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Episode 70 - ADHD And Modern Life: Why The World Feels Harder For Us. Part 2
54 Plays2 months ago
PART 2. Paul and Martin (ex-Mayors of ADHDville) ask the question, Why does modern life feel so overwhelming for people with ADHD? in this episode, we explore the struggles of navigating a world that wasn't built for ADHD brains. From constant distractions to rigid routines, societal norms clash with the way our minds work - and we're here to break it all down. In this two part series, we'll uncover why things like 9-to-5 schedules. sensory overload, and information overload hit differently for people with ADHD. Plus, we'll share relatable stories and a few laughs along the way.
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Put quill to paper and send us an email at: ADHDville@gmail.com
ADHD/Focus music from Martin (AKA Thinking Fish)
Theme music was written by Freddie Philips and played by Martin West. All other music by Martin West.
Please remember: This is an entertainment podcast about ADHD and does not substitute for individualized advice from qualified health professionals.
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Yeah, back in the room, back in the room, back in the room, back in the room. Here we are again. Back in the room, here we are again.
Introduction to ADHD and Modern Life Series
00:00:07
Speaker
So yeah, so this is part two of ADHD and modern life. So if you've not listened to part one, go back, go back, go back, go back, go back, go back. And go and check out part one.
00:00:23
Speaker
um So let's crack in and say, ah let's go to the place where the distractions are landmarks and detours are the main roads. Welcome to ADHD, Bill. Welcome to ADHD.
00:00:44
Speaker
It's part two, the other one, part three.
00:01:01
Speaker
yes it is 71 71 episodes yeah so if you don't listen to the previous one it's episode 7 60 70 70 yes oh yes all 69 I think it's 17 one of those yeah the previous one is 69 this is episode 70 Yeah. Okay. i am But yes, I'm Paul Thompson. Hello. Hello. like this With the combined ADHD just over a year ago. And I'm Martin Wirth and I'm and um all f'ed up in the head. Are you? Okay. um So which is two mates who by coincidence or not, after 39 years of friendship, discover what they were co-ed, who would have known it?
00:01:52
Speaker
Barely friends, Paul.
Paul and Martin's Personal ADHD Journeys
00:01:53
Speaker
Barely friends. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely. Barely.
00:02:08
Speaker
both for almost forty years that he's shaking his head. i sweet since i This is an entertainment podcast if you didn't already realize it ah about ADHD i outdoor a state ah does not substitute for individualized advice from health qualified health professionals. So don't take any advice from him or him.
00:02:32
Speaker
which is here as a kind of all-inclusive ADX department, room for everyone, including your doppelgangers, your alter egos, your buddy doubles, your chaperones, and your best buddy is still here, remarkable. Congratulations, you've already won a loyalty badge. Just about to tell you, I've got a pinion on you somewhere. Then grab your jetpacks, pedalos, space hoppers, or any other transportation methods,
00:02:58
Speaker
and let us take you to A.D. Steveville in a imaginary town that we created in our minds, where we like to explore different parts of the A, the D, the H and the D again. And we start off in our new home, the the King's Attentive Head Pub um and in downtown A.D. Steveville, where we sit here, just shopping a drink and uh chatting about life yes um should i get you or can i get you martin i would like i would like um a a a parsons speckled backside ale right pint of yeah yeah just just give me a nice it's a fine one it's a fine point yeah um i think i'm gonna have a a bloody mary oh okay
00:03:56
Speaker
Yeah, I'm gonna avoid the, yeah, I'm kind of a bit on a bit of a of detox. I thought, I thought, oh, a you mean a Virgin Mary then? No, no, no. Oh, yes, Virgin, mayor Bloody Mary. Yes, of course. Virgin Bloody Mary. Good point. Well put. Yes. So so then what are we up to today, Martin?
ADHD Challenges in Social Settings
00:04:20
Speaker
Well, we are carrying on from why people with ADHD struggle in this modern life. <unk>s In this modern world that we find ourselves in, we just feel like we just don't quite fit in. Isn't that right, Mr. T? It's like... it yeah
00:04:44
Speaker
so just especially Especially if you read the daily the Daily Mail or those kind of rags, yeah can about you feel like, oh, God. I don't even want to fit in, actually, to be honest. But anyway. So what else? So what did we not get to?
00:05:05
Speaker
Yes, last last week, we didn't get to what do we got? Okay. just we go Oh, so let's talk about social events. Social events, right? Okay, the struggle talk about struggle, especially over, you know, it's just pass. Well,
00:05:22
Speaker
third week of January actually but you know we're just past the festive period okay how do you deal Martin with like social events you know in the modern world how the modern world is structured for social events. Well oh well how the the neurotypical world is structured for neurotypism and how do you deal with it or or don't you deal with it? Right because you know it is it is obviously um all of those things are very
00:05:57
Speaker
you know because they want to to be a stimulating fun experience for neurotypical people right so there's you know these things it's usually like music and lights and there's a lot going on so it feels exciting to them and but obviously for us it's over it can be over i can't say overstimulated right there's a lot going on and and we and we just like just feel alarmed and anxiety and we just want to hide in the bathroom
00:06:33
Speaker
of said event. But apart from sensory overload, I often find myself, I'm realising it now, I can look back and think, when we need to go to the disco, you know, you go to a nightclub when I was a younger version of me, much younger. And I used to look at them and think, what the fuck are you doing?
00:06:54
Speaker
You know, I just stand there on the, on the sidelines, like watching, you know, watching, you know, my mates getting, getting off with the girls, and you know, it all that kind of, all that kind of palava and thinking like, well, well, this world isn't for me. What are you up to? What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
00:07:18
Speaker
Yeah. There's, gegie there's a word like, talk about neurotypical world. Yeah, you get to talk about the bouncers that are you don't decide whether you even get into the neurotypical, you know, nightclub. You know, the list, oh, you've got white trainers. Oh, yeah, you know, rules. And you're like, I don't want to, I don't want to play by your, your, your sneaker rules.
00:07:46
Speaker
Yeah, I mean then you go in there and you like dancing away to Oh God and a playing like I don't know some kind of medley that you don't really want to dance to You know, but you feel like you should Right. because Because places like that are exhausting because yeah there's the only place that you can get away from it is in the toilets, is is in the bathrooms and they are not places that you really want to be. Or get hammered with cocaine and booze. Right. So you end up drinking more um just to kind of like cope.
00:08:26
Speaker
with all of that. It would be nice if actually these places actually did have sort of like quiet areas. You could just kind of go like. I'll just give you 10 minutes.
00:08:42
Speaker
Well, yeah. but heagon just kind of Bigger clubs like to go to a club in in Brixton is under the church in ah in the in the sense of Brixton under church and the the nightclub was called mass And it was freaking enormous. It was huge. I think we went there once. We've been there, both you and me. Been there. Yes. And you'd have different rooms with different vibes. So if there was like a ADHD vibe, that'd be cool. Yeah. I mean, the other part of social events is the other one is the one that is the complete opposite where you're kind of
00:09:26
Speaker
in a room full of people you don't know, or you might know some of them. And there's no and you just and you're just basically standing around talking, by making small talk with people. So what if this kind of special room you had you had you had to show your ADHD ah diagnosis,
00:09:49
Speaker
you had bounces yet ADHD bounces.
00:09:53
Speaker
Alright, ADHD bouncers that actually worked for you. Like, DFA ADHD now will go to the back of the line. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. But what are you like in those situations? Are you you the same as me? Just want to like get out as soon as possible. These days i'm not um' ah I don't really want to be at these so sorts of things. I mean, I certainly won't bother going to a club or anything like that. Jesus. A long time ago. A long time ago.
00:10:30
Speaker
Like, not that I don't know, when I was in the UK, I think 20 years. okay yeah is' it's it's just not I have no interest in clubs. I mean, i will I will go and see a band. I will stand there and watch watch a band. but There were some really cool clubs though in the 1990s in London.
00:10:57
Speaker
like in Notting Hill there's a club called the Subterranea and it was a really well given the name of it you pretty much get it but really underground kind of thing I'll just go there dance my tits off and ah no alcohol because I used to drive there by myself. Didn't know anyone. There you go. Mr. ADHD dancer in an underground club. I'd go there, dance my tits off, drive home, no drugs, no alcohol, nothing. Just the pure pleasure of dancing. The pleasure of the seltzer. And once in a while, dance with Chino Del corner in the very same club.
00:11:39
Speaker
a dance don and corner with'Connor O'Connor or in in the same area as I mean how far away were you well we we kind of like we kind of like we kind of nodded with her eyes to each other hello you're dancing she went ah nodding towards me oh you're that's quite a good dancer you're a good dancer she looked at me with like right i yeah but of competition and arise right There's a whole there was a whole relationship and just this went on with it like a there was sort of game respects game, right? It was like Yeah. All right. Yeah, that's kind of fun. You know how after the year, you know as the years passed the exaggerate the story we basically absolutely we we're in a relationship for five years and had two children and Oh, wow. you know right ah so All right. So you were dancing there. She clocks you. You clock her. There's a little bit of that. And then you're and in your head. you're like youre You're now married and picking out curtains. Exactly. Exactly. But joking apart, you could have saved her, Paul. You could have saved her. I'm just saying. She was so cold. She might still be around if you'd made you move.
00:12:56
Speaker
what an amazing person she was yeah amazing anyway but there's an example of a car a club had a really really really cool vibe it wasn't about going you know to get off your tits on drugs it was about going and having like competitive like dance thing going on that you had at other clubs like you went to around that time just around the corner, you go to the fridge in Brixton, and it was like basically fights breaking out, but in a form of dance, basically, it was quite an aggressive dancing, you know, trying to repress each other. It was just a really cool place. I was talking to someone in Infermaniacus, I can't remember her name, unfortunately, Infermaniacus, something, about the 90s and about clubbing.
00:13:49
Speaker
in that time and how like crazy it was. yeah we They're like dancing up bill little firm buttocks off buttocks. um and and And she was like, how did we survive?
00:14:04
Speaker
How did we survive all of that? And I said, I have no idea, but I would and I said, I am an atheist, but I would wear a t-shirt that said I survived the 90s, therefore God. Yes.
00:14:25
Speaker
It felt like it was like a. Yeah, but badgerval that was that was that was the ah but there was some some word in the 90s. There was some sort of divine intervention that meant that I actually lived through all all of that craziness. Yeah, toenails in Faroam dead. God, that was good. The worst, the worst bouncers ever. They're always off their minds on drugs, the bouncers and really paranoid. um called they But it was so good. The the rest of the DJ was Paul Oakenfield. So ah you just put up with all the crap that the bouncers used to give you just to kick in. It's just worth it. It's like, okay, let's just do what they tell you to do. Yeah, I remember said Paul Oakenfield.
00:15:15
Speaker
Yeah, in Miami, but once you it's like driving, it's like flying first class, you know, afterwards driving economies really difficult air driving. ah Flying the economy is really difficult once you've flown first class. So in the 90s, we're really spoiled, which really cool, amazing clubs that I don't think you can find anymore. oh I haven't Yeah, I've been to a good club for 20 years, probably, maybe more. Right. Yeah. the the There isn't really that culture as it as it was back back then. Yeah.
00:15:54
Speaker
And then in London, you used to be able to go. You went from maybe subterranean or um after mass. um And there'd be special clubs that would be on from about six until 10 o'clock in the morning with a different vibe. And you'd go there and you'd hang out there. God, that was... I know. it was It was always a thing like when you left the club,
00:16:18
Speaker
yeah And then as you were going home, you would meet the people going to work, going the other way. Yeah, it's like, oh, all right. Oh, God, go back to go back. So how are how are you with social environments? you Not necessarily, you know, clubbing and all that kind of stuff. Do you do you like are you kind of person now, especially after you're diagnosed, where you make excuses or you maybe don't even feel like you have to make an excuse and you leave or what do you do?
00:16:53
Speaker
Oh, I mean, what kind of event is it, I guess? Well, I don't know. um ah Well, first, when it comes to my mind over Christmas, you know, I had like this massive, like um lunch gathering with lots of family and stuff. All right. In my case, after about an hour and a half max, I started like thinking I need to get out of here. You've just reached your peak.
00:17:21
Speaker
Yeah, that's it. I ah need to leave now. No, I'm actually I actually do quite a good job of regulating myself in the I will find a quieter corner. Okay. Or a hour quieter end of the table. And then I'm just concentrate on talking to like one or two people.
00:17:43
Speaker
And I ah just close the whole world down into like just a little small bubble all right around me. And I just kind of concentrate on on that. I don't ah just try and block out the rest of it. Okay. But that's probably where the difference with in Italy, you can't do that. Because the conversations are so loud. Right. They're very loud in Italy. Yeah.
00:18:10
Speaker
Yeah, so you can't shut it out. I'm quite good at shutting out. But ah in those, you know, kind of situations, it's it's almost impossible. Yeah, because like in the UK, those conversations, especially in England, will be a lot quieter. They'll be like, yeah, yes. did Did you see in the telegraph? Yes. Chanel O'Connor has a new man in her life. I think her name's Thompson or something. Yes. You have two children, don't you know? And nice curtains. Very nice curtains. Are we come in such good curtains?
00:18:48
Speaker
And I mean, in the States, they are more ra rowdy. um ah huh But again, it's it's it's fairly I mean, it's it isn't too bad, you know, like it's not it's it's yeah, I find I can do it. But yes, going into the bathroom is it is always like a nice is a nice is is escape or you know, like if you sort of slipped out of the whole venue,
00:19:18
Speaker
have you done that where you just like kind of like just kind of slip out the the side door you just like hang out out outside for a bit i like but is that Is that what you do? Do you generally want the first people to leave a dinner party or something? or No. No, OK. No, I can. I can. I can. Basically, I mean, you know, like how sometimes if if you have a really good time and actually you're talking to people and it's quite, a you know, and you're and you're into it, then it's fine. It's only when you feel start to feel comfortable.
00:19:56
Speaker
um oto ah i i try okay so generally Generally, if you just restrict yourself to asking questions,
00:20:09
Speaker
That's all you have to do. So we're like, hello, Martin. How are you doing? I'm good. How are you? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. And I say, well, what are you up to? what have What have you been doing? Oh, I've been doing this. Oh, that that's interesting. You know, you just keep asking questions about whatever it is that they're talking. So you don't talk about you. You just talk about them and their stuff.
00:20:34
Speaker
ah And they walk away going, I had a great conversation with that person over over there because people like nothing more than to talk about themselves and what they like.
00:20:47
Speaker
But that seems like, that's like, let's like fighting fire with fire, just like, like throwing petrol on the fire. Oh, um by your case potentially sit there for half stand there for half an hour with the warm glass of of chardonnay. Right. So if the if the if the question therefore is how do I get out of a conversation? Yeah.
00:21:11
Speaker
that I'm involved in. that that You potentially sometimes are quite rude, like ADHD is autistic people are like known for being like, oh, what what did I say? you know Martin just like cut off, just ran off into the distance. I mean, I'll kind of like get to a point where I just kind of go,
00:21:35
Speaker
Oh, i'll I'll catch you like later, and then I'll just turn and go off somewhere and go off something. I'll just turn and go somewhere else. I'll go. OK, well, catch you later, because I'm also thinking the other person is probably feeling like they're trapped in this conversation as ah as as well. So I'm doing them a favor by by exiting ex exiting stage left. Right.
00:22:06
Speaker
Okay, so got only like bizarre strategies like, oh you know, I'm sorry, I have I have terrible incontinence. I need to go and know. No, I find that the the less you say, the the better. It's just a slight All right. Yeah. I'm not just going to go off to see really awkward. I'm much more awkward. I'm really bad at it. um um In my mind's eye, I'm really bad at it. And it's really evident that I'm bad at it to other people. Right. I'm not good at finding, an you know, an out and out. Not good. Not good at it at all.
00:22:52
Speaker
that's where if you have a partner, they they're quite, quite good to kind of like, help get you out. Yeah, they'll come along. Or you'll just say, Oh, I think my, right I think my girlfriend wants me. but Whatever he just, well just go go back to the Christmas stuff we did, because luckily, my girlfriend, she's the same as me. And ah we we had already decided that we would tell people that we ah we had to go visit, which is actually true. But we but we'd be we'd planned it. We made a plan so we could we could leave early without upsetting people.
00:23:33
Speaker
you know i had to We've had a pre-existing plan. Yeah, or so you know right. So the yeah the the sign is is it is that you go, cuckoo!
00:23:46
Speaker
so And then when you hear that, that's the signal to start backing out. Exactly. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. Out of the room. Exactly. Yeah. um So what else have we got?
ADHD in the Attention Economy
00:24:04
Speaker
Moving on. Moving on. So let's talk about, well, what have you got, Martin?
00:24:09
Speaker
um Well, you know, I've said that that the modern world, like how it's set up is that it it really wants you to know everything all of the time. Yeah. So you'll have like notifications will will pop up on your on your screen. It'll buzz.
00:24:28
Speaker
um yes Like any information that that the world like everything seems to want to get your attention, right? All the time everything and all of that is just so much um it's It's just just so it just causes a lot so much and anxiety like I have to go through my phone and just be careful about which ones I allow to and to notify me if something happens and even then it's like how much of that
00:25:03
Speaker
what level of and of no notification because there's just a lot of flashes and beeps. yes and Have you seen that with this episode of Black Mirror, which is There's the guy that plays the vicar in are the Northern Irish actor, really cool actor.
00:25:29
Speaker
ah Anyway, Father Ted? No. ah ah Fleabag. The fake the v ri the sexy vicar in Fleabag. This guy who um who loses his wife in a car accident because she um she lost control of her car because she was checking a message that came up, a notification that came up from Facebook. And she checked and she picked up her phone, lost control of the car and died. So he, it wasn't Facebook, but it was basically saying it was basically say it as Facebook. So then he decided that his mission in life was to kill Mark Zuckerberg. Oh, right. Okay.
00:26:18
Speaker
Or in this case, it was like the equivalent of Mark Zuckerberg. and he' Right. in that him And you know. And you know, but yeah, I'm just I'm the same. I'm the same on another level with with publicity. I becoming less and less tolerant of publicity. You know, if you like Spotify listening to a podcast like ours, for example.
00:26:46
Speaker
and you get interrupted more and more and more on na Instagram and YouTube and ah you know more and more publicity. YouTube is not too bad actually but um on meta so Facebook and more just so much invasion.
00:27:08
Speaker
So I'm, I'm looking into, do you remember the other day I sent you a message about buying a turntable, whether you, yes, to that. I wondered why were you were sending me a message. Yeah. Middle of the night. Yeah. It was like, go on.
00:27:25
Speaker
Yeah, umm I'm looking into getting a turntable and just like listening to vinyl models. I just want less. I want to filter how much of the how much these companies ah get access into my private life is just becoming so invasive now.
00:27:45
Speaker
Oh, you mean like, so like you have to pay money to Spotify or whatever. So you don't get all the adverts. So you happen to like fight through all that noise yeah just to kind of play if something that you were rolling. You're just scrolling through Instagram. Well, now they've got a new system, haven't they? on instagram instagram and You can pay for ad free Instagram.
00:28:08
Speaker
It's about seven euros a month. Oh, yeah. No, I've since the whole Mark Zuckerberg thing, Instagram is dead to me. Yeah.
00:28:19
Speaker
I don't post on everyone. There's a big this there's a poor discussion to be had, I think. you know Talk about struggles with with the you know the modern world. i i just i I've stopped posting on Instagram and Facebook. Don't post there anymore. ah just yeah ah just I need to just i need to filter ah need to filter how much the traditional news feeds that I get.
00:28:45
Speaker
I don't want to see it. Right. There is a lot, certainly now, so certainly has been building up over the last eight years by the amount of politics that that enters my life. it So it used to be that you would only hear from your prime minister or your you know all or you president or whatever. It's in a while. They would pop up on the news once in a while because something happened, right? But now it's like every day, all the time, constant, like i admire trying to drink from the fire hose. It's just ridiculous. right the The amount of yeah of the of the you know the kind of like horrified shock
00:29:31
Speaker
what is going on thing that sends, you know, someone being outraged, right? And then they spread the outrage and then you feel outraged and it's constant and it's exhausting. And then you get overwhelmed. So, you know, in ah bringing it back to, you know, the ADHD conversation, you know, that um talking about sensory overload, I mean, holy moly.
00:29:59
Speaker
Right, it's is too much. I i've started to feel overwhelmed. I was feeling kind of like level of depression. And I swear to God in three or four months, that I've been doing it not months, three or four weeks, that I've been filtering the stuff that I decide that I allow access into my life. Since I've started doing it, I feel better. I really do. Yeah, no, yeah, i've I definitely filter a lot so all the big important stuff still still finds me yeah but but all of that out out but the constant outrage um yeah i've kind of dialed that right right the way down because it it actually doesn't do any good it's it's it's you know if you're if you're yeah if you're
00:30:50
Speaker
neuro di five versionia As you you said, it just it just increases your and and anxiety. It just leads to like see deep depression mental burnout.
00:31:05
Speaker
So i go done not ah we're not paid on the podcast to publicize ah Blue Sky, but on Blue Sky which is fast becoming the best alternative to to the the you know the big guys in social media. um They've got the suit coming out, another app that will a competition for four, four, four Instagram is called Flashes. um No publicity. What's great about it is you can filter the kind of ah feed you want coming into your phone. So if you want to blanket, if you want to block out Trump like I do, you can actually say I don't want anything linked to Trump coming into my into my feed.
00:31:49
Speaker
um or other stuff um and you can mute ah certain news feeds so that not muses you don't hear, it mutes in you don't see it. um So doesn't it's not actually blocking, it's just muting, you don't want to see it and it really works.
00:32:08
Speaker
Yeah, it really works for me. it It doesn't mean that I'm not aware or that I don't do my bit when it comes to sort of voting or or whatever. it's just is it's just It's just as I said, if if I paid attention to it all,
00:32:27
Speaker
I'd just be a wreck. And, you know, no, it's just just can't not good for my mental health. There is a lot of people online some issues that you know, I i will feel personally, like I should be informed about, you know um you know, certain issues, but a lot of the stuff, lots of there's nothing I can do about it. um Actually, I think it's almost like they want you to be overwhelmed. But that's another story.
00:32:57
Speaker
No, that is that's that part of the plan if you're outraged by this and that I mean and you're talking about this and that means that they could they can do something else something far worse over here because you're all talking about this other thing over here like some yeah, you know talking about Greenland or the or the Gulf of whatever Yeah. Meanwhile, over here, you know, there's laws being passed and there's this that and the other that's that's actually more important. Yeah, muddy in the waters.
00:33:33
Speaker
muddy waters, yeah, 60s. In the meantime, there's lobbyists, you know, you know, kind of like, stopping, ah you know, the fossil fuel ratio, you know? Yeah. All right. All right.
00:33:53
Speaker
I've gone, yeah, is this something that's more up in in energy? I feel like that's kind of taken us down into a like, like, a likeoon um the world well a bit of discussion like, Well, the theme is just reminds itself of the theme.
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
00:34:09
Speaker
The theme is, you know, ADHD struggling in a contemporary neurotypical world. Yeah.
00:34:17
Speaker
um
00:34:22
Speaker
Oh, looking at the list. I'm looking at the list. It's pretty it's pretty much all negative. Mine is anyway. Well, OK, there is there is some good stuff happening out there are some companies.
00:34:39
Speaker
and really clever companies that are starting to recognize that actually having ADHD employees is a good thing. Actually actively seeking them out places like Microsoft and Google, actively seeking out peeps from the autistic community.
00:35:00
Speaker
Which is really, really cool. I think it's really cool. ah FBI also, FBI is actively looking out for autistics. but quite you what did that did Did I ever tell you that I came home from work one day and there was a card from the from the CIA that had been put, you know, like under my door. And it had to call me number on it. And I was like, what the hell does the CIA want from from me? okay And i've I it. And actually, all they were doing was just, well, all they were doing, they were just doing a background check on someone in my ah apartment.
00:35:51
Speaker
building. But it scared the bejeebs out of head of me. Blimey. Okay. Right. h Okay. But ah but that, and with that um I that's not, you know, the the example of Google and, so you know, those are companies that are, you know, they're kind of clever, clever chappies in many, many different ways. They're really smart. For the most part, I mean, I don't know about you, but in in Italy, it's so behind me being a ADHD autistic teacher in an Italian state school is ah a minefield, a total minefield.
00:36:40
Speaker
Right. you You're a sort of unicorn, sort of a a god an unwanted unicorn, I think. It's just like, like going into a wasps nest. You know, it um it's just unbelievable.
00:36:57
Speaker
Yeah. ah and And even like we're trying to work, I'm trying to work alongside some new a neurotypical teacher as well, teaching the class. And, you know, sometimes it works. but Sometimes it doesn't. And it's, is it's, it's, it's really hard. It's really hard. Yeah, yeah. And I'm not sure I want to do it anymore. I'm probably going to give it up in state schools anyway. Right contract until the end of June. It's too too much for me.
00:37:27
Speaker
And, and then you're going to set up your own class, your own little teaching gigs. i um Yes. Um, I want to get, I want to become an ADHD coach. Um, and I want to go that direction. Yep. All right. Yep. There we go. Yeah. That's the plan, Stan. Yeah. Cool.
00:37:54
Speaker
All right, so how how about you? What do you have? What's your, what is your, do you huge have like, since your diagnosis, for you kind of ah have your struggles with in a kind of neurotypical work environments?
00:38:11
Speaker
Well, I mean, outside of all the ones that we've just gone gone through. yeah I think yeah right i think that the real issue is, one, if you're not if you're not aware that you have ADHD, in fact, I don't know why I'm saying this, but because everyone who who listens to this is aware, but but you can remember just the sheer exhaustion of trying to fit in yeah to the rest of the world and and how it works and how exhausting and tiring
00:38:47
Speaker
that is and how you end up making the most ridiculous stupid decisions and you like just burn yourself up out left right and center yeah um and then it's a whole program. Luckily we're working a sector that's like quite well set up for us because it's full of you know, neurodiverse people. Right. sofa off So, luckily enough, I kind of found, as is as you're saying, I found myself working in like the creative field in advertising, and it's it's set up in such a kind of a ah very particular way. So ad agencies have two halves. There's the creative half where all the
00:39:32
Speaker
yeah the art directors and creative directors and designers, all the neurodivergent people basically sit in that creative section. yeah Then you have the the account section. And they're interesting because they bridge the gap between neurotypical clients and the and the creative department. So they sit as the kind of translators and organizers of us crazy ADHD creative people. So they kind of try and get us to kind of do stuff while also translating what the client wants into yeah into our speaks. You have these like these three, so ad agencies have these two halves. So they're very set up. right yes So they are very set up for ADHD people who are working in a neuro,
00:40:29
Speaker
typical world because they have an accounts department that basically does the translation part kind of like just as the as the breach in between us and then. So it's kind of quiet. ahead Have you never had someone I had someone once worked in accounts, and she was just ah she was a frustrated creative person in reality. Yeah, it did work out for all for whatever reason, she ended up being an account in accounts. Yeah. And it was a nightmare, a total nightmare.
00:41:02
Speaker
All right. No, i've I've had successful people who have made that jump from creative to accounts.
00:41:13
Speaker
by so But yeah, I mean, it's suddenly but there's a lot of jobs out out there that are not like that. They are literally you're working you know cheek by jowl, if you wish, with neurotypical people and their systems.
00:41:29
Speaker
um Yes, I mean that had. I mean, that's that's probably the better discussion to have. yeah All those people that vast majority of ADHD or autistic people or both working in jobs that are not just don't help them at all. No, you know, very mechanical or maybe it does help them if they're working in very mechanical environments, you know, they're working in an Amazon warehouse or something.
00:41:58
Speaker
One of my favourite jobs I've ever had in my entire life was I worked at a and supermarket and I worked on the cash register, you know the checkout, the detail till, I was a till tart.
00:42:15
Speaker
and And it was like it was just I could just sit there and then items came down the the conveyor belt, like a can of beans and a loaf of bread and a packet of biscuits. And I would right I would just beep it. Well, actually, in in those days there, you yeah ah you actually actually ta actually had to type it in.
00:42:36
Speaker
into the keyboard, it was 59p. Five, nine, hit enter. And then it got a bit scary when the cash part came around. You had to kind of like get the cash, count the cash, make sure that the change was right, then count it back. But apart from that little scary bit, and it was a very mechanical job, right? Most of my time I was just in my head thinking I was just daydreaming off with the fairies.
00:43:07
Speaker
while my hands were just picking up cans of beans and tapping in numbers. Right. And I really like that. for you but But then how did you exercise the ADHD part of Martin? If you are doing something all kind of automated job, how are you exercising the creative part of Martin?
00:43:26
Speaker
Well, because Martin, because that that that wasn't that was just part of my day. Right. So. um Right. So. So I would you had a band maybe at that time. So now i i you maybe just starting. But yes, so, you know, like I will I would always draw.
00:43:49
Speaker
at home. So there there was always creative stuff going on somewhere. yeah it's just I really liked that kind of a job that was just quite minute you know was just quite or rigid. I kind of quite liked that. It was it was comforting. Because i've i've just taken I've just signed a contract. I've got a new job.
Paul's New Job and Lifestyle Adjustments
00:44:11
Speaker
I'm going to be teaching conversation in English online. Oh, OK. Right. Which I'm thinking, oh, is that going to be good for me? I think it could be. If I think of it in terms of what you were just saying, I mean i want to frame it like, OK, it's going to be a bit mechanical for me. It might not be perfect for me.
00:44:35
Speaker
But it will give me I can organize my day as I want to. I decide when, when I'm free to have conversation online and teach conversation English online. And I'm freed up to do follow my creative projects, personal stuff. So it's cool. you know Yeah, not not everything has to be all creative and all fun all the time.
00:45:03
Speaker
And that should give me some structure, which I do need. Right. Yeah. And, uh, actually, I think just doing this podcast week in, week out. Yes. It's going to be like, it should feel like it's very familiar except talking to me, you'll be talking to Luigi. You want the North English. Yes. That's exactly how it happens. Mm-hmm. Yes.
00:45:32
Speaker
That's exactly how it happens. Is it true what they say about George Best, the footballer? Right. But in this case, I'll be teaching three people at the same time online. I'm a bit scared about that. Oh, God, that's it. Surely, surely the more people, the easier it is. Really? Has to be.
00:45:57
Speaker
surely. I mean, I mean, you, you, so you stand out in front of a group of students, right? I don't know how many people are in your classes, right? Up to 30, up to 30 people, right? It's easier talking to 30 people
00:46:16
Speaker
that is just one. yes because yeah Because you have to focus way more on that oneon one-on-one interaction, surely. Or am I wrong?
00:46:30
Speaker
There are adults, you know, ah I had a bit of a nightmare this week with my first year students. um Because they're just like really disruptive and just I don't know, you could go into a class sometimes and they're just for no apparent reason. They're just all over the place. That's a nightmare.
00:46:51
Speaker
But in this case, it's three adults there, you know, they have a ah an hour break. ah Usually, you know, splits their day between morning and afternoon, and I'll be teaching them conversation English. So they discipline, they want to be there, you know, they want to learn it's going to be a hell of a lot easier. Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:13
Speaker
Yeah, not that art ah heartty yeah ah thought I think there's yeah, it's feels like it's just gonna be a lot easier, to be honest. But I'd be interested in our listeners feedback, you know, if they're doing mechanical jobs, but actually freeze them up, or, you know, it'd be really good to have feedback on, you know, on that kind of that side of it. Right. All right. All righty. And I think. All right. Well, honestly, I kind of feel like I don't have any, any, I don't have any.
00:47:52
Speaker
So I don't think there's any point in going to the. we Yeah, because if you want to hear more, you haven't heard it yet. You go back to the first part of this podcast and there's plenty in there as well. Yeah, I think we've pretty much covered um not a lot. A lot. Cool beans. Cool beans.
Episode Wrap-up and Quiz Teaser
00:48:13
Speaker
All right. Well, in that case, I'm going to outro this, I think. Okay.
00:48:23
Speaker
Let's out-throw it. He's got to slot in the quiz on this part. yeah Oh, hang on. I've just cut the music. So, oh, God, yeah, I forgot about the quiz. That's going to take us over again. Okay. Anyway, who? Anyway, good Lord. All right. Up now comes the quiz.
00:48:47
Speaker
you got to cope you you can handle it you're a you can handle i you know I know you can and I know you can look at you. We can do it. Stick with us. We can do this. Okay. All right. Let's get in the tractor and we're going to go to um his log location X.
00:49:11
Speaker
which is the mystery location. And but has and has no music or it Oh, no, it does. It has its own theme in music, um for sure. And then we'll kind of get into the quiz. So let's jump in in into the tractor. um Yes. um I'm going to kind of like I'm going to sit at the back and and you can you can you can drive you can drive oh okay and uh and move that bucket up and down what oh okay it's really bad for your hemorrhoids but anyway yeah yeah we did buy it for comfort we bought it because it was you know practical yeah all right let's go i don't think we borrowed i think we stole it oh
00:50:14
Speaker
something better than an old diesel. So who so we've got we've got a quiz. i've got ah I've organized a quiz for you, Martin. Awesome. I'm going to get a pen so I can write down the possible answers. Yes. And it's based on the you its kind of it's based on the madness that is, the neuro beige rule book. Okay.
00:50:35
Speaker
OK, something mate something. I like how we've themed it like we like it in Norway tends to be like left field, but like we're organized or something.
00:50:46
Speaker
Right. So, um, the the theme is weird laws and regulations, Martin. Oh, nice. ones I like a nice, yeah weird law. Right. Stroke regulation. As per usual, there's a, it's a multiple choice. I'll give you five possible potential answers. Okay. Five. And I think too many five questions. Okay. First question. Okay.
00:51:16
Speaker
radio stations in which country must play music from their own nation. One. France. Canada. Two. France. Gotta be three. heiti Haiti. Haiti, okay. Four. Russia. Five. Australia.
00:51:41
Speaker
Canada, France, Haiti, Russia, Australia. So yeah is this can only play music from that country? No, they have to. I think this is like ah a certain percentage of their ah output must be from their own nation. Obviously, I feel like Russia would be the kind of like the the biggest one on that list.
00:52:06
Speaker
for that i would i would suspect that it wouldn't want outside influence and you know that sexy rock and roll music no we do not want it to be sexy rocky and the roll we do not want the Elvis of the Presley
00:52:29
Speaker
um The best French accent I've ever heard. I know, right? Nailed it, mate. Nailed it. Ooh la la. I know that France, for example, is read has laws about its language it really wants to protect its culture it is a very culture protective society like it's yes so but i would have to say russia being such an internal country has alike like like i feel like it's canada oh come on it's canada yeah come on yes
00:53:15
Speaker
All right. Yes. So Brian Adams, come on down, you know, that kind of stuff. All right. Although, you know, you could have are we saying that that the Russia doesn't? Doesn't. I think France does. I think France does. I think France has a minimum as well. And I'm sure that I'm sure that Russia's minimum must be higher than Canada.
00:53:46
Speaker
surely just think maybe only canada has an actual law right and okay yeah all right okay moving moving on Um, it's illegal to wear high heels in one of the following famous places. Okay. Okay. Decropolis in Greece. ah Okay. The White House in Washington.
00:54:17
Speaker
the Louvre in France, no the houses of parliaments in old Blighty, or fifth option, Marty West's house in America. Jesus Christ. my Your house, Martin.
00:54:33
Speaker
Um, I would say, um, there's no way that you, that and an American going to the white house would be asked to take off high heel shoes. That's just like, that's insane. Uh, same, isn't it? You got all those tourists. What are you going to say? No, no, no. You can't wear your high heels in here. Nope. That's insane. Um, the houses of parliament, again, I just feel like Mind you, they do have old crazy rules. So that's a possibility. But I think the the the acropolis makes sense because if I remember my physics,
00:55:12
Speaker
um the pressure,