 Sometimes I succeed at life
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Feb. 18th, 2009 @ 05:23 pm 
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I am awesome.
Today I:
- made an appointment to see a psychiatrist in re: ADD, and also begged a place on the cancellations list, since the appointment I got is in May
- updated my SmartRider information, address, contact details, and emergency contact information with UWA
- called the Co-Op Bookshop and inquired about course readers/textbook information for History, and discovering they had no information...
- e-mailed the lecturer to ask, as in order to thrive I need to get into the reading ASAP, and also explaining that due to chronic pain caused by injury, the Multimedia Centre computers are likely to be difficult for me to use, and asked about the software required with a view to installing it on my own computer, which I can use in a setup suitable for my needs
Since the ADD issue isn't going to be resolved that soon, I'm looking to coping strategies. The big difference it's making, really, is that instead of resolving that this time I'm going to "work really hard", like I've always done before, and going on to struggle through the semester and get grades I'm a bit disappointed with, I'm acknowledging that I do, in fact, have a legitimate learning disability, and so my approach shouldn't be to try and push through my focus issues by sheer force of will but rather to come up with strategies to work around them.
I know all this probably doesn't seem like a lot, but factoring in my problems with pretty much everything lately, it really does feel like an achievement.
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Sounds like an acheivement to me!
I found that getting to the "It's not a matter of trying harder, it's a matter or working around incapacitating health problem beyond my control" point was a hugely significant and helpful step.
Yeah, it really is. But until now I didn't realise that my focus issues etc were a legitimate learning disability rather than just a personal failing in action.
Consequently, I'm proud of what I've achieved at uni so far, and optimistic about doing better in the future.
*applause*
Significant step. Good on you :)
You know who else is awesome? Tony Stark.
By this logic I have decided that you are Iron Man :D
The disconcerting thing is that you are the second person to make that call.
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| From: | ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) velithya |
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| Date: |
February 18th, 2009 10:19 am (UTC) |
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I called it months ago buddy :D
Just a word to the wise.. The Multimedia Centre don't have labs anymore, it is all Arts labs now :) And if there's anything you think we could do with the Macs (keyboards?), let me know.
oh wups.
Thank you, but I really think the ideal thing would be to install relevant software on my laptop. It probably has sufficient processor power, and I can get much more appropriate setup, since it's not so much keyboard as a trackball mouse (or touchpad, in a pinch), and desk/chair setup that's just right.
in terms of managing the attention thing, one recommendation that I've seen elsewhere is getting a timer - giving yourself a specified amount of time that you have to sit still (even if it is five minutes). I actually have a pair I use when I'm at home - one set for half an hour, and the other for five minutes. When I start working, I start the half hour one, and can stop any time after it goes off (and sometimes I have to make myself sit down again half a dozen times in that half hour). When I take a break, I start the other one, and I allow myself a maximum of five minutes break. (these times are picked because I'm actually doing paid work, and need to keep the focus, which I have a great deal of trouble doing, especially when I'm having problems or having to do lots of thinky stuff)
... I appreciate the suggestion, but it's not the approach that will work for me. Experimentation by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif) velithya has shown that my single-focus attention limits are under thirty seconds. Fortunately, well... see my next post, when I've made it. *g*
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