Be a Detective: Look for the Cause Behind Your Problems

Detective Problems An ADD Woman

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What’s Your Problem?

You’ve got lots of them, right?

But we’re talking about Attention Deficit Disorder.Detective Problems An ADD Woman

Sometimes you have to be a detective and look for the cause behind your problems.

That’s especially true with ADHD.

Although we all have different variations of it, particularly when you include conditions like anxiety and depression, the root causes of our problems often come down to a few simple things.

If you take a look around An ADD Woman, you’ll find that the same topics get discussed over and over.

The Big Four

Most of the time, when you’re struggling with something, you can trace it back to one of these four:

  1. The extras that come with ADHD, like anxiety and depression
  2. Time management
  3. Organization
  4. Life skills – this is the term I use for things like social skills and just plain living skills that we seem to have never learned

Now I’m not saying it’s just one of these, and I’m certainly not saying it’s easy.

That’s where you have to be a detective.

You have to look at the evidence, seek out clues, and look for the cause behind your problems.

An Example

It seems like you’re already behind by the time you wake up.

The morning is a crazy rush, trying to get out the door on time. You’re lucky if you’re not late and remember to bring everything you need.

Back at home later, things are no better.

Rush to get something on the table for dinner. Who knows what? Forget healthy and settle for quick.

Is the laundry done? Did you forget a load in the washer again?

If you’re lucky, you get an hour or so to zone out in front of the TV before it’s time for bed. In truth, you should have been in bed hours ago, but you need some time to yourself to unwind first.

Sound familiar?

There are a lot of problems here. Can you figure out which of the four they belong to?

Put Your Detective Hat On

Let’s start at the beginning and look for evidence and clues.

What are the real problems here?

  • You wake up feeling behind, and you go to bed too late. You’re not getting enough sleep, and probably having trouble sleeping.
    • Part of this belongs under your symptoms, because we have trouble making transitions from one thing to another, but you could also put it under life skills because, knowing this about your symptoms, you could make changes like going to bed earlier and finding ways to fall asleep easier.
  • The morning is a crazy rush.
    • Organization and time management. Start on Sunday to plan your week, including what to wear. Make sure everything is clean. Get as much as possible ready the night before.
  • Rush to get dinner on the table.
    • Organization. Again, the Sunday plan. Meal plan, do your shopping, get things ready for the week. Make use of things like the Instant Pot, crock pot, even meal delivery services.
  • Laundry.
    • Time management and organization. Reduce your wardrobe. Use a capsule or a uniform. Plan regular laundry times, make them a habit. Buy clothing that wears well.

You can reduce almost anything down to one of these four causes. Sometimes, as I said, it’s more than one.

Sometimes, it takes a little more work than this did.

But it can be done, with practice.

And then, you’ve got one more tool in your kit to make your life better than it is.

 

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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