2 posts in 1!! Includes a video!

So, I had hoped to get past day 3 before missing a day... Oops...So, here's 2 posts in 1!!

One of the questions I've been asked a few times is "What was the turning point that made you get tested/help?"  It really started shortly after the holidays when everything was getting back to normal, but for some reason, things weren't for me.  I started finding that it was getting harder to do the things I should do, but without the deadlines of the holidays, I was finding other interesting projects to do.  So rather than doing the dishes piling up, I was online looking at Lego's website writing down all the blue individual bricks you can order, and virtually built my own Tardis that was as close to scale as possible (which turns out to be a 12" tall structure and when you put Lego people inside, they look so small so it's bigger on the inside!). And for those who don't watch Doctor Who, just know I spent a lot of time playing with Legos.  And the more I tried to focus on what I should be doing, the more distracted I got.  I hadn't thought much of it at this time since I've gone through waves like this before, and didn't really think ADD because like many others, I held the stereotypical image of ADHD looking like Dennis the Menace hyped up on sugar stuck constantly in motion, and my sedentary lifestyle didn't reflect that.

One day I was perusing the internet and stumbled across a Buzzfeed video-10 Things Only People with Attention Problems Undetstand (see post below).  So I watched it, and of the 10 things they mentioned, I had almost every single one of those happen to me regularly. And weird little things - I swear my keys had legs and ran around at night playing hide and seek.  Every morning was a hunt for the keys, and I have found them in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, in the couch cushions, and even in my hockey bag.  I have had days where I get up from where I'm sitting several times in a row.  I have walked in the room and wondered what I was getting, but many people have that one so I didn't put much stock in it.  But when I started realizing just how many of those things I've done, it got me wondering, so back to the internet!  And I found several symptom checklists, and after taking them, every one of them said to go talk to someone (and we believe everything on the internet, right??).  And some of these symptoms were pretty, what seemed to me, irrelevant to ADD like chronically late, difficulty getting to sleep and then up in the morning, "zoning out" when people talk even if it's just a conversation, starting projects and never finishing them, impulsive decision making (how many majors and minors did I plan for? 10, completed 5), can lose interest quickly (how many musical instruments can I play at least a decent song on? 13 and that's counting all percussion as 1 and soprano/alto/tenor saxophones as 1), and sometimes adrenaline seekers (oooh! ice hockey...oooh! demolition derby...oooh! squirrel!  Oh, wait, wrong section).

So after looking into insurance coverage, I found a psychiatrist. I knew that I had tried some coping strategies, and they had gotten me this far, but that if there was something, I wanted the option of medication to help, so that's why I chose someone with a medical background (plus I wanted to make sure that medical conditions would be factored in) and psychology focusing in adult ADD/anxiety/depression (since I didn't know what it was).  While it may sound like I am seeking out drugs, please understand, I am not. I wanted the options available to do what is best for me right now, and to work with a professional to make recommendations and monitor what's going on. 

So long story short, it was a buildup over time, and having problems getting done what needs to be done, and a chance viewing of a Buzzfeed video got me researching and finally convinced me to talk with someone.

And now for the 2nd post in 1... Buzzfeed video time!!

10 Things Only People with ADHD Understand