TRAVELING WITH iMAD (Inappropriate Modulation of Attention Difficulty) aka ADHD/ADD.
We board the plane headed for Mexico’s San Jose del Cabo, a haven for vacationers. Everyone on the plane is in a good mood in anticipation of relaxation, adventure and fun. We take off amid strange groaning noises from the plane’s left side. But no one seems to notice, joking about the drinks they’re going to have (among other things) when they reach Cabo.
Ten minutes into the flight the turbulence starts and continues to ramp up. The cabin gets quiet. Jokes start. What kind of a nose dive are we in for if the plane spins out of control? The pilot then announces that we are turning around and heading back to the airport. The luggage door isn’t shut!
So where’s the iMAD aka ADHD/ADD in this scenario? Let’s look at the idea of modulation.
When most of us are frustrated, we can feel it, maybe even express our annoyance or disappointment and then accept the circumstances and adapt. That is ‘healthy modulation of affect,’ as the psychologists would say to each other. Others might express it as, ‘Hey, dude, you know how to keep your cool.’
If you have iMAD, all you need to set you off is the frustration of waiting, waiting 3 hours for another plane, because they can’t quickly fix the one you just left.
Then the explosion starts. “What’s wrong with these @$#%^&%# airlines anyway, how could they be so dumb not to check the plane over BEFORE it takes off, do you know what this does to the rest of my day, I can’t believe the airlines isn’t going to compensate us for this misery……and so on. The iMAD person can’t turn the irritated tape off or down….it just keeps playing. Once the frustration erupts it may not stop until exhaustion sets in.
This is trouble enough for the iMAD person, but traveling with other people makes it worse. After the fact it is embarrassing to act out of control to both the person and those around them. Being out of a usual structure and routine amplifies the irritation because structure and routine act as external controls on heightened irritation.
What suggestions can help emotions from leaping out of control? First, is the awareness that an iMAD tendency is to go from 0 to 60 when over-stimulated or provoked. If you know that about your own reactions, it’s easier to disrupt the pattern and do something to counter it. Second, is what you can do to counter it when you are, in this instance, locked into a plane with 150 other people breathing down your neck. The best thing to do is focus on your breathing and notice if you are breathing faster or in a more shallow manner. If you are, consciously slow your breath down, breathe in through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7 seconds and breathe out through your mouth for 8 seconds.
After the plane safely arrives not only you, but all those you’re traveling with will heave a sigh of relief!
Maggie Baker, Ph. D.
Psychologist – Financial Therapist
Author of Crazy About Money: “How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices And What To Do About It”.