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Executive Functioning Skills for ADDults |
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Executive Functioning Problems in ADDults
ADHD adults face many obstacles to executive functioning, including but not limited to:
Brain Fog Meteorological fog is a cloud phenomenon that is on ground level. If it is thick, it obscures a person's view of the road ahead and behind. If you are driving in a thick fog with visibility of 10 feet, you must drive very slowly because you cannot see dangers ahead or a curve in the road well ahead of time. Brain fog is similar to a fog cloud. Stimuli, details of surroundings, needs of children and spouse, household tasks, even personal needs are obscured by a jumble of thought or even non-thought. It is nearly impossible to think clearly when experiencing a brain fog. For those of you normies who have been on pain medication, you might be able to imagine what ADHD brain fog is like. It is as though we are looking through a veil of gauze at the world, and are receiving input through that same gauze. Nothing is crisp and clear. When an ADDult is in a brain fog, they wander around all day long accomplishing nearly nothing. They might seem to be depressed. They might seem lost. They might work all day without completing any one task. They might just shut down. Time awareness is nearly nonexistent. Hyperfocus Hyperfocus is the ability to focus on one particular task to such a degree that time ceases to exist and the world around one fades. Hyperfocus is friend and foe of the ADDult. Hyperfocus is necessary to the ADDult when faced with a complex task. It enables the ADDult to drown out the clamoring world around him and only see what needs to be done, usually one step at a time. Executive functioning nearly stops when in hyperfocus mode, though. Because the ADDult is so focused on that one task, they do not see, hear, smell, or feel anything else going on around them. They forget to eat, forget to go to sleep, and fail to interact with their family members. They work on the one task in front of them and then move on to the most obvious task next. Problem solving is entirely linear in hyperfocus mode. Most ADDults will accomplish what needs to be accomplished in hyperfocus, but they will not take the easiest route from Step A to Step Z. They may start with Step E, need to go back to Step A, and so on. The job will get done, but it takes longer. Memory Difficulties Whether there is brain damage from a traumatic brain injury or just brain fog, memory difficulties are common in ADDults. The inability to remember when their dentist appointment is next week, what day Project A is due, that the bulletin board needs to be updated in two weeks, which road to take to get to the auto parts store and what time they close, are all examples of memory difficulties. In many cases an ADDult will be taking a load of clothes to the bedroom, see the bed is not made, start to make the bed, see a sock on the floor, sort a few pair of socks, see the drawer is a mess, begin to straighten the drawer, remember that they have a pot of chili on the stove and run frantically to see if it is burnt. In the meantime, they were supposed to pick up a prescription and get cookies for tomorrow from the store. Time to vacuum, but the vacuum cleaner is nowhere in sight and the hose is not with the vacuum cleaner when you find it. Where is the duster, too? Did I put it in the closet or under the sink? Where is the scouring powder I need to clean the sink? I used it yesterday to clean the bathtub. Is it in the bathroom? For men, it means forgetting the details of what needs to be done, where, when, and how after someone has explained all of this to them. When were we supposed to be at the party? Which weekend am I supposed to mow the church lawn? When is my wife's birthday? What directory did I save that file to? Overwhelm An ADDult has been in a brain fog for 3 days, the house needs to be painted, the car needs repair, the bills need to be paid, the dog needs his shots, the washing machine is leaking, and the wife is definitely not happy. He hasn't been home in time for dinner all week long and the children don't recognize him. Since he can't seem to get a grip on what to start first, he shuts down. He turns on the TV and doesn't accomplish anything constructive all weekend long. He is totally overwhelmed. It is as though his wife, his boss, his children and his dog were all standing right in front of him yelling at him what needs to be done NOW! He can't really understand any of them very well, and only knows that he feels as though he is being assaulted. There are no quiet voices telling him that he needs to change into grubby clothes, get the painting supplies out, prep the walls by filling with spackling, and spread a cloth on the floor. Instead he is paralyzed by it all and nothing gets done. Next Page 1 2 3 4 5 Last Page©Copyright 2006-2008 by ADHD of the Christian Kind. | |
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