So yesterday, I had what can only be described as some sort of mini meltdown!! The reason for it? Well to get you to understand the levels of stress and insanity I’ve endured over the past week and a half let me give you some context; we’ve recently had building work done on the house.
This means we’ve had to pack up our house and move ten minutes down the road to my parents house while they’re on holiday, being a creature of habit and routine this alone is enough to send my head spinning. So the building work; well we’ve had one large room split in two and this had a massive impact on my ADHD in several ways.
Firstly, don’t ask me why and it seems silly now, but it never occurred to me that I’d have to redecorate the rooms once the building work was done. In my mind, they were just going to put up a wall and it would be white, and we’d make do. Of course, I know now how utterly wrong I was. They had to plaster the ceiling which I didn’t know would ruin all the other walls in the room or rooms as they now are. So that’s stress, time and money I didn’t even think to budget for! Stupid brain!
“Sometimes we’re so busy looking at the bigger more exciting picture, we don’t see the smaller details like oh wait..decorating!!”
ADHD gIRL
Secondly, I must have said this a thousand times but us ADHDers tend to be all or nothing kinds of peoples; it’s the way our brains work. Either we’re totally motivated to get everything done all at once or we’re not doing anything, there is no space in between. So that face that I’m now having to do the bedrooms in stages; painting, carpeting and buying furniture due to budget and timing is for what of a better pun; driving me up the wall. I hate things half done so while others may walk into the rooms and marvel at the difference to them being one large room, all I can see is no carpet and a dark brown plastered ceiling that won’t dry!!
Thirdly and more importantly; I HATE PAINTING! Being a naturally messy person I tend to avoid activities that lead to more mess and therefore stress. This means I don’t bake, do clay modelling or paint in any form. Yet needs must due to budget constraints so I’ve had to put on my girl big pants and do what needed to be done.
I actually started off on Monday afternoon very optimistic and perhaps somewhat naive eager to start painting. Well four under coats and one full day of painting later and I was ready to throw the paint cans out the window and hopefully take out an innocent by stander in the process to bring me a good laugh (I enjoy the home alone films and have a wicked sense of humour- what can I say?).
“It’s a very ADHD thing to do to go all in then get bored or overwhelmed then give up, but sadly this task was none optional”
ADHD GirL
I mean we all know ADHDers are known for taking on big projects and not finishing them because they get overwhelmed or bored. Sadly in my case I can’t just do a half-hashed job because it’s my house and we live there. I think I also under estimated the amount of time I’d need to do 8 coats of paint all in all, I actually thought with a roller it would be fairly straight forward. Then I forgot about all those awkward places the roller can’t get to.
Needless to say we move back in on Monday afternoon and I for one am craving routine and having everything I need under one roof, though I am going to miss my parents dog who I adore and who has been a great comfort to my anxiety. Also, if I ever see a roller or a paintbrush again, well let’s just say I’ll be seeing red, and I’m not talking about the paint colour!!
We’re only human ADHDers and it’s ok to be overwhelmed sometimes! It’s just a fact of this crazy thing called ADHD life! The key is to have a great support network, two of mine are coming round tomorrow morning to help me put a curtain rail up, fit blinds, fix my drain pipe and move the furniture back in to the rooms…which reminds me where the heck is the drill?? ARGGH roll on Monday!!
