“I Lost My Grandmother’s Engagement Ring:” 15 Stories of ADHD and Priceless Misplaced Items
Your lost phone and lost keys are annoying, but not unique. Many adults with ADHD misplace items they had just a minute ago. Here are ADDitude readers’ sometimes-heartbreaking stories.
You’ve lost your phone. Misplaced your keys. And searched hours for your wallet. You have ADHD, and that means holding things one moment, setting them down while your attention is diverted, and then searching endlessly for those lost items once your focus returns. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes priceless items that are lost.
Here, we asked ADDitude readers to tell us the most important thing they’ve ever lost, and if they ever found it. Add your story in the Comments section below.
“At my job as a bank teller, I lost a check for $30,000 from a customer who was also a lawyer. That was the mistake that spun me into a nervous breakdown. The check was found by my supervisor, and no harm was done to the customer or the bank. But the shame and mental anguish caused permanent damage to me.” — Luann, Texas
“The biggest thing I have lost is my self-confidence and peace of mind. When I constantly lose little things, I feel like I am losing my mind. I lose so much precious time constantly looking for things that I just had in my hands a moment ago.” — Faith, Virginia
“I lived in another country for a year and, when I returned, I lost the phone number for a dear friend who lived there. We agreed I would contact him first when I got back to the U.S., and he didn’t take my number. I never found it, so I lost contact with him.” — An ADDitude Reader
“I once lost my phone 3 times in 3 days. It was left behind on the receptionist’s desk at the pediatrician’s office, on a shelf at the grocery store, and it even fell out of my pocket when I was on a roller coaster over water!” — Jordan, Texas
“I was a showroom assistant for a huge wholesaler in Manhattan and lost a company credit card. Then, to make things worse, I didn’t realize I lost the card. I got yelled at since a pedestrian picked it up and called my office manager. — An ADDitude Reader
[Download: Secrets of the ADHD Brain]
“I lost my most beloved possession: my grandmother’s engagement ring. I never found it and can never replace it. I still feel sick over the loss.” — An ADDitude Reader
“My wedding ring! We married really young and got cheap rings. On our 10-year anniversary, we took our time finding and picking out what we both wanted. Not terribly expensive, but more time and thought went into getting them. I lost mine, and I’m not sure where or when. I’m older now and have the money to replace it — but it won’t be the same.” — An ADDitude Reader
“One time I put my only car fob in a boot before I went on summer vacation thinking I would remember that I did it. I didn’t. So I missed my first day of work after a long vacation because I couldn’t drive to work. That winter I found it when I put on the boot.” — An ADDitude Reader
“I lost a $100 gaming card for my son from his Nana on a job well done. We were out to lunch, and I lost it walking from the restaurant to the vehicle. I felt horrible. That day still baffles me. It’s like it just disappeared.” — Brandy
[Read: Lost Items and ADHD: Stories of Wildly Misplaced Things]
“I lost my mother’s bracelet, a unique handcrafted bracelet she got on her honeymoon. When I was around 12, she said I could wear it. I just started wearing it all the time, even to school. I lost it and never found it. 20 years later I still feel bad.” — An ADDitude Reader
“As a flatbed trucker, I have to carry 200-pound tarps on my truck to protect the loads on my truck. New on the job, I lost one of them, and I had to call my bosses and tell them I lost their $680 tarp. They absolutely deducted it from my pay.” — Adam, Georgia
“I just moved and could not find my HOA payment tickets and envelopes. I looked in every pile all over the house. I finally gave up and got in the shower, thinking I would have to call them later. After my shower, I saw the envelope with everything inside tucked inside a blanket on a plastic bin. If I don’t make those payments, I could lose my house.” — Christine, USA
“I lose my car key at least once a month. I had 20 of them made at one time and kept one in a magnetic box underneath the wheel well and all over the house. As soon as I have lost all but 5, I get 15 more made.” — An ADDitude Reader
“The most traumatizing things I have lost so far were the keys to the money box at work, and a bunch of receipts, also at work. I felt like I was going crazy and the reactions from my colleagues and my boss have scarred me in a bad way.” — An ADDitude Reader
“Lost Keys and Misplaced Items:” Next Steps
- Simple ADHD Tricks: How to Stop Losing Things
- Expert Tips: 6 Straightforward Rules to Stop Losing Things
- Organize Your ADHD Brain: “I Keep Losing Things!”
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