Archived adhd and retail

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I am a GSA and I have very severe ADD - mainly inattention. I do take stimulants, which can create a hyperfocus that allows me to help guests and VIBE to hell.

I don't find that it hinders me at all. I'm also a grad student in clinical psychology, so I know the cognitive behavioral modifications to monitor my own behavior. I tend to speak really fast, so I've been trying to work on that - because talking that fast on the walkie is unprofessional and annoying to others.
 
bert said:
i have adhd and it doesn't make me speak with an accent, random dance, or run; i just leave my keys in the wave and baler and leave unpushed cafs in various places
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ADD and constantly having to run up front for guest first were the bane of my existence at Target. I seriously thought about bringing in a doctor's note to see if they would excuse me from the constant interruptions. By the end of every shift I had lost at least 3-4 pulls or carts of reshop that I completely forgot about or couldn't find to save my life after getting off the register.

Oh, and I couldn't zone in a logical pattern no matter how hard I tried. If I wasn't interrupted I could POG zone entire aisles in record speed... but if someone stopped me in the middle I'd realize I'd done the first half of one side top to bottom, then just the top two shelves of the other side, then the rest of the bottom shelf on the first side. Guess that's why it had to be absolutely perfect, so I could see the random sections and shelves I missed to go back and fix them.

I also may have had a tendency to forget which guest I was helping if I lost sight of them—made for some confused guests when I brought the wrong person an item I'd found for a different guest, or picking up mid-conversation and then realizing by the blank stare that I'd been talking to someone else.

Definitely have to be able to laugh at yourself when working with ADD!
 
Working with ADHD in the pharmacy is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, I have no problem multi-tasking, but only if I'm actually doing 2-3 things at once. If I have a singular project to work on, I also hyper focus. The downside is when I get interrupted, I have a tendency to "forget" to go back and finish if the interruption is for an attended period of time.
 
Having ADD, working in the fitting room was helpful when I was still in Softlines. I had a specific work area, all my own, which I could organize as necessary to keep me on track. Interruptions (guests, phone, etc.) were no problem when I had visual cues to get me back on track. In the Deli, I can still do the same thing, so long as no one tries to clean up my stuff (if I'm not finished) when I get pulled to the slicers.
 
Cashiering with ADHD can be a struggle expecially when busy there are moments where you feel scatter brained and feel thing are spinning out of control (they aren't really ) I don't do to bad on speed. Plus I'm really hard on myself and feel like I'm failing ( they tell me I'm going good but I only have 3 redcards and it the end of my third week and I don't feel like it good enough) I think the worry distracts me more than anything else
 
Anyone has a kid with ADHD/Asperger who started giving medication for anxiety? Our doctor is keep on asking us to start for my kid but I’m not sure as she is only 7. So thought of getting opinion from someone with experience.
 
rd123 said:
Anyone has a kid with ADHD/Asperger who started giving medication for anxiety? Our doctor is keep on asking us to start for my kid but I’m not sure as she is only 7. So thought of getting opinion from someone with experience.
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What is the medication they are prescribing? Ritalin? 7 years old seems young for anything.
 
skrepo1977 said:
What is the medication they are prescribing? Ritalin? 7 years old seems young for anything.
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When my son was 3 he was diagnosed with ADHD but I did not put him on any medicine until he was around 10. Then it was only during school hours. He outgrew any conditions of ADHD by about the age of 17. He is now 31 and doing fantastic in the IT business.
 
Wear a cheap digital watch with alarms, stopwatch and repeating countdown timers. Set the timers for an interval when you want reminders, a task switch, or just a refocus prompt. Use the stopwatch to time lunches and breaks and how long it takes you to do things. Set the alarms for important things that happen at a fixed time like price discrepancy research, out's batches, pulls, or just when to go home. Make notes and checklists. Use a shopping cart as a bookmark when zoning (put some random merch in it so a guest doesn't swipe it). Repeat a mantra to yourself when you get stressed or anxious. Try to gamify your tasks and increment your goals as you get better at them.
 
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rd123 said:
Anyone has a kid with ADHD/Asperger who started giving medication for anxiety? Our doctor is keep on asking us to start for my kid but I’m not sure as she is only 7. So thought of getting opinion from someone with experience.
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I am not an expert but I work with them.
When you have someone that you, medication can be helpful however ....
The process for finding the right level and timing for the medication takes time and patience.
The medications were never tested on kids even though they are used on them all the time.
Ask if the doctor is willing to do a slow titration and possibly even throw in a placebo in the beginning to see if it works as well.
If they aren't then get a new doctor.
Starting with a very low dose, keeping a log of how that effects the child, then going to a slightly higher dose, etc., it takes time and effort on both your parts but it is what's best for the your kiddo.
Anxiety is one of those conditions that can be crippling and for kids not being able to function in school or social circumstances can make a huge difference in the future.
 
Just keep reminding yourself.

How would I react if a TM said or did that to me...

If all else fails, just think....
Would this make people think I am an Ass-Hole?
 
rd123 said:
Anyone has a kid with ADHD/Asperger who started giving medication for anxiety? Our doctor is keep on asking us to start for my kid but I’m not sure as she is only 7. So thought of getting opinion from someone with experience.
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The doctor said stimulant medication for adhd and Zoloft for anxiety disorder. We actually told her that we will consider once she is in middle school. But still confused about the decision.
 
rd123 said:
The doctor said stimulant medication for adhd and Zoloft for anxiety disorder. We actually told her that we will consider once she is in middle school. But still confused about the decision.
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Are the conditions effecting her life dramatically, specifically school, right now?
Has she found coping methods that work for her, (weighted blankets, meditation, etc.)
If she is able to function okay and has developed coping methods then you are fine to wait.
 
can't touch this said:
A D D E R A L L
D
D
E
R
A
L
L

Look into it and then get it. Only downside is that you have to give up drinking but oh well.
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Not for everyone. My daughter had a severe psychotic reaction to it. Strattera (non-stimulant, extended release, and ) was much more effective for her. It's now available in a generic as well.
 
Yeah I forgot to include that disclaimer but YMMV, etc.

I never knew it was possible to pay attention to more than one thing at a time without overloading my noggin circuitry until I got those Addies. My very first thought was IS THIS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A NORMAL PERSON WHO COULD CONCEIVABLY HOLD AN ACTUAL JOB THAT PAYS A LIVING WAGE?!! The mind is perplexing, yo
 
commiecorvus said:
Are the conditions effecting her life dramatically, specifically school, right now?
Has she found coping methods that work for her, (weighted blankets, meditation, etc.)
If she is able to function okay and has developed coping methods then you are fine to wait.
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Her condition is mild/moderate. She has problem following directions and making friends. She gets upset for reasons that she couldn’t explain. When she gets anxious, she is putting non food things in her mouth which is of great concern at school. We tried many things but she doesn’t have control over that. Let’s see how it goes for some more time. We are planning outside school services this vacation.
 
rd123 said:
Her condition is mild/moderate. She has problem following directions and making friends. She gets upset for reasons that she couldn’t explain. When she gets anxious, she is putting non food things in her mouth which is of great concern at school. We tried many things but she doesn’t have control over that. Let’s see how it goes for some more time. We are planning outside school services this vacation.
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Don't let the school push you into medication.
Take a close look at when these times of anxiety happen and what the triggers might be.
This should be in the IEP, that they will keep track of these things for you so it is possible for you to mitigate them.
If it isn't make them put it in there, don't let them tell you they don't have the time or personal.
This is both in their interest and yours.

If she is putting non-food things in her mouth, maybe she can carry a bag of goldfish that she can use.
The school can okay that.

This is a good web page with other methods for coping skills

Anxiety: children and teenagers with autism spectrum disorder - https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/behaviour/understanding-behaviour/anxiety-asd
 
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Signkitty said:
My OCD made me very obsessed with the number three, I had to have equipment that was divisable by three or I would be upset about it all day. I also had to park perfectly straight in the same parking space or I'd worry about it all day. Medication made stuff like this more managible. However I wish my OCD was more helpful around the store and not the crazy girl that takes five minuites to park and needs printer 0206 and PDA twelve or she'd get upset.
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You can not be serious, this scares me.
 
Far from newbie said:
Really? I’m pretty ignorant about all this. I have sympathy, I can’t even imagine having to cope with that !
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Yep. Had a manager (previous job) that had to do everything in multiples of six.

And God help the person that decided to screw with her and tell her that she only did step 1 of closing (counting the money) five times. Someone nearly died that day.
 
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