ADD/ADHD MONDAYS

These Mondays can happen essentially any day of the week, but my most recent incident happened this Monday. I forgot my laptop charger/plug, my TI-84+ silver edition calculator, my homework list and my yellow highlighter all at home. I have classes in the early afternoon and evening on Mondays. I was actually lucky enough to get a ride to school this time. I usually take the bus to school and back, except for Monday nights. This is a 2-3 hour bus ride each way. So I can't just go home, get my cord, and return to school.

I was fortunate enough to have a classmate ask me to turn in his homework for him. This at least allowed me to know which problems I needed to complete my homework. Also because I had left my calculator at home, I had to resort to using Cramster in order to get my row reduced matrices. This is a regular function of the calculator. Cramster is a website that has worked out solutions to many textbooks. If used wisely it can be a big help. In truly ADD fashion, I admit I have waited to do my homework until the day it was due. I am not proud of that, but I have been battling a lack of motivation this semester. This is in part due to the fact I haven't gone to the local library all semester like i did last semester. Last semester my brother worked a different shift, so the car was available during the day than it is this semester. I would just go to the library this semester, but I like to study with a table fan, which I have to lug even more stuff on the bus than just my backpack.

Now because I left my laptop plug at home, I had to conserve the battery power to make sure it lasted all day. It has a 3 hour battery life I belief. It actually caused me to read more of my textbooks than I probably would have done with out this little bit of ADD forgetfulness. I buy the sharpie brand liquid highlighters that come in a pack of ten different colors, so missing one color of highlighters will irritate me slightly.

The odd thing I apparently had difficulty finding stuff that i actually brought with me, I might have been holding it and didn't even realize it. I even forgot what I was looking for once I was searching and wonder why I couldn't remember what I was looking for. I don't know why my brain just didn't want to wake up and function, but it didn't.

The difference from when I first started working on my ADD/ADHD and now is how well I manage these days. Even when my AD/HD, my hormones, my health, or my mood is off, I can still manage to be somewhat productive and move forward. Really if you think about it, MOST ADD/ADHD MOMENTS ARE NOT THAT SERIOUS. None of these things killed me or anyone else. I was prepared to talk with my homework situation with my Linear Algebra instructor if  needed. I have learned how to be my own best advocate rather than being my own worst enemy.

I do recommend communicating with your instructors and let them know what is going on. Try to choose instructors who are nonjudgemental and are willing to listen and learn about you. I have been very fortunate to get support from most of my instructors at West Valley College, where I go to school. I actually talk openly about my ADHD with them and communicate what is going on in my life. I have found that most of them have been willing to work with me and adjust when I've needed it. I have taken nothing but math and science since I started attending West Valley College, and I have gotten a lot of support from my instructors and I have felt like I have been treated as an equal by my instructors and my classmates.