Walking The Dog

She was restless, anxious and quite agitated and frankly getting on my last nerves! Her name is Addy and she's not my pet.

She is ME.

My ADD (Addy as I call her) has my brain going in circles. Before I knew what was wrong with me I used to get frustrated and I couldn't understand why it was so hard for me to concentrate and why my brain would have so many things swirling inside at one time.

I recently read an article in Natural Health Magazine and it changed my life.

The article was titled Finding Focus and it was a wonderfully written piece on ADHD by Niika Quistard-Devivo and it spoke to my soul. Explaining a pattern of enthusiasm for idea after idea yet the constant struggle of boredom, procrastination and disorganization fit me perfectly and so did the diagnosis.

So while I was trying to find out what was the cause of my son's inability to focus and retain his school work, I found myself. That article helped me to embrace myself as a whole person with all my complex dynamics and components.

In the past, telling me to just relax and meditate is like dropping me in Russia and expecting me to just start speaking Russian fluently..not gonna happen. But what I did realize about myself and with most individuals is exercise will calm me and help me to better focus.

So that's what I did.

I started walking on a treadmill with a backpack on, set at interval training, taking my heart rate from 117-145 bpm for forty-five minutes.

It was exhilarating!

Afterwards I was able to go back to my work with calm and ease and I felt centered and focused. Realizing this as an adult has been challenging but eye-opening for me and my spouse. I eagerly look toward finding new tools that can not only help me but my son, who has it as well.

Because this is new for me, I am taking you on this journey with me and the tools that I acquire in living a healthy, happy life with ADD.

It all makes sense now:

1. Why I have a thousand ideas going through my head at one time.

2. Why when I get mentally overwhelmed combined with an emotional situation I shut down.        
Completely shut down.

3. Why I start something so enthusiastically and then struggle to complete it or stay engaged after completion.

4. In college I would procrastinate and wait until the last minute to write a paper, finish a project, etc.

5. Why I hate Burlington Coat Factory, TJ Maxx, Marshalls (no offense) and any hodge podge store. I like the deals but it overwhelms me. Too many different things and no order. I find myself getting irritable and ready to leave.

6. Never feeling like I accomplished anything.

7. Why my brain never sleeps or seems to rest until I collapse at night from exhaustion.