by John Testore
Getting ready is the definition of Preparedness. For some people, it is an exciting practice for the better. For neurodivergents, it is a source of confusion.
Preparedness is a very individualist subject.
We all get ready for an important event, usually pleasurable, like a travel.
Getting ready for the worse has a completely different chemistry.
Preparedness is that situation where multiple emotions are at work, typically Expectation, Changes, Organization, Excitement, Anxiety.
These feelings are exacerbated when an Event is permanent.
Traveling is a multifaceted task.
We usually associate Travel with Holiday, a temporary Change, henceforth not appealing to me.
People typically travel for business on behalf of Corporations, either to show a project or to sign a contract successfully. In other words, Work.
Relocation is my idea of traveling and likely the most conflicting.
Being a middle-aged expat, traveling takes priority over anything else.
Traveling means Home to expats.
Home is permanent Holiday for every expatriate.
Unless one returns home in retirement, it is indeed starting a second life.
This accounts for conflicting emotions, mainly excitement and re-adaptation.
What happens when emotions clash?
Preparedness is always stressful, though powered by excitement.
Timing is paramount, you don’t get ready to relocate one week before, it’s a yearly process, to say the least.
There is no official medical diagnosis for Clashing/Conflicting emotions.
Research is more supportive of Predominant emotions.
The concepts may look equal at first glance, if Predominance weren’t synonymous with Leadership.
In the Emotional sphere, Leadership is characterized by ‘taking over’, far from Conflicting.
A popular example is Multitasking: the brain is not programmed for multitasking.
The exact mechanism of Multitasking is the ability of ‘taking over’ multiple options by Selecting the most appropriate.
I deduce Emotions are not in conflict.
They are confused.
The associated official diagnosis is ‘Acute/Chronic Confusion’, two distinct disorders, as a matter of fact.
As usual, that took some time to research my former Med-school notes, time and again realising that Libraries retain the most reliable sources.
Youngsters will smirk on me, though I won’t tire of advising lay people from staying off the ‘Medical Internet’ and let Doctors do their job.
These days, people give in self-diagnosing, trusting the Internet more than physical doctors, the foothold of globalization.
‘Emotional Conflict’ is Internet slang, I just found out myself through how subconsciously enslaving and mind-bending Media are.
Support your local libraries! I value them now more than back in the day, when served the main Dormitory facility for students.
I’m yet to understand why we appreciate things only when we don’t have them…
That could make it for a future post.
Anyway, why Acute and Chronic Confusion are grouped in a single pathology?
Because distinguishing between Illness and Symptoms is the weakness of Traditional Western Medicine.
I ll stand correctly.
We know that current medication cures symptoms, not illness.
This affects the rationale behind diagnoses.
Confusion is not a illness, it’s a symptom of Delirium and Dementia, primarily.
Impaired Executive Function binds Acute and Chronic Confusion, despite their totally different chemistry: Acute Confusion is a combination of Brain Poisoning from drugs, Injuries, High Fever, triggering Hallucinations and Aggression. Acute Confusion is a psychiatric emergency, Sedation is the only available intervention. The episodes are almost voluntary and related to substance abuse. First Responders don’t stand the chance by immediately restraining and administering intramuscular Narcan as first aid.
Chronic Confusion is a progressive condition.
Mood-Stabilization is the priority treatment. Subjects are not aggressive.
Dementia is an alternative term for Chronic Confusion in popular culture.
The two are regarded independently in Medical, since Chronic Confusion is aggravated by long-term consumption of alcohol and antianxiety medications.
The Emotional sphere is overwhelming.
Lack of motivation in ADHD can be a symptom of ‘Acute-Confusion’.
We are still learning on how Emotions work, the most studied field in neuroscience to date, the updated version of Anxiety as in the pave-way of all mental disorders.
Latest findings in ADHD suggest Subconscious Emotions- dormant feelings- are picked up first.
Subconscious emotions are most often rewardless.
The ADHD brain is constantly craving for reward.
We have no control over subconscious thoughts, therefore Confusion will arise, resulting in hyperactivity and loss of focus.
Flashbacks are the popular definition of subconscious traumatic emotions, nonetheless.
Everybody has subconscious memories at a dormant level, problem is the ADHD brain never sleeps.
Apparently, dopaminergic medication can’t distinguish between emotions.
Subconscious thoughts are normally not recalled at conscious level, though detected by the Autonomous Nervous System, particularly in stressful situations.
Who is exempt from occasionally waking up in a bad mood without apparent reason… beats me, debunk the dreaded alarm s Myth…
The neurotypical brain selects emotions, whereas in ADHD, the phenomenon is aggravated by Confusion.
Speculation is that the Amygdala, the gland at the center of the Limbic System acting as emotional modulator, goes into overdrive in ADHD.
There is no cure yet, other than dopaminergic medication enhancing reward.
Stimulants help to a good deal however, they cannot reverse unpleasant emotions.
The action of choice is Prioritizing, working on rewarding tasks first and using the extra generated dopamine later for inevitable bothersome tasks.
Autists and ADHDers have greater empathy than average.
Contrary to the logic, excessive empathy leads to RSD.
RSD stands for Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, a symptom of Emotional dysregulation.
The definition speaks for itself altogether, Dysphoria is Greek for Pain.
Emotions can be processed by Willpower in the neurotypical brain.
Emotional dysregulation has many implications, most commonly Neuronal Signal-disruptions either in Mental Disorders or Aging.
Put it bluntly, the brain misinterprets or annihilates perceptions definitively.
A notable example is an inconsiderate blasting tv/radio volume.
RSD is in fact the antonym of Apathy, or too much sensitivity.
Sensitivity in excess is paralysing.
The most visible attitude are healthcare workers: a good doctor, nurse, EMT… must show empathy to patients, without getting emotionally involved.
This supports my personal belief as a 20 year medical first responder that Sensitivity has a different set-up from Emotions.
Autists and ADHDers strive to mask for performance, a short-lived technique leading to Rejection feelings.
We make use of empathy for Acceptance, ultimately resulting in Rejection, ironically.
For once in a while, it is worth analyzing how the Neurotypical brain works, a personal view dictated by our background.
Neurodivergents rely heavily upon their personal background, henceforth lacking impartiality of judgement, in my case being overly intrusive.
I come from a medical background, therefore my sensitivity shows up as malicious curiosity.
The neurotypical brain values privacy a lot, something I interpret as lack of trust, another definition of RSD.
I do recognize the evasive responses of the neurotypical: although they’re not intended for arrogance, I perceive them as painful rejection.
Even more so as Neurodiversity Advocates, we are passionately uninhibited to disclose our innermost thoughts, while expecting likewise from our interlocutors.
We don’t have to assume that neurotypicals are issue-free.
They are just smarter at dealing with problems on their own, therefore neither need help or sharing, yet another interpretation of Rejection in RSD.
‘Pretending’ to be altruistic when not necessary, is outrageous and immoral.
The stereotypical “How are you?” has become a complementary greeting, it won’t hurt anyone and be sufficient. They will let us know otherwise if close friends, most likely through body-language.
Know that Language is 70% bodily and 30% verbal.
Distressed body-language is a neurotypical request to reach-out.
That’s when we should calmly push-through.
Everybody has problems.
Sensitivity is a spiritual emotion.
We must learn how best to use it to our benefit and that of others.
Worst-Case Scenarios are virtually delusional.
I mentioned before the different chemistry of ‘Preparing for the worst’.
Although Readiness is shared in Preparedness, getting ready for a pleasant event is fueled by Motivation.
This doesn’t exclude a varying degree of apprehension, a mitigated form of anxiety.
“Looking forward” always accompanies Motivation.
Some dictionaries give the expression as synonym of Motivation, altogether.
Whether Synonym or Definition, the genesis doesn’t change, grammar is no longer mandatory, these days.
AI will soon integrate all languages globally.
Nobody looks forward to the worst, but the better.
All humoral neurotransmitters are involved in motivation.
When the brain is depleted of humoral neurotransmitters, we inevitably envision Worst-Case Scenarios, the main cause of Worry-Paralysis.
Although medication helps to a big deal, Anticipation is a great complementary Mental Exercise.
By envisioning the Worst, our Parasympathetic Nervous System fights back Amplification.
Amplification is an irrational exuberance to dreadful events to come.
Not to be mistaken for ‘Fear of the unknown’, a Chronic condition.
In Amplification, we know the time of the approaching storm, therefore we can stop the ‘build up’ of anxiety from progressing by amplifying the Worst, in so doing, boosting the Parasympathetic response.
It is the same mechanism of vaccines, we introduce deactivated viruses into our body in order to boost the Immune System.
An antianxiety vaccine is not available yet, therefore it is paramount to abate the build-up from scratch.
By Envisioning surreal scenarios, we lessen anxiety gradually.
The theory is keeping anxiety AT BAY however, with lots of practice, some subjects report facing the deadlines Anxiety-free.
Timing is the key.
Imagine this: there are hundreds meteorites potentially en-route to earth within decades, yet our fear is overtaken by reading how Space Agencies keep track of these annihilating objects while developing anti-impact technology.
Don’t wait to tackle your fears.
My name is John Testore and I m a British-Italian man married to a Japanese lady in Japan. I m a former Medical student. I was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD in Med-school causing me to drop after my third year and join the Ambulance Service as paramedic.
