I am the worst sort of procrastinator. I always wait until whatever it is that I should have done a long time ago, and had plenty of time to do it if I had, has become an almost life or death requirement. It has caused me quite a lot of heartache over the years because when you have owned businesses like I have, there is always something that should have been done yesterday. Add to that my proclivity for procrastination and you have a cooking pot of stress. This has caused my husband some hairy moments in our marriage of 40 years, but I think he has now reconciled to the fact that this is the way my brain works.
What did you say? Make lists, put up reminders on the fridge? Follow an actual schedule? Hey if I could have made myself do those things, I would probably not have had the success that I enjoy today. What do I mean by that? Simply this. For me, the stress of trying to get things finished because I am way overdue actually brings focus to my creativity. Give me all the time in the world and I can sit there with writer's block. Put me in that 'do or die' situation of stress and my brain works like a whirlwind. This is little consolation to my family and friends whom are so embarrassed by my continual tardiness for every event or meeting.
However, I recently have discovered something about myself that might answer why this happens. I had no idea that I had all the symptoms of ADD. I know something of the disorder because my son suffers with ADHD and we had a terrible time of it during his school years. I never saw it in me. I guess because I never looked closely at myself as to why I do what I do.
So, back to the question as to why my creativity peaks when I am under great stress. The answer is that in the brain of a person with ADD, scientists are not sure why this is, a simple thing called adrenaline works the opposite way than it does in normal brains. In fact adrenaline slows it down enough so that I can catch a few of the thoughts that whiz by. Stress produces adrenaline when I am hurrying to get finished for a deadline. Back when I had plenty of time to work, my brain was running at light speed and there was no way for me to grasp a thought long enough to put it down on paper.
Those of you who have children or mates with this disorder, take a moment to ponder what you could have in your midst. Most ADD and ADHD people are extremely intelligent. Some of our great scientists, artists, writers and leaders have/had the disorder. Try to see the up side of it. Allow them to find what makes them the most productive or creative. Even if they get there in an entirely different way than most people. I am learning to cope with the disorder, and we all can find the assets it brings to our lives instead of the problems. Success could be just around the corner. Kitty Sutton - Author of Wheezer and the Painted Frog
What did you say? Make lists, put up reminders on the fridge? Follow an actual schedule? Hey if I could have made myself do those things, I would probably not have had the success that I enjoy today. What do I mean by that? Simply this. For me, the stress of trying to get things finished because I am way overdue actually brings focus to my creativity. Give me all the time in the world and I can sit there with writer's block. Put me in that 'do or die' situation of stress and my brain works like a whirlwind. This is little consolation to my family and friends whom are so embarrassed by my continual tardiness for every event or meeting.
However, I recently have discovered something about myself that might answer why this happens. I had no idea that I had all the symptoms of ADD. I know something of the disorder because my son suffers with ADHD and we had a terrible time of it during his school years. I never saw it in me. I guess because I never looked closely at myself as to why I do what I do.
So, back to the question as to why my creativity peaks when I am under great stress. The answer is that in the brain of a person with ADD, scientists are not sure why this is, a simple thing called adrenaline works the opposite way than it does in normal brains. In fact adrenaline slows it down enough so that I can catch a few of the thoughts that whiz by. Stress produces adrenaline when I am hurrying to get finished for a deadline. Back when I had plenty of time to work, my brain was running at light speed and there was no way for me to grasp a thought long enough to put it down on paper.
Those of you who have children or mates with this disorder, take a moment to ponder what you could have in your midst. Most ADD and ADHD people are extremely intelligent. Some of our great scientists, artists, writers and leaders have/had the disorder. Try to see the up side of it. Allow them to find what makes them the most productive or creative. Even if they get there in an entirely different way than most people. I am learning to cope with the disorder, and we all can find the assets it brings to our lives instead of the problems. Success could be just around the corner. Kitty Sutton - Author of Wheezer and the Painted Frog