I’ve lived my whole life in the Midwest and as a result, I’ve learned one thing about snow.
Those great big fat snowflakes that fall? Harmless.
But those teeny, tiny ones that you can barely see? Deadly. You’re going to have anywhere from a few inches to a few feet.
Weird, huh? You’d think the big ones would cause all the mess but no, it’s the little stuff.
The little stuff can do the same thing to your environment and your life when you have ADHD.
It’s so little that you don’t notice it until all of a sudden you seem to have a blizzard of stuff in your closet or car or your whole house. Even in your email box.
Those of us with ADHD tend to encounter those blizzards a lot. Sure, we see the random sock laying on the table or the floor or wherever, and we say, “It’s just one sock. I’ll pick it up in a minute.”
Except that minute never seems to come until the sock is joined by a shoe, a sweater, some toys, a book, and so much other little stuff that collectively they become one BIG mess and then, then you decide to clean it up.
Why do we do that and how can we stop?
I think a lot of it is due to two things. First, it’s little, insignificant. Off your radar almost immediately.
Second, your radar is set to five or ten or thirty minutes from now. You’re always living in the “what’s next” time zone instead of the “here and now” time zone.
As a result, when you see that sock, you’re not really noticing it, cause it’s right there in the here and now, but you’re already five or ten or thirty minutes into the future. You’re too busy anticipating what’s coming next that the sock really doesn’t register.
The sock has to attract others to it so that it can grow to be a GREAT BIG PILE before it gets noticed, because now it’s too big to ignore.
So how do you stop that from happening?
Learn to live in the here and now.
Not easy, I know. It takes work, and concentration, and maybe even focus.
We don’t have a whole lot of those things. But you know what? We can get them.
Meditation, yoga, and martial arts are all very good at helping us build our concentration and focus and living in the moment muscles. And you’d probably like them, if you gave them a try.
They’re also beneficial to your ADHD symptoms in general, not to mention your stress and fitness level.
Really? Are you still here? What are you waiting for?
Go find a meditation you like, or a yoga or martial arts class. And then do it.
Oh, and while you’re at it, pick up that sock and put it away.