304974233@groups.care.com>, "Rachel K." <familywithADDorADHD@groups.care.com> wrote:

I would say that it's not even a matter of motivation. You simply need help. The problem with ADD sufferers, of which I am one, is that we often feel guilty for everything because we have unrealistic expectations about how much time it takes to manage a household let alone work in a high stress job. Not only do I have ADD but I also have post traumatic stress disorder. (I no longer suffer with it just have ADD) My home is finally organized but it took 6 months and a whole lot of help from about 4-6 people. Some of them helped me to realize that even non-ADD people could not have organized my home with the demanding schedule I kept. So if you work all day at least 8 hours plus commute time (? 2 hours)+ 8 hrs sleep + 4 hours to catch up with a 17 year old and take her to appts/school activities/chores/cook that's at least a 20 hour day and you need some time for yourself. If you can afford to get some part-time help for about 20 hours/week for 15-30weeks or have several friends (one-two volunteers/weekend for about 15-30 weeks) etc... then that's a far more realistic goal. Worse yet, a lot of us with ADD need the structure of an organized home in order to be motivated and de-stressed. (catch 22). Give yourself permission to ask friends, family and others for help and you'll find your stress levels decrease bit by bit as one room at a time gets organized.