ADHD & needing ME space | ADHD Information

I have a huge need for me time! Being around people can really stress me out. I often sit up late at night after the rest of the family goes to bed, just so I can enjoy the quiet and destress after being with people all day long. The strange thing is that non-ADHDer's just don't seem to understand this, and see us as being anti-social. [QUOTE=DillonsMom]

I love ME time! I am a dog groomer and have always worked at a vet office, I've been grooming 20 years. I HATED working for someone, I HATED distractions, I HATED being told what to do, you get the message. I neve lasted in one place more than 2 years. 6 years ago I became my own boss, I got a mobile grooming van and now I work alone, all day, singing to my dogs! Don't get me wrong, I love talking to people too. But when I am working, I have no distractions, just me "zoning" creating and molding a dog into a beatiful piece of art. I am still happy doing this, 6 years is the longest I have ever worked at one place....because it's mine. I love being outside all day, seeing the sights. But I hate the scheduling and keeping up with reciepts!

I like being with people I like, but I like ME time too!

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Must be real nice. Also real nice to be by yourself in your van, not being supervised by others. Also you get to dedicate yourself to your job because it's what you enjoy. Awesome [QUOTE=barb]

Frankly, I place a very high value on private "me" time. I even prefer to work alone most of the time. Its easier for me to motivate myself than to try to be like everyone else all the time. If I am forced to be around people without a break for any length of time, I totally lose it and can't pretend to be "normal". Its like I have a breakdown and lose all my self control, even over little things that I normally have no problem with.

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I get the same thing. The other day, I started to stress and freak out at work and had to go home early. Now my managers are wondering if I'm "on something" LOL

[QUOTE=steppingstone] I have a huge need for me time! Being around people can really stress me out. I often sit up late at night after the rest of the family goes to bed, just so I can enjoy the quiet and destress after being with people all day long. The strange thing is that non-ADHDer's just don't seem to understand this, and see us as being anti-social.[/QUOTE]

I do the same thing. I like to stay up to have peace and quiet. I've also been accused of being anti-social as well, and they don't understand.I'm wondering if this is an ADHD thing, or just my personality. I'm just not sure.

I feel that I have to "act" around people or try really hard all day to maintain a confident, positive attitude, and not have impulsive thoughts about stuff I want to do, or music I want to go listen to in order to appear normal and stay on task.

I also have to be aware of the fact that I talk to myself and sometimes think loudly, or curse verbally if something happens. I have control of this sometimes, and other times I cant help it. Like I'll catch myself saying small phrases out loud to myself, instead of just thinking them in my head. Embarrassing when I slip and talk to myself around someone. It feels normal to me, but people think it's weird so I don't do it if I can help it.

Now around people I try to keep this stuff under control. but I always have the strong urge to break free from the view of people to have a place to be me. Somewhere to sing to myself, talk to myself, and think about stuff that makes me happy. Somewhere to smoke by myself sometimes too.

I notice that if I don't get this bit of personal ME time enough, that I get stressed at work, and stuff starts showing, such as talking to myself, drifting off, and getting easily frustrated. When I'm frustrated, a lack of confidence shows, and I forget to "act" confident.

Now I've always wondered if I was lazy, but I'm thinking the need to relax and do stuff I want to do and be ME has something to do with it. Like the more free time I get for myself and my mind, the better I act around other people, and also the better I feel.

Also when I have that personal ME space, I can do whatever I want without someone asking why or thinking I'm crazy. I'm free so to say because no one is around to bother me. I can talk to myself, think about stuff, etc.

Anyone relate?

I think you are a lot like me. We put so much into doing things that come easily to non ADHDers that we are literally working twice as hard or even harder to accomplish what they can do easily. We work so hard not to appear different that we have to have time to relax. We are like runners who are competing, only everyone else is sprinting 100 yards and we have to run 20 miles in the same time span. Of course we need time to get away from everyone. We can't be ourselves around very many people and its such a habit to fight to appear normal, that even with those who would let us be ourselves, we still struggle to appear like them out of habit.

barb38968.8363310185

I like being with people I like, but I like ME time too!