24 Seven April 2020

April 2020 Issue
Disorganized?
Maybe It’s Your Thyroid
Written by Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ®
I
If you’re a person
who is chronically disorganized, have
you considered that your thyroid may be
playing a role?
The thyroid gland, located at the
base of the neck, is essential for certain
body functions, including metabolism;
growth; cardiovascular, kidney, and
reproductive health; and brain function.
Recent scientific findings have shown that
petrochemicals in the environment can
cause thyroid dysfunction.
If you have an overactive thyroid,
called hyperthyroidism, you may feel like
you’re on a hamster wheel. You could
feel unusually nervous, restless, anxious,
or irritable. You could be flitting from
one thing to the next, never settling in
one place, jumping from one activity to
another, feeling distracted, never making
a concrete decision. Clutter is often a
result of delayed or absent decisions.
Conversely, with an underactive
thyroid, called hypothyroidism, you
could be fatigued, feel depressed, have
low blood pressure, and lack of shortterm
and working memory. If you have
little or no energy, or you just don’t care
about anything, garbage, laundry, dishes,
and household items that aren’t assigned
and returned to a home can pile up. You
may have brain fog and not be able to
concentrate at work.
In either case, you may feel out of
control or not understand how things got
to where they are now.
Symptoms of a dysfunctional thyroid
are similar to those of ADHD (Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), which
presents in three main types: inattentive/
distractible, impulsive/hyperactive,
or combined, and which often is
accompanied by disorganization. ADHD
is often under- and over-diagnosed, so
a thyroid disorder may not be obvious.
People with ADHD have often exhibited
symptoms for most of their lives, while
a sudden onset of these symptoms
may indicate a dysfunctional thyroid.
Screening for ADHD and testing thyroid
hormone levels can determine the cause of
disorganization in certain circumstances.
About The Author
GAYLE M. GRUENBERG
Gayle M. Gruenberg, CPO-CD ® is the chief
executive organizer of Let’s Get Organized,
LLC, an organizer coach, and the creator of
the Make Space for Blessings system.
To Learn More Visit:
www.LGOrganized.com.