DISABILITY
ADHD Ask: How Can We Use Our ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’ Powers for Good?
Weaponising ADHD for the war on spending
One of the first-mentioned symptoms of ADHD on most websites is being impulsive. Add this to making careless mistakes, finding it difficult to organize tasks, and being easily distracted by other stimuli, and it really doesn’t bode well for budgeting.
Having my bills on automatic payments only works to a certain point before I start to stress out. I don’t know if it’s the spectrum or ADHD part of me that needs that control. I love the automatic payments because I don’t have to think about them, but also I’m still so aware of them and that stresses me out. I don’t feel in control of them, even though I set them up. I am constantly worrying, can I trust the bank to do them in time? In that regard, automatic payments are useful, but also I do feel the need to constantly check on them.
If there is spare cash in the bank, after the automatic payments, I struggle to save it. I’m aware of the money being there because I am checking the account so often.
Limiting our awareness of upsetting, distracting, and potentially destabilizing information is a very human defense mechanism. — financial therapist Amanda Clayman, L.C.S.W.
