Disorder – a state of Confusion.
What feels like an eternity ago, was college.
In college, I remember finding out that I had ADD.
Attention Deficit Disorder –
To help treat it they wanted me to take medication twice a day, at the same time of day…
For those that are unfamiliar with ADD one of the biggest symptoms is being “distracted, unfocused, forgetful” I’d get so frustrated that they expected me to take a pill, not once, but twice a day, to help alleviate symptoms. It seemed my frustration just exacerbated the symptoms even more and I was caught in a vicious cycle.
I tried it for a while, but in the end, taking a pill wasn’t for me. I had to figure out how to function in a way that worked for me. Maybe sometimes I don’t function as well as I ought to. I know as I’ve aged I’ve had seasons that have come and gone where the ADD stood out more.
Day-to-day:
Working out helps set my body so that it doesn’t immediately feel the need to go into overdrive. In college, I was able to work out every morning before my class day started. In this season of life, the workout can no longer happen like my 5:30 am sabbatical walks, which I miss so much! Working out was a way to wake up my body, the endorphins helped to bring focus and clarity. If we lived in a world where work/life balance happened this would still be top of my list! Highly recommend it if you struggle with ADD.
But alas I am not waking at 3 am to workout so, I check and adjust. To-Do lists are my best friend. However To-Do lists can become overwhelming due to adding more stuff before completing the task(s) at hand. I tend to make my To-Do lists in order, and I work them in order and not out of order because that can be a trigger. If I have to add to my list, I tend to make a follow-up list.
The biggest thing in my life – for me…
Limit stressful situations, and keep feelings of being overwhelmed at bay.
One of my old bosses called me Tornado, due to the wake of a mess I’d leave as I set out to do all the things at once. It’s true, Starbucks is a high-paced and somewhat high-stress job. I had to train myself to reel it in. Starbucks is big on routines they’re set at every station, from how you take the money and hand out drinks (Window Routine) to the Brew Cycle (Brew Routine) every station has one. Working there for so long, I’ve taken the Bar routine and adapted it to many areas of my life.
Routine
Bar Routine = Two drinks at a time. You pull the sticker, read the drink, then get to it. Pour Milk, Steam Milk, grab a cup, queue shots, get syrups, and put the cup under the bar to catch shots. Start the second drink in the same order, as the first one is finishing. You replace everything like for like. Pull off the old milk blow out the steam wand, and put the new milk under. You finish and connect with that first drink, as the second is going, and start all over again with the 3rd. It’s very methodical, the routine, I quite love it.
Things that can break your routine. Running out of a product, stepping away to help a customer, having to remake something due to being rung in or not said properly. Many things can interrupt the routine. The key is once the interruption happens, NOT to get distracted.
That boss helped me realize that I was functioning from an overwhelmed place. This happens often, still to this day. When I look up and realize I have way too many things going at one time I start to see all the mess I’ve created around me. I take some deep breaths and start a routine. Sometimes that is stopping and starting a to start a to-do list because I realize I’ve begun my day with the first thought that came to mind, beginning many tasks based on sequential thoughts.
In a way I’m grateful for Starbucks because it was such a tool in helping me realize what worked for me, to function in life, without medicine. I would tell you, I barely notice the ADD part of me, however, I have a better half, who may say otherwise.
The biggest part is owning all of it.
High Stress and Overwhelmed feelings bring it out 100% to the max.
Some examples:
Testing, Interviews, Weddings, Big Moves, Holidays, Life events (Babies)(Covid Lockdown).
All of these brought it out tenfold.
A big thing I’m coming to realize is that being over-committed or too busy in life also kicks it into gear.
In the spirit of owning it, why do we put a label like Disorder on it?
Everyone I know, who has a disorder of sorts, is aware not only of their disorder but who they are as a person within their disorder. They are in a constant state of working on it! I’d say none of us are in a state of confusion, but a state of realization and progress.
Don’t let a Disorder define you, be the one to define it.