Hypnosis!

If you've read my recent posts - or for those "fortunate" enough to be around me lately - I have been a mess! My anxiety level was through the roof. I was in a "loop;" I was overwhelmed and "stuck." Luckily, I recently started a small coffee group before work once per week - as a way to coax myself out of bed without resentment. One member, a few years into retirement from a more conventional job, has been certified in hypnosis. Nothing else was working and, luckily, I'm open to trying things outside of western medicine. So I scheduled an appointment for last weekend. And a second appointment for this weekend.

Now when I feel my stress level rising, instead of worrying, complaining or crying, I simply rub two fingers on my left hand together and get on with my day. And when I feel myself judging myself or others or beginning a string of useless worry, I simply watch a virtual penny bounce into a virtual wishing well and get on with my day. Yesterday, while walking the dog, I caught myself beginning to worry, "Uh oh, what will happen if I don't worry." Oh, for goodness sake! Another penny into the well as I laughed at how ridiculous my thoughts can be and how ridiculous that I had been believing the worst of them.

Important realizations I've made in the last week are that I must trust the world to hold me up and I must trust myself to do the same if I'm going to be a healthy, happy person who makes a contribution in this world. Each of us is so much more than we can possibly imagine.

Dopamine Privilege

If you've studied the social sciences, you probably became familiar with the concepts of male privilege and white privilege. In brief, the majority culture has no reason to understand or value the minority, so they don't. Ever talk to someone in Asia, Africa, South America, or even Canada? They know US history, culture, politics, and geography - often times better than we. But quick, without checking the Internet, what is the capital of Zambia? Can you find it on a map?

So it is with those of you who happened to be born with an abundance of dopamine. It makes you productive and focused, things you apparently value. Which is great. Those are wonderful values! But so are mine!! I value compassion, cooperation, patience, and intimacy. And my ADD brain just happens to provide me with those traits.

An abundance of dopamine puts you in the majority. That doesn't make you right; it makes you popular ... common. It also means that society values you and rewards you. Me, I get a "diagnosis," a label, drugs, judgments, lists for how to "improve," and a small paycheck.

If you're in the majority, don't make assumptions about me. If you must, when I make a mess in your world, offer to help me clean it up. Better yet, join me in my world on occasion. You might learn something.