Pathwaytofree

Does anyone have or know anything about "non verbal learning disorder"? I seem to have a mild version of it. I get the feeling that it is contributing to a great deal of my anxiety now and in the past. I am struggling a lot to understand where I can learn coping skills with this. It's like everything is causing me anxiety and I think I was always like this, but was in huge denial over it. I can't seem to learn stuff that other adults just somewhere along the line figured out--organizing paperwork, figuring out how to dress for the weather or whatever, cleaning, figuring out meals, even shopping for stuff. I used to think it was just that I was a perfectionist or something, or that I wanted to everyone to think how put together my home and my outer self was, but now I see that it was all one huge facade and I have no idea what the f*ck I am doing and everything overwhelms me. I recently went to buy antiperspirant and the number of choices alone almost gave me a panic attack. Help!

Forward12

It's really hard to say. Best bet is to start seeing a therapist and they should be able to help diagnose the issues and get you back on track.

Hopeful528

When is your sobriety date

Can you focus on reading a book for example? Are you late for appointments most of the time?

Pathwaytofree

Sober longer than a year. Yes I can focus on a book but it takes a lot to actually get to that place of sitting down to read. But when I lose myself in a book, it's heavenly. .

Yes I am often late for appointments or drive fast (which I hate having to do) to make them on time. I completely and utterly have no sense of how long things take to get ready. It's really hard to explain and it's extremely frustrating. I can't plan how much time I need to do stuff.

DarklingSong

I wonder is it worth seeing a psychologist. There are a number of neurodevelopmental conditions that have symptoms like you describe e.g. DCD. Not medical advice...you need a full assessment to be diagnosed. Such conditions always start in childhood as far as I understand it.

Pathwaytofree

Thank you DarklingSong. I don't know if at my age it's worthwhile to do that due to the time and expense. I do know I've struggled with this since childhood. What is DCD?

DarklingSong

Pathway, DCD is developmental co-ordination disorder. It effects physical co ordination, balance, hand writing, planning, sense of time, capacity to follow sequential instructions, working memory etc. It is associated with being fatigued more easily from physical and mental effort. It used to be called dyspraxia. You are probably right that a diagnosis in adulthood won't make a huge difference. However, sometimes understanding particular limitations/difficulties can lead to greater acceptance and less stress. Also on the plus side there are particular strategies that can help manage the condition.

Best wishes,
DS

SoberCAH

For me, it was kind of like starting at square 1 so to speak when i got sober, and i still have more to learn (even after being in the program for a while) that i would like.

My doctor has never diagnosed me with ADD or ADHD, but he has never tested me for it either.

I would speculate that i have some level of one of them.

The good news is that many things we only have to learn once.

Thereafter, it becomes part of our general knowledge and we can move on to the next life lesson.

Glad you're here with us.