Leaving for a while

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You are obviously fortunate enough to be able to do those "simple daily things" when you want. My obsessions, and yes WrongPlanet is one of these, take precedence over all those things. Did you read Anbuend's post about Joel? Ah ha, but you are glavering. Simple for you, may be not so simple for another.

Thanks, I'll try my best to explain. Social interaction overwhelms me very quickly and throws me into a state that I call the "5th dimension", and which consists of thinking and stimming. It often lasts for many hours, and while it can be interrupted easily for a moment, I lack the strength to break out of it - my mind just returns to it "automatically". Even when I know that I should be doing other things, I can't force myself to do them. 5th dimension is quite pleasurable, but often idle and just a big waste of time. Recently this was colliding not only with my entertainment activities (biking, Scientific American, physics), but also with my work (pacing instead of working), important errands and chores (fortunately I managed to force myself to pay bills on time!), and with my eating and sleep. Basically it was taking all my available time, and then some.

In the past this was always a problem, though somewhat smaller because I was quite withdrawn, did not have friends, and did not interact with people much. WrongPlanet changed that. Not only I started socializing like never before, but I have also found here a girlfriend (1st time in my life). Time did not make things easier, and have found myself overwhelmed more and more. Finally it became clear that I won't be able to do anymore all that I was doing, and that I would need to give up the most overwhelming thing - WrongPlanet. I hope that I will be able do develop some way to participate in our community without sacrificing my job and daily life.

Everyone, thanks for your posts!

Just spotted this thread...

Enjoy your rest magic, your reasons seem similar to my reasons for taking a step back from WP. Hope you're back on an even keel soon mate.

Danlo, I wonder how your obsessions take precedence over other things. I really don't see how that's possible.

Magic, I'm glad you are taking an opportunity to turn your life around. Good luck!

How is it you don't see? By obsessions, I mean perseverations, does that make it clearer? In the case of ADD/ADHD, they define executive functioning as the ability to concentrate on the matter at hand, blocking out extraneous external stuff that is distracting. In these terms, a problem would be too much executive functioning. Unable to stop blocking the external stuff, stop concentrating on the perseverations and take care of the other things. And then, there's the other problem, which is the exact opposite. When I'm not doing anything, its still hard to motivate myself to take care of those little things.
I like to explain this using the inertia analogy: An object in motion will stay in motion unless an external force acts upon it. A object in a state of rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it. In normal people, this 'force' comes from inside. This is their executive functioning. For me, my father acts as this 'force'.
The "little things" just don't influence me (the object) the way they do in normal people. They are either pushed aside by what I am doing now (the motion), or my mind disregards them when I'm in a state of rest.

Dunc, hey, welcome back! How long it's been? 2 months?

Danlo, thanks for explaining the obsession/motivation issue. I can certainly relate to this, except that I am hardly ever in a state of rest. I am constantly busy, even though often the thing I am busy with is looking at the ceiling or flapping hands. But this is no rest, my mind is racing relentlessly, and my stimming is often quite vigorous physically. Fortunately I can force myself to do the most essential things even if my mind wants to be busy with something else. I create elaborate rules regarding essential activities, and they serve as motivations, because violating rules makes me very uneasy. Unfortunately sleep and eating are not considered the most essential things, and there is no one to yell at me if I miss them. (For now, anyway. )

As if I don't feel strange enough already!