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One thing I have noticed with all the stress is my ability to concentrate on tasks. I have become so ADD about everything. I cant seem to concentrate on my work. I get so easily distracted (internet is a big distraction). Can seem to remember to do certain things, I make notes, set reminders, do all the things I need to. I have done reading on ADD (still trying to finish that book) my wife is a special needs teacher so I get all the signs. Does other care giver get this with the stress? I have so many distractions then that gets me more stressed. Anyone else have this issue? Is this normal? I guess I have had a little of it all my life (well maybe more than a little). With doing some research I have all the patterns of someone with ADD (not a severe case). Just seems to have increased with all the stress.

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Yep. Caregiving fries the brain.
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Oh my gosh, yes, I have found myself so very distracted that I forget to do chores around the house. I have forgotten birthdays. I have even forgotten to take a shower in days.

It is all information overload as now we are now thinking for another person or two. I know I was trying to think for myself and my parents. My brain's file cabinets were already full !!

Yes, the internet is a big distraction. My hobby is politics, and I couldn't even focus on that :P

With so much of my late parent's "stuff" sitting in my dining room, my family room, and my basement, my OCD was kicking at me trying to get my attention. Trying to get my life in order had been placed on the back burner.
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ADD / OCD and everthingelse associated with getting burnt-out. My counselor brought up PSD,at todays meeting. I've never in the world think of that one, but he said that it fits me to a degree.

I go to work to have a social life, but can't do anythingafter hours, need to take care of my wife. I was thinking about maybe joining an online group for venting. Also having a check list for the person whom you care for(it helps), but I forget stuff I need at work (lately). Too much info at once is just the same as NOT-enough, I tell my wife(care-reciever) that I start work 1/2 hr earlier than scheduled.

Just incase of something. Hope this helps you, this is my 1st blog response. Together we can help and support eachother. I'm open for ideas, and have some answers of myown. Open for 1-1 or group chating, getting coffee, something that will benefit ourselfs and those whom we care for.
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I have become a total space cadet.
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My issue isn't ADD - I'm a bit OCD. And when I get really stressed out the OCD ramps up - oh, the counting! Counting a specific number of pumps on the soap dispenser, twisting the door knob a certain number of times to make sure its locked, etc. Then there's the "senior moments" of forgetting. I hope no one considers this a movie spoiler - but, you know the scene in Still Alice when she finds the shampoo in the fridge? Well, not quite that bad, but close. My self-cure has always been to simply reduce the number of things I'm doing or thinking about. Bye-bye yard work, book reading, going out with a friend, etc. It's been All Mom, All Hours, All Days for so long - now that she's passed - 29 days ago - I'm having trouble restarting anything in my life. Perhaps it will come back with more time?
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One of my problems is that my mother is a very difficult person. If I want to do something, I have to figure out how to do it in a way that doesn't set her off. She can get so angry. It is like trying to step around in a room full of snakes, hoping that I don't step on one of their tails. This creates a lot of additional stress. I used to care if I upset her because I didn't want her to be unhappy. Now I realize that she is going to be unhappy, anyway. I step around in a way that keeps me from having to listen to an angry, tearful outburst and her bullying.

When I was a kid I would never tell my mother anything because I didn't trust her. I avoided her as much as possible when I got old enough to feel the sting. Funny now I am that same kid. Even back in the old days I was a snake-smart kid. It takes a lot of mental energy to deal with a personality like this and gets very exhausting.
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Had to laugh when I am reading these things. This morning I went into the kitchen and half the cabinets and drawers were wide open. There were paper towels and dish clothes thrown here and there, toilet tissue bits on the floor, and grease spatters on the stove. So I closed things, heated myself some breakfast, and retreated. Having everything neat and organized is a fantasy of bygone days.
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Jessie, reading your post reminds me of my sig other who has no memory issues, etc. that is just how he is :P

I can come home from work and know what he has been up to, kinda like a trail throughout the house. I can tell what he had for lunch just by looking at the sofa and carpet. Yes, he was raised by a pack of wolves !!
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ff, my mother has always been a lazy woman. As she is getting older and more forgetful, more things are going ignored. The floor is a fine place for trash. And if she leaves cabinets open, then she won't have to open them again the next time she needs something. There's logic to it, and no harm is really done except to my psyche.
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Well Jesse you have helped me again in sharing your situation. I was struggling with the issue of organization and neatness while living in my mothers house. I just made up my mind to stop being cinderella but I was feeling guilty. When I first came back it was an affront to my psyche to see how things were and live it. Sometimes it still is but just today I was like I have to stop beating myself for not keeping this house clean. and every effort I make is just useless anyway. I find that its getting easier to look and leave it alone. Your post gave encouragement.
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