Yep, we with ADD ADHD have a tendency to Veg out and lose total track of time. It’s what we do and we do it well, hey, it’s effortless! The thing is, though, we usually don’t want to Veg out. We Veg out on our own time, on time when we should be accomplishing things for ourselves. Dentist appointments, getting the car fixed or doing yard work are things which can wait. And we usually decide to wait. Actually, it’s not even a decision, we just check out and do not pay any attention to the things we should be doing.
Why would anyone want to do chores on their day off anyway? Whoever thought of that? Ha, what we need is a list of things to do and then go about doing what’s on the list: Shopping, washing the dishes, cleaning the car, and maybe make the bed. I tell you what—I can write a list a mile long and never do a darn thing on that list when I get in my Veg mode. Lists are practical. Lists suck. When someone tells me I should make a list of things that I want to get done, I just look at them as if they found the Holy Grail! Thanks dude—that was helpful. NOT!
Don’t you love it when non-Adders try and tell you how you can do better and get things done better? Their suggestions and ideas are always available and oh, so helpful. Yeah, right, as if they know what will work and what won’t work? Unless you’re an Adder you have no clue whatsoever how our minds work and therefore your suggestions are about as useful, as well, nothing. Bitter much? Not really, I just think it’s funny how everyone has a suggestion or two, but don’t really take into account that our brains work differently.
I can wake up in the morning of my day off and have all the intentions in the world, heck, I might even have a list of things that I want to get done, but, for some reason I start to think about something, anything, and my mind gets into its analyzing mode and before I know it, 2 hours, 6 hours or a whole day has passed. Not because I didn’t want to get things done or that I didn’t have a list, it’s just that my mind did not consider anything I wanted to do as overly important and decided instead to think about something else. No, we Adders do not ‘choose’ to just think about things, or day dream or just sit there Vegging out. (How do you spell Veg anyway? I don’t even think it’s a real word.)
Missing out on things we wanted to do isn’t the worst of it—the worst comes when we come out of our trance and realize so much time has passed and we missed an appointment or we forgot to take medication or the day is gone and we were not productive in any normal manner. It really upsets us and puts us in a situation of temporary depression. We berate ourselves and challenge ourselves for our next day off. This is bad enough, but then comes whoever you were supposed to meet or do something for and they criticize the living heck out of you for your lazy ways! As if beating ourselves up wasn’t enough.
The funny and spectacular thing about Vegging out is that it really isn’t time wasted. It might seem like wasted time, but the truth of the matter is that when we Veg out it is because we have been considering something and our Adder mind want to figure it out. I might be contemplating an article, another person might be contemplating a painting, or we might be thinking of some new strategy for something. The really amazing and funny thing is that I get so upset with myself for Vegging out, but when it is said and done I usually have figured something out of extreme importance to me or maybe for someone else. I get very creative when I Veg out. I can solve problems using my unique Adder thinking that might have never been figured out otherwise. Even so, I hate it when a day has passed and I don’t feel like I have accomplished something that I wanted to. I have to get over that. It was through a Veg out session that my book was formed in my mind and it was during a Veg out session that I thought of creating this Blog and it was during a Veg out session that I created many, many other wonderful things.
Our Adder minds are extremely unique and have the amazingly fantastic ability to do things other minds will never, ever be able to do. Our minds cannot be copied or mimicked. The world out there is starting to realize the importance and significance and usefulness of Adder minds with regard to creativity, solving problems, and seeing into hidden meanings with vivid clarity, so really, if you’re Vegging out—hey, that’s a good thing!
The other day I Vegged out and beat myself up over it, I really felt like I let myself down for not making my appointment to visit the wonderful, painless dentist. After I was done Vegging out I totally redesigned my website so it could be a better representation of the way I think. The actual redesign took only an hour or two, but the conception of the idea process put me out for about half a day and the funniest part of that, I didn’t even know I wanted to change my website’s theme. I just crack myself up!
~Bryan
