I was reading somewhere recently that dispraxics have a tendency toward a short temper. Do you think that this is directly linked to dispraxic brain wiring, or do you think it is a side effect born out of the frustration of having every little thing take so much more effort than it should?
In other words, if you took a non-dispraxic, tethered his ankles together with a short length of bungee cord, made him wear mittens, and asked him to go for a week like that -- while you occasionally followed him around for a few hours scratching your nails across a small, portable chalkboard -- would he display the same tendency toward a short fuse?
(On a completely unrelated note: Am I the only one who finds it ironic that the spell checker on this BBS doesn't recognize the word "dyspraxic"? )
I think my expressions of anger are usually due to frustration - BUT I think my reactions and occassional short temper in particular instances is not ecplaiend by dyspraxia rather...hmmm.... put it another way...dyspraxia should not be discounted in explaining it.
"You don't get anything worth getting by pretending to know things you don't know."
~ Sam Harris.
I think mine is also frustration born, usually the fuse burns to the end if its something I know I should be able to do already or the like. Mind you, some individuals also have a knack for burning it through in mere seconds..
Strange thing for me is my Temprament is the opposite. I get argumentative when frustrated but not necessarily angry unless I'm depressed...besides when I do lose my temper its not a pretty sight.
I learned to bottle things up at school because of bullying but when it reaches boiling point I can explode to a point where it scares all the people around me. It usually takes about 2-4 years of bottling stuff up before I get to that point. If I'm on my own I tend to take my frustration out on inanimate objects, such as a pillow lol.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wildflower.
To hold infinity in the palm of your hand
An eternity in an hour.
Know that feeling very well, I dont think there is a pillow, sofa or door in the house that I havent laid into when I blow up... I cant help it when I blow I just always do when I get wound up, doesnt matter how small the incident that I blow up over.
It is usually advisable if Im already having a bad day for me to be left completely alone because although I will blow at having been left alone the only thing I can attack is inanimate objects. Much safer that way...
People who have never seen me blow dont believe I have it in me to do so as Im normally very laid ack and placid, but when I blow I blow. Not a pretty sight at all.
Kirsty
DySpRaXiA dOeSnT mAkE lIfE hArDeR, jUsT mOrE cOmPlIcAtEd.
I too use that bottling things up method, due to numerous things it was just easier. This means that people tend to get one helluva fright when they push me that one too many times and I explode. The people that have known me a long time seem to sense when I'm about to go off, I must give some sort of visible signal and they are always far, far away when it happens.
i voted I think my temper mostly comes from frustration.
as most of my temper is out of frustration, not being able to do things in the time it takes a non-dyspraxic.
another main one would be at people that don't understand, and not willing to understand what problems i have, even though i can't describe it to a T, they aren't even bothered to look into the condition either.
i do like your decription of how to illistrate to a non-dyspraxic though, but think nails across a blackboard would have to be pre-recorded onto a mp3 player, and looped, as it would do my head in even more!!
and same as SavV, then i do tend to find a quiet time, and those that truely know me, know to get as far away as possible
Ditto to me, holding the frustration inside. It's called imploding, an exploder lets it out when frustrated via verbal or physical, an imploder holds it in, building a bar until eventually they let all their rage out at once.
I rarely "blow" my fuse, what concerns me is that when it does happen I end up "loosing control". I've blown my fuse twice in my 10 years (Under 25), and it's resulted in me getting physical to someone or something. Each time I've managed to back off after a few seconds.
I'm concerned because I feel I could really hurt someone without wanting to. The last person was an ex girlfriend who was ranting. (No I didn't leave a mark it wasn't that bad). I hate myself for it, luckily it's years apart.
Anyone have any ideas of how to let it out, I'm active so more sport isn't an option.
Well...I dunno if you'd think on this considering its a sport but when I was younger I did Tae Kwon Do which helped alot I used to imagine the board I'm about to break as the one person I wanted to hit out at the most and use all my strength to break it.
Another venue I went down was counselling. Whenever I got to the point where I was either going to harm myself or somebody else I went to speak to a counsellor and my counsellor Sian was the best because she knew alot of what I was going through through experience and she gave me tips on how to get through any issues and problems I've had in the past. Only trouble was though that she was a private counsellor so I had to pay £30 each session and ran out of money after a while. I have to say though, Private Counsellors are a hell of alot better than the NHS though. I had to wait 6 months for an NHS Psychology appointment because I was over 18. If you're younger than 18 you can get a Psycology appointment in a snap. At 15 I got one in 3 days because I scared the living daylights out of the doctor and also refused to go to school for 2 weeks because of bullying. Probably just as well because according to Psychologists, I'd have probably done something stupid within a week of breakdown.
To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wildflower.
To hold infinity in the palm of your hand
An eternity in an hour.
) 
