The holiday progresses and the title becomes ever more ironic as I fail to notice I am on holiday.
Today I rise just before the alarm, spend some time sitting on the bed staring into space (it was not a restful night) and scurry about getting ready for taking Julia to work. She has made breakfast and I eat whilst watching Shappi Khorsandi on the news. She has now added neurodiversity to her portfolio of subjects.
By coincidence, I was reading about adult ADHD a few days ago. It seems to be the latest fashionable condition. I have most of the symptoms, but seem to have missed out on the hyperactivity. I also, as you may recall, have most of the symptoms of Long Covid. And autism. I also have trouble with numbers when they are in long lists or balance sheets. They waver about and I find myself looking into a void of untrustworthy, moving numbers. I could probably make a case for having some sort of condition there. It’s not Dyscalculia because I can cope with calculations, I just panic when faced with balance sheets and other lists of numbers, including things like lists of key dates for coins. This is a disadvantage when you work in a coin shop.
I also, to be honest, exhibit many signs of cyberchondria.
Drawing back to boring reality for a moment, I was going to tell you that I took Julia to work, rediscovered my ability to navigate round Nottingham (which I lost during lockdown) and arrived back home at 8.58. Loss of navigational skills is, by the way, an early sign of dementia.
I then sat down at the computer, read and answered comments and at 9.15 started to write. BY 9.42 I was well underway with a massive digression about mental health (I’d meant this to be a blow by blow account of my morning) when there was a knock on the door. It was my delivery from yesterday.
My conclusion, when considering the subject of mental health conditions is that we all have plenty of symptoms but we don’t need to get a diagnosis unless we want to write a book about it and drum up some sales.
It’s 9.58 now and I have blogged, digressed and opened a parcel to find it contains the correct order. That will do for now, as I have a list of things to do and am about to do more of them.
To select photographs I searched for “tree” and picked a couple out.
Drowned Tree at Clumber Park
I’m glad you had a nice day exploring the countryside and the coast. You saw some interesting and beautiful places and you took some great photos. Take care of your health and stay alert. I hope you have more fun and adventures in the days to come.
Thank you, I will. 🙂
A very good tree to pick out in my opinion. I try to avoid reading any articles about health on the grounds that they are often very contagious.
It seems probable that being a man of more than 50 and being somewhere on the autism spectrum is inevitable. It would be nice to think that boys are being brought up better nowadays.
Thank you. I just did an autism test and they confirmed I am highly likely to be autistic and should take the £2,250 of tests in the next step. I’m not going to. I may well be autistic, but I’m not stupid. It’s highly likely that I’m a grumpy old man, the signs seem fairly similar. 🙂
You can become anything you want if you try hard enough…
It hadn’t occurred to me until this morning that I could use Adult ADHD as an excuse for my lack of focus and success at school. For five minutes I felt all warm and calm at the idea that I had an excuse for my poor performance. Then I realise that I am unlikely to have it, am not going to try for a diagnosis (because I don’t want to write a book about it) and failed at school because I am lazy, badly organised and have very little ambition. 🙂
We all have different talents and, as you say, the key is trying hard enough.
I know someone, early 50s who is going to put aside 7000$ so they can be tested for autism. I asked what it would do. They said they’d “know” and would do things differently. I wanted to say give me 3500 and I’ll tell you to just do things differently…😆
I think you’ve probably just announced the basis of the “therapy” and “mindfulness” industries – give me a random mount of cash and I’ll talk to you. 🙂
Whilst looking up ADHD one of the sites offered to test me for £795.
I’ve just done two online tests – one says my results make it “likely” I have ADHD and the other says my results are “highly consistent” with ADHD. Both of them would be happy to chat about the next step and, presumably, charge me for it.
I then did an autism check and there is a “strong probability” that I am autistic but can be tested for £2,250 (a bargain compared to your friend).
On balance I’m going to save three grand and keep on doing what I always do, talking before I think, being unintentionally rude to people and engaging in the solitary pastime of blogging about random things.
You’ve established your brand…stick with it😉
🙂 Thank you.
A search for symptoms will always provide results
I have lost count of the number of rare and serious illnesses I have nearly had. Anything that produces tiredness and memory loss is fair game for me. 🙂
Long COVID is an especially nasty twist from the virus that has wreaked so much havoc. Are you feeling any better?
I’m a lot better, thank you. It was a bit like my actual COVID, where I just slept or sat slumped – no real symptoms and nothing unpleasant.
The only area of my life it really changed was the writing where I eventually ground to a halt. Couldn’t concentrate, and thinking was like wading through molasses (I translated that bit into American for you) 🙂
I seem to have avoided the worst bits.
Oh, that’s good although I’m sure it was distressing when the writing ground to a halt. Many thanks for the translation! How would you have said it?
I always think of molasses as treacle (the black stuff). Some people in UK call the golden stuff (golden syrup) treacle, just to add confusion.
Yes, we have had to look up treacle when we were watching the Great British Bake-Off. Treacle, molasses, it’s all sweet.
I am sorry to hear long Covid is still taking a toll on you. Be vigilant regarding blood clots.
I will, I didn’t realise that was a potential problem. Fortunately I’m on Warfarin, which should help.