Coping with Holiday Stress
Sunday December 28, 2008
What is it about the holiday season that can be so much fun, yet so disruptive at the same time? Holidays are filled with family, love, and celebration, but holidays can also create stress. This time of year can be a particularly disruptive time for children and adults with ADHD.
Click on Holiday Stress to read more.
Photo © Microsoft
Comments
I finally realized what effect my ADD has on my life this last year, and it is especially prevalent during times of gathering of family members. I cannot deal with more than one person at a time, due to the fact that my ADD has a hyper focus component. I have to move among the members who are gathered and try to give individual attention to one at a time. When someone else requests my attention, or especially if more than one tries to get my attention during the individual time, I lose my cool in a big way. I always thought that I was lucky not to be really affected by this neurological disorder, but I realize that this has always and will always cause me problems during holidays. I guess to each his own issue.
Susan,
Just this awareness that holiday times can create stress is a big help. I know you can’t control all the interactions you have at gatherings, but just knowing the things that can cause you to lose your cool can be helpful in creating a plan to deal with it. Even letting your family and friends know, coming up with a sign to flash to your spouse when you need help, thinking up a line to regularly use when you need to bow out of conversations as stress level rises, identifying a quiet and safe place to retreat to at each party when you need to decompress, avoiding larger gatherings that you just don’t want to go to, asking for family members to arrange smaller get togethers, etc. Knowing yourself and what works for you is what counts.
Thanks for sharing.