|
|
Joined: 6/20/2014
Posts: 160
|
Hey guys, Do any of u all get easily overwhelmed? Today after multitasking I could not get the words out or even a text right. That scares me a lot. This is happening more and more. I know what I want to say I just can not formulate the words correctly I am aftaid
|
|
Joined: 11/29/2011
Posts: 7027
|
Lisa, Oh I do wish we could just talk on the telephone.
It sounds as though you are trying to get too much done.
And for us diagnosed, the days of multi-tasking are over.
One thing at a time. Figure out what your tolerance is and stop short of that.
Do call our help line: 10800-272-3900 and have a chat.
Also ask for contact information for your local chapter. Do ask if they have any support groups for you. They are few and far between. Some states have a monthly phone support group. Getting involved in our local chapter is a great idea.
There is a National Forum in DC soon. Ask about it. Don't know where you live, but is getting there possible? Focus is on petitioning members of Congress. There is also a gathering just for those of us with dementia.
|
|
Joined: 5/20/2014
Posts: 4408
|
Lisa,
Absolutely get overwhelmed at times. It's okay Lisa...Take heed of feeling overwhelmed as a warning to stop, slow down, break tasks into manageable chunks, one at a time. Stop and rest when you tire. The tendency to look at the whole picture and dive head first into trying to do too many things at one time can be no longer. Take care of yourself. With acceptance, comes accepting our current limitations and setting boundaries when we need to with ourselves and others with what we can and cannot do. I love how alz+ says, just focus on cleaning out a drawer.
|
|
Joined: 8/9/2013
Posts: 584
|
Lisa, yes I do get overwhelmed at times. I, like many others, can no longer multitask. It has gone out the window! Now I just have to slow down and try and focus on one thing at a time. Otherwise, I'm overwhelmed and I forget something like food cooking on the stove, water running, or blender blending (just examples). I've learned through trial and error not to rush and try to do more than one thing at a time. It is a coping strategy that works for me. Besides, when you are overwhelmed you get stressed and that is not good for anyone dealing with dementia. God bless, Paul
|
|
Joined: 12/15/2011
Posts: 18715
|
I posted a reply this morning, but when I check this afternoon, the post has vanished. Did I delete by mistake?
This probably happened because I was multitasking. I was shampooing my hair, getting dressed, responding to posts, and trying round up my cats before leaving for my class. Fortunately, I did not have anything on the stove!
Obviously, multitasking is a no-no for me too, as the others have said. An APS social worker gave me the best advice: No multitasking. Focus on one task at a time.
I got, and still get, overwhelmed. I was continuously overwhelmed. I was in a continuous state of anxiety. In fact, my application for disability was based on a diagnosis of depression and anxiety. I finally figured out, just this year in fact, that my global anxiety is due to becoming overwhelmed with tasks, not due to any personality quirks. This was a MAJOR breakthrough for me.
I can't tell you how many years and how much money I wasted on psychologists, psychiatrists, and other counselors, who had absolutely no idea about what was causing that horrible anxiety that was with me 24/7.
One social worker did help me with the effect of hyperventilation, but not with the cause. In fact, she tried to discourage me from seeking the cause of the continuous anxiety, saying that I was never satisfied.
She was right. I wasn't satisfied with platitudes and anti-anxiety meds. I wanted to KNOW what was wrong with me. After years of searching, I finally found out the cause of this anxiety. Multitasking is a major cause of the anxiety.
It was and still is hard to give up multitasking, because it was ingrained in me for so many years. But I am learning to let it go. (like the song  )
Iris L.
|
|
Joined: 5/20/2014
Posts: 4408
|
It was and still is hard to give up multitasking, because it was ingrained in me for so many years. But I am learning to let it go. (like the song  )
The multitasking and perfectionism for me is hard to give up. All those years and all that pressure we put on ourselves! I remember being able to clean the whole house in one day. That's gone down to barely getting a room cleaned. I used to spend my time off from work cleaning and working around the house to the point that it was like getting a break going back to work. I no longer do that and no longer want to do that! I have a cleaning lady once per month now and do light cleaning and straighten up in between. It is good enough most of the time.
I do not function well when overwhelmed and seem to go into circles where nothing much gets accomplished and I shut down and zone out.
|
|
Joined: 12/15/2011
Posts: 18715
|
llee08032 wrote:
I do not function well when overwhelmed and seem to go into circles where nothing much gets accomplished and I shut down and zone out.
Lisa, this was the point I was at in May 2007 when I went to my internist and told him that I could not function and my life had come to a standstill. I had shut down and all I could do was zone out all day and nothing was accomplished. My mind was going in circles. His response was to suggest a hobby. That was the state of medical care in the U.S. for a professional woman with a serious medical complaint.
I had no idea what could have been wrong at that time. I have since found out that there were a lot of things wrong, medically. None of them having to do with not having a hobby.
I consulted a different internist who increased my antihypertensive medication and did some cardiac studies. I had to find a neurologist on my own. But that neurologist said there was nothing wrong with me after a normal PET scan. She did not order neurocognitive testing.
It took me another year before I found my current neurologist, and another half year before I began the Exelon patch. So, two years from the time I complained until receiving treatment.
I have since found out that I have sleep apnea, which also interfered with my daily activities.
Now I am functioning again! I am doing BETTER than I was doing in 2007! I am not cured, but I can live independently and enjoy my life again.
This is why I believe there is HOPE for patients with a diagnosis of MCI or cognitive impairment or EOAD. Get a THOROUGH medical evaluation. Get on medications and follow Best Practices and participate in the online support group! All of these help!
Iris L.
|
|
Joined: 12/15/2011
Posts: 18715
|
Lisa, it's also important to use a daily planner in order to program your day, and to check off tasks as you have completed them.
This keeps you on track and you don't spend too much time wondering if you have done everything you need to do.
Iris L.
|
|
|
|