Too many ideas = sensory overload, any advice?

hi b.  i'm 'down sizing', so getting rid of 'things.' so, simplifying. i'm trying to listen to myself, like, for a certain activity, does it really make me happy.............. or maybe not really.... or maybe not at all. so keeping track. i'm also searching for my own true path. i've always considered myself NT - so pursuing NT goals (shallow, spending $$, attracted to new junky stuff, no offense!!!) i've put aside. i'm trying to eliminate things that take energy from me, and insert in things that give me energy. 

so i don't watch much tv, i surf on the net too much (negative, probably), i read less, i don't watch movies... i try to listen to more music. i try not to get too engrossed in the news (it's literally all about stupid people, in stupid nations, in the stupid, stupid, world).

that's my solution. part of it is i'm in my sixties, so you tend to get grouchy and cranky and limit your interests cause you're all old and bitter, lol.

Yes, one of my three main problems with autism is I overwhelm myself with ideas that need actioning and lists. And then I exhaust myself.

I've improved with "doing non-doing," and mindfulness type stuff. I'm also trying a "not do list," consciously choising ideas not to do. I have a 'projects for other people list' and a 'not now' list at work.

how come u arent working form home ( I iused to work in an office preCOVID ) ?

No worries Ethan, welcome to the conversation. What are your interests? Are you in employment that you enjoy?

"It seems that the office is where common sense goes to die".

I'm checking in with that comment. After the last couple of days I've had at work I wholeheartedly agree ( - : 

Don't mean to butt in the conversation - but I really appreciated reading the exchange with you and Bobontour as it resonates with me (I have lots of interests and seem to flit round all of them). Thank you.

One last thing Loz, I know you said you'd like to learn everything about the natural world, as well as building yourself a Hobbit hole...where I live we are very lucky to be surrounded by lots of green spaces and forests. There was a pioneering programme run by the Wildlife Trust over here which was getting people with mental health issues into the forest. It was fantastic although the project eventually folded. Would that interest you? It might be something that's available near you and you can get to work on building your Hobbit hole as well as learning some really interesting stuff about nature.

Hi there! Do you have any plans or ideas about how you might filter these various interests?

Corsetry, now that really is an art. I remember the costume students buying up our local art shops supplies of hardwearing but slightly flexible rulers for their first term project in corsetry, they couldn't afford anything else! I can understand the structure of period garments. As a whole design and lifestyle era I like the 1920's. I think like the Restoration of Charles the II to the throne and the rather flamboyancy of the time (after years of oppression) is mirrored in the 20's period. I like the lines, designs, lifestyle and music of that era and have always liked having an excuse to use the word 'spatterdashes'. The buy it, use it, throw it away society we have now is just wrong in so many ways. Sorry I hope I haven't bored you!

Firstly, which amused me, having not really spoken to anyone recently I've spent a couple of hours on the community forums today and your the second person who's said 'are you sure we're not the same person' which has given me the confidence to know that I am not alone. When model making my default scale is 25th, it was the industry standard when making set model boxes. I did do some work at 12th scale, your typical doll's house, for my mum who wrote articles for a doll's house magazine. I'd do the 'how to make...' section. I didn't find this as rewarding, it didn't stretch my ingenuity. 144th scale though, wow, I'm impressed and as you say at that size cheating just isn't an option. If you continue working to this kind of scale fibre-optics might be an interesting project, it is fairly time consuming to begin with but you can get some very cool effects.

I'm glad that some support was on offer to you to at least begin the process of learning about your PTSD and subsequently the depression and anxiety disorder. I also suffer with high anxiety and depression and up until this year I also had the diagnosis of Schizophrenia. I received my diagnosis of being autistic the week before Lockdown #1. Because the autism has now been recognised the psychiatrists have taken the Schizophrenia diagnosis away, apparently the two share some vey similar traits. I have been lucky in that I have had support from my early 20's even if they were trying to treat the wrong condition. Are you still on anti-depressants now? Do you think an autism diagnosis may for want of a better word 'liberate' you? I certainly found that it has helped. Would your employer be willing to discuss what would make your work experience better for you? Perhaps having your own office, more subtle lighting if you experience sensory issues.

You wrote about Buddhism, I know some very basic information about Buddhism, are you literally taking what you need from it's ideals or have you submerged yourself within it. I ask too many questions but I do like to learn.

Back to my collections...I know there are definitely some things although I haven't used in years that I'd like to keep, I've amassed a lot of varying pieces of metal (most of my garage) which I'll hold onto as I'd like to do a course in welding. As far as the rest of it goes I'm going to  start box by box. from your post earlier I'm still deciding on the interests that I'd really like to focus on and then I'll have a much clearer idea of the way in which I'm heading. Thanks Loz! 

i'm hoping as i get older i'll be able to eliminate some interests, so i can focus more on the ones remaining. i think for me the novelty of new ideas and concepts is like candy, and i just consume it... often for years. i think for me, letting go entirely of some of these various interests would help streamline everything, and i can concentrate on what is left. which should be the stuff i'm more interested in.

When I was studying, I specialised in corsetry. Not the nonsense that you get in the stores now, proper supportive corsets. I love the structure of period garments. I also love the 1880's bustle and the lovely clean, simple style that you get with Edwardian. I can't stand the throw away society that exists nowadays. 

25th Scale Hobbit hole? Are you sure we aren't the same person?

I admittedly have a few ideas rolling around in my head at the moment but the one that is taking form in reality is a 144th scale model (inspired not replica) of the Petronella Oortman dollhouse. The original is too big and the 144th scale is forcing me to think creatively as I can't go off and spend a load of money (that I don't have) on miniatures when the point is to use my hands. I'm not allowing myself to 'cheat!'

I've made the cabinet and put in the rooms. The original had a garden with a working fountain so in honour of that, I'm trying to work out how to add some LED's so I can make the garden look like it's bathed in sunlight.

I'm fortunate that in my area, I have access to Italk which is a mental health service on the NHS. It took months before a slot became available as the PTSD treatment is a bit more specialist (mine was due to a motorbike accident), but it certainly helped. It was actually my PTSD Counsellor who suggested I might be Autistic. She used to work with autistic children and saw some similarities.

When I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder, I had, again through Italk, access to counselling for six weeks. Once that ended, I didn't really get any support, I also didn't know how to ask for it or even if I should. I always managed to figure it out myself. I tried different things. I found that Buddhism was really helpful, I gained a lot of insights that helped me to deal with things.

I was also able to manage without antidepressants up until the last few years. I think that has changed because I'm now working in an office based role. It seems that the office is where common sense goes to die. I had issues with my anxiety, and rather than talking to me, I had managers who poked and prodded my little anxiety monster until I ended up on antidepressants for the first time ever. 

On top of the Anxiety and Depression and PTSD, plus the work place issues and of course the Pandemic, I've had to re-examine what I thought I knew about myself. I certainly welcome the autism diagnosis as it explains so much but it's been really tough. 

I think I'm finally starting to find some balance that I didn't have before and I'm using the things that I've read about autism to help me get back on track.

Regarding the collections, don't try and do it all at once, just remember, start with the things you hardly ever look at. You might empty out a box and find there are treasures you can't part with. You don't have to! You'll also find there are things you are happy to get rid of straight away. Always look at it as making space so you can work on the things you enjoy. I found that as time went on, the things I wanted to keep, informed things that I threw away later. It's how I realised how much I loved miniatures because as I got rid of things, all the little tiny things that I'd collected over the years, kept getting back into the treasure pile. It took years. There is no rush. I'm still working through all my stuff, but because I took my time and was clear about why it had to go, I don't miss anything that I've already let go of. 

Out of a matter of interest, being (or having been) a costume designer what is it that you like so much in the Victorian period style?

Hi Charlie, you wanted to ask how my general levels are with routines. Like many pre-lockdown I had a good day-to-day routine and on specific days I had specific appointments or activities. Since lockdown I've struggled very much with maintaining a routine, the outside influences (appointments and activities) have ceased and with the constant changing situation, information and guidance I wake feeling totally unprepared for the day.

I've been trying to re-establish a routine but so far days are definitely unstructured, which I find difficult.

It's an interesting point that you make about novelty and one, thinking more and more about it, that seems to apply to me. Some ideas do come and go and again as you say let it go again if it doesn't pan out. I think I have felt obliged to complete an idea because I have had the idea and so therefore it must meet a conclusion. This makes me think, as has been pointed out to me that I am quite rigid in my thinking and so if there is a start then there must be a finish.

I've been given some great advice since I posted the initial thread and I'm going to give all of it a go, bit by bit. Thanks for your reply and support. I hope you're finding a way through this lockdown period!

Thanks Plastic for some great advice. The low hanging fruit sounds like a very good starting point, I have 1 Lego  kit I've yet to start and that is always immensely rewarding. Ticking boxes is always very satisfying, I used to be in the routine of writing a list of things I needed to do the following day as a way of ordering my thoughts and getting them out of my head. 'Get up' was always at the top of the list which meant that I could tick something off immediately. 

Hi Loz,

You've made some great observations and recommendations. I totally understand why you couldn't keep up working within film and theatre. I think you've asked a very relevant (for me) question, '...what are the distractions' and my answer to that (and probably part of an answer to my initial post) is a LOT! I have a house that sounds rather like your sewing box. I've always liked collecting things and even when my interest has slightly waned I've kept hold of them. I like to look at things. Perhaps it is time for me to sort and get rid of past collections in order to try and focus on where my real interests lie now.

Having read your post I'm going to give myself a little time to decide on what those are.I'd be interested to hear what sort of miniatures you are interested in, I have myself made many Hobbit holes although they have been at 25th scale, so too small even for a Hobbit.

I give myself certain times of the day to work on my computer and this is generally research but it's so easy for the time to just tick away. TV and phones I generally avoid.

Have you been getting any kind of support whilst you've been working through your PTSD and anxiety issues or have you been left to deal with them on your own? Thanks for your reply and once I've answered all the other posts I'm going to sit down with a cup of tea and have a real think about what I'd like to focus on and then take it from there.

I've felt this way in the past. Feeling overwhelmed by my own stream of ideas. 

I feel like I want to ask you - how are your general level of routines? Are you able to structure the basic things and appreciate simple matters?

In the past, I was in a constant search for novelty. I was the guy that (re)-inveted stuff. It was my identity that I really tried to hold on to, because otherwise I had no idea of who I were. 

However, I come to learn how to let things go. A good idea is nothing but an idea. The key is to select one thing. Dive into it. And let it go again, if it doesn't pan out. Don't feel obligated to finish any one idea. 

Be kind to yourself and accept that you are absolutely good enough no matter what ideas you realize. 

Whenever you're overwhelmed with work or choices, choose the low hanging fruit - the quickest, easiest and most fun or rewarding to finish first - it's the most immediately motivating and quickly ticks some boxes to shorten the list. 

A lot of the other stuff will just kick itself down the road and become less urgent as priorities and time moves forward.

I'm awaiting assessment but I trained, and briefly worked in film and theatre costume many years ago. Couldn't keep up (now I'm beginning to understand why). If your like me, there was a huge amount of stuff involved with working in that kind of field, As an example, I still have five sewing machines, my sewing box was a dirty great toolbox rather than a dainty floral number and I have a button box that's a lot larger and more outrageous than what you'd find in most homes.

Over the years, I've been clearing out a lot of things in an attempt to get some order. Just a little at a time. What I found, was that there were some things that I was far more interested in than others. I began to group things, for example, I'd like to remake my clothes in my wardrobe, but I'm interested in using natural fibres. So I'm clearing out my synthetic fabrics. I'd like to use more traditional patterns as I like the older Victorian and Edwardian styles, so there goes a whole load of modern patterns that I don't need anymore. I'm following the same system with other hobbies. It also allows me to see which hobbies are most interesting to me so again, I can clear away the things that distract me and just stick to the things I know I enjoy.

My hobbies that I'm choosing to focus on are: Sewing, miniatures, reading, writing, and my Cello.(I'd also love to have a farm, create puppets, build a hobbit hole to live in and learn everything there is to know about the natural world, etc, etc. but that might have to wait for another day). I don't have to do all of these at once, I'm just trying to choose something each evening. Even if it's just to play with some clay and learn how to make shapes. I'm not forcing myself to create a masterpiece, I'm just enjoying the process. I haven't done any sewing for years so even though I have a complex project to work on, I'm only trying to do some basics. I've started with underwear which is always the most important foundation. I can re-learn all the techniques that I lost over the years so that when I get to the outerwear, I'll have a clearer idea of what I want and I'll even have some experience again to help push me along. 

I think what I'm trying to get at, is what are the distractions? You can work on several things at once, it's something you couldn't avoid in Theatre. But there are some things that get in your way. Don't box yourself into a corner. A bit of structure is helpful but don't time yourself or you'll always be looking at the clock which will be another distraction. Media is also a distraction. I don't watch TV and I try to avoid too much internet and phones. I've been dealing with PTSD and severe Anxiety so I've virtually had to start from scratch. Just picking a task each evening when I get home from work is giving me clarity as I'm beginning to see the way I want to go and more importantly, how I'm going to get there.

I look forward to Yang!