So, it turns out I'm ADHD

[Shadow1980]

Yep. I was diagnosed back around 1989-90. I've always had problems remembering to do things, or forget things in the middle of doing them, or losing track of things, I can easily meander between things, and I tend to have problems keeping things organized. Like, I'll let mail pile up for a while before doing anything about it. I need constant reminders to do certain things, especially if it's a one-off or otherwise rare thing that's no part of my usual daily routine, and even then I can forget because of how easily distracted I am. That's why I hate how my laundry machine doesn't have an end-of-cycle buzzer; without that sound letting me know it's done, I just forget the laundry even exists. It's only things that I've spend incredible effort getting into the habit of doing that I remember to do consistently. I cope with it better than I did when I was younger, but my executive still doesn't function a lot of time. On the other hand, there are times where I can get absolutely laser-focused on one thing. Like, I'll let cleaning the house slide sometimes because I get distracted by other things, but eventually I'll get sick of looking at the mess and get a cleaning bug up my rear and go to town on the house, sweeping, cleaning the kitchen, organizing stuff, etc.

I've also been recently diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and intermittent explosive disorder (which are apparently co-morbid to a relatively high degree). The anxiety had gotten bad enough to where I saw some doctors and had to be prescribed medication. I'm actually doing much better now, though highly stressful situation still cause the anxiety symptoms to creep back a bit. Still, all the symptoms are gone 99% of the time, and I'm much more even keeled these days in terms of mood and general disposition. I haven't had a rage episode in weeks when exposed to stimuli that usually set them off. At most it's just mild to moderate irritation that goes away quickly.

Neurodivergency and mental illness can indeed make life difficult at times. Glad I'm getting the help I need now. Should have been on it 20-30 years ago, but better late than never.