Who’s a Scatterbrain Like Me?

lmrebert
lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭

With all the wonderful information coming in from the Summit this week I’m so inspired and even more motivated to help my friends and family! But with my personality I tend to pick up something to read or do which leads to another thought or issue or person which sidetracks me and so it begins the day of doing a lot and not accomplishing much... aaaannnd my head it too full. Then I sit down and wonder... what just happened because I’m overwhelmed. Anyone else like that??? How do you focus yourself? Any successful tricks or techniques???

Comments

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I suspect you are like me; you are interested in too many things. I too dive into all this useful and interesting information. We know a little about a lot of things. Essentially we spend too much (?) time learning each day. Maybe that is a bad thing.

    I am cooking healthy food from scratch (then comes clean-up).

    Have rose brandy and herbal vinegar in process.

    Caring for my home and five pets (always behind on housework).

    Caring for houseplants and potted herbs (I need to transplant herbs into larger pots, also prune thyme).

    Caring for outside plants (still trying to catch up with previous owner's neglect plus plan a garden space with soil improvements).

    Crafts of several types.

    Studying/using herbal medicines.

    Attending exercise classes to help with healthy aging.

    Trying to help family and friends with health knowledge and other things.

    Reading for fun when time allows.

    Spending quality time with husband each day to watch movies or concerts or just talk.

    The big question: Are we scatterbrained, lazy or actually living life to the fullest?

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @shllnzl - Please, when originally rated your post lol -it's just that I mostly Agree.

    But I changed the rating to vote UP w/ your question "Are we (scatterbrained, lazy or actually) living life to the fullest? " - Well, as you're aware by now, my life is not to the Fullest... until we both share the ice together; sorta kinda like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg5r7Xi5RpM&list=RDcg5r7Xi5RpM#t=19 maybe you might enjoy this 7-minute performance, of the Protopopovs (former two-time Olympic gold winners). - Tho I favor Pair-skating, Sweetie prefers ice-Dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrFwokp3z48&t=4s THIS is the reason for gardening... (anything) to get us There ^^ iow Any gardening serves as another means... to our Desired outcomes...

    And too, whilst still also needing to work to pay for $$$ essentials, plus my other two Community involvements: my "list" as it were easily Doubles were we to compare, which we won't. This is why friends often say "I get tired, just listening to all the things you got done just by Noon most days" - LOL

  • lmrebert
    lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    @shllnzl yup pretty much sums up the very few days I have not at work... too many good things and not enough time!!! Some asked me” do you know what can help my friend with...” Parkinson’s, asthma, HTN, diabetes, candida etc etc etc... then my granddaughter asked to paint her nails and I went on a little plant walk in the garden having them taste my holy basil and check out the loofas and other fun stuff... then I realize hey I need to harvest my horseradish and ginger for my fire cider... I need to also harvest the rosemary... and it’s much more than I expected.. gets great idea to hang it up pretty until it’s time to use... reminds me of Christmas... wouldn’t that be a beautiful Chris garland... sits and ponders those ideas... the dishwasher needs emptying... ugh I’m an hour behind on my bladder infection treatment... where’s my list for that fire cider and lemme look at my calendar for the weekend I’ll do it... then I’ll harvest the roots...grandson informs me they’re out of elderberry syrup... that’s urgent because they’re on track at school!... looks up where to get fresh hyssop for that cool vinegar recipe... I wanna make my own ACV again...oh gosh speaking of vinegar... I’ve neglected my kombucha ... then here’s Monday BTW...sigh... oh and I definitely don’t think we’re lazy!... quite the contraire !!! The problem is the opposite I think 🤣🤣🤣 @rainbow yes I think I’m overwhelmed but only due to going to the medical tyrannical establishment 5 days a week when I’d rather be doing anything else. I am grateful for my job... but my heart is no longer there... it’s with Gods medicine so I wait, try to smile and bring comfort to my patients and strive until i can enjoy my true passions!

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi lmrebert re your " I’m overwhelmed. Anyone else like that? How do you focus yourself? Any successful tricks or techniques??? "

    In some of my posts, I let myself rehearse... the strategy of 'overwhelm' way too much !, too. - iow Overwhelm is another of countless strategies we adopt(ed). In the current context, we Hear & See & experience all these seemingly-Otherworldly (lol) HERB-experts, & then ->>>Realizing that they too, each of them, Started... just like we are now, & went from there, to where they are now<<< , Instead we allow ourselves to get Overwhelmed, does that sound somewhat like how you run your Overwhelm strategy too ? ... Just asking.

    For me when I allow myself to go there, I need to CENTER myself w/ "Wonderfully Useful, even Life-saving info" that I will Study more, & Add a Seed here, & Add a plant there, & make another plan of something else, etc, & so forth. AND for me all such things fit into yet a greater Context, per my response to @shllnzl . Iow, What's your Over-riding GOAL(s) that you do all these things for. This will give you your Why(s), & from there you make your plan... of how to Achieve your goals, inch by inch & step by step; but most important, I can not emphasize this enough: Allow yourself to ENJOY the process... & always self-Accept, & self-Love...

    Does this sound like a win-win, What do you think ?

  • wbt.affiliates
    wbt.affiliates Posts: 100 ✭✭✭

    I have an ADD brain (adult Attention Deficit Disorder). Yes, I'm interested in too many things, but my mind also slips. I never think linearly. My brain is very creative, which makes for finding wonderful stories to write about. I can see the plot of my next book at one sitting. But being unable to think linearly has its drawbacks. Although I'm retired now, I've always had trouble holding down a job. I need to write down my steps to complete a task, even a common one like housework. Otherwise I get distracted too easily. Oh, well. We're all created differently, and I think that's a blessing.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @rainbow You too are living life to the fullest of your current circumstances.

    Yes, I too get questions re: how do you do it all. Like @lmrebert , and most of the people on this forum, activities seem scattered at times.

    We are trying to live life for "real" and that makes a whole lot of activities in the day. We would have more free time if we just ate at restaurants.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    LOL @shllnzl - I haven't eaten in a restaurant in decades; & when someone asks to "treat" me out, I ask them for some specific Seeds or another Plant-start, or some Lavender Bubble-bath; or my personal favorite: 2 consecutive sessions at the Rink LOL

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 2019

    HI @wbt.affiliates re 'ADD' - have you ever considered that instead of saddling self w/ another silly-named 'disorder' ; that in fact Context-dependent "Attention-deficit" is actually quite a Helpful skill-set. Really.

    For instance, during 16 years of formal schooling, I intentionally became A.D. 🤩 lol; iow blocked most of the spouted nonsense out. Sure, my Subconscious paid attention, so that I got mostly A's; - but consciously I went out the window & learned all kinds of Awareness, that, at just the right moment, would challenge the Limiting beliefs, & acceptances of most teachers/profs; decidedly different than only being a 'Polarity-responder'. - My intent was to get them to OPEN her/himself to further possibilities... And while ego got the better of most; yet some actually began asking me questions, & then learning occurred.

    So am just sharing that you might just realize you're not "slipping", you just might Choose to pay attention to another world of possibilities. 🙂

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @lmrebert Your rosemary looks pretty hanging like that.

    I am luckily retired now. When I worked, I did more than one person's work because I couldn't stand work piling up. The stress did not help my health. Hopefully your healthy activities will counteract the stress of your job. I know that nurses are the ones who feel the patient's pain.

    Organized people claim that a person should have jobs scheduled for certain days of the week. That never worked for me.

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Hi @shllnzl

    Tho I can't speak for anyone else, I made Sure I did Not "feel the patient's pain(s)". Why? - Because doing so, now has 2+ people in pain, which does Not help either one.

    Instead, I gave it my best to either Reframe the pain, &/or helped her/him whatever possible pain self-Heal, &/or helped them do something else, as after all who in their right mind wants to "feel pain" ??

    And re "organized scheduled jobs": particularly in ER/ICU-medicine, would be more chaos, than it already is, iow "all work Needs be organized & scheduled". - Now, if they were ever to OPEN to other possibilities, then yes Spontaneous healings would be more readily possible. But as things are now, no way.

  • lmrebert
    lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl aww thx!! I love it!! So pretty and smells wonderful! I think I’m definitely going to do something during Christmas... maybe on my mantle! What do you think?


  • lmrebert
    lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭

    I think we’re sidetracked lol go figure.. so back to it! Any tricks or techniques to stay focused?😃

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oops, just now Noticed I posted in another "personal journal", possibly explaining why some people are ignored, while others are responded to. Instead of just seeing the Title, need to check in what Section it is in. Apologies. I will check to make sure that only members who respond nicely will I respond to. Have a wonderful 🙂 week .

  • wbt.affiliates
    wbt.affiliates Posts: 100 ✭✭✭

    @rainbow I'm grateful for my disconnected brain. It was just hard to earn a living with it. I finally gave up and became a foster parent. By that time my biological kids were grown and gone, and I no longer needed to feel like I had to support them. Thank you for your vote of confidence. An employer never gave me that slack.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @lmrebert Our getting sidetracked about pretty rosemary is just an example of what you were talking about -- wonders everywhere. (I am going to steal your hanging rosemary idea to scent my home. I can't eat my rosemary because it grows near possible car exhaust, but I can see it and smell it.)

  • illbtru
    illbtru Posts: 7 ✭✭✭

    There is soooo much to do on our homestead! It is easy to lose sight of other issues of interest. So much to do, so little time.

    Our recycling center just closed. Now we have to find another site close by. The other option is to change our footprint paradigm. This issue will lead to others and the original intent could be sidetracked. On and on it goes .......

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I so love it that it is not just me that goes off to do something, sees something on the way that needs doing -- Oh, shiny! -- and gets off track of the original task.

    I guess we should take consolation in that things are still being accomplished.

    Setting aside one day per task would work except for caring for living things which tend to be spontaneous in their needs.

    I do try to keep to a schedule to feed my refrigerator pet (sourdough starter.)

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    "Shiny!" Hearing a coin drop (even far away) equals that, but we chalk it up to the "cheap Mennonite" stereotype. 😂 "Squirrel!" is also the joke in our house. Everyone looks (whether it is a squirrel or not)...although that often comes with, where's the gun? Lol

    We are a scatterbrained bunch here. 🙃 But we do get some things done. Lists are good things.

    My plan is to take lions mane & sniff rosemary EO daily...but that is more for my memory. BUT, I am curious to know if it will help with focus as it repairs the memory function. Thanks to the one session this past week, it has given me a bit more to explore. 😀

    The rosemary is pretty. 😍

  • lmrebert
    lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭

    @Laurie yes lists are necessary! And my house is totally full of squirrels lol.

  • csinclair461
    csinclair461 Posts: 159 ✭✭✭

    I use lists to varying degrees of success, rosemary at breakfast, and sometimes some guarana in the early afternoon (I would take it in the morning, but I love coffee in the morning too much). Also use lists, and reminding myself that I can only handle so many things well. A lesson I am continuing to learn :).

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    staying on task has been really hard for me to do, there was a paper that i had pinned up that joked about going to pay the bills and got the mail then went to get rid of the junk mail and realized the plant needed watered then noticing when getting the water that something else needed to be put away then noticed the laundry still hadnt been done...... you get the picture. that was and is me at times until i made a list and promptly would forget the list. till i realized i would put to much on the list and then get over whelmed. so my husband presented a question to me " if you had to leave town for a couple of days tomorrow, what would be your number one thing that needed to be done today " that helped then i would write down only 3 things to do a day and stick with it till it was done, also getting my under-active thyroid in control helped with my scatterdness and i started taking a tincture called memory and alert from homegrown herbalist and that helped a lot. also i read a book called eat that frog

  • lmrebert
    lmrebert Posts: 363 ✭✭✭✭

    @nksunshine27 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 That great!!

  • ines871
    ines871 Posts: 1,283 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @shllnzl - is this thread really YOUR "Pet-journal" ? - Just asking because somewhere I noticed mentions about a "Refrigerator pet", & soon "house full of Squirrels", & now we eat FROGS ? - roflol - This is a riot. LOL - oh my, I'm LATE, again! to the land of Sweet-dreams.... .... Have a wonderful day & week !

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    Scatterbrained: That’s a very suitable title for my brain... it seems harder and harder to stay on track these days. It doesn’t help that when I go to do one thing that should take about 10 minutes max; I spend hours trying to rectify some situation that came up trying to do that one task. I can say however that I’ve been “rubbing and sniffing “ my herbs 🌿 everyday, especially the rosemary; it truly seems to help. @lmrebert love the hanging rosemary; it looks beautiful and decorative and probably smells amazing!

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Being able to laugh at our overloaded lives has to help our mental clarity.