October 28, 2024
It's National ADHD Awareness Month and the theme this year is "Awareness is Key!" For myself, the idea of awareness is knowing who I am and what all this disorder entails. I also feel that if others are aware of how ADHDer's function, this will make being around us that much easier for everyone.
As for myself I am very absentminded, pretty hyperactive, but not terribly impulsive (anymore anyway). I have a very hard time paying attention and get distracted quite easily ..."Something Shiney!!!"... I am disorganized and procrastinate all the time...you should see the inside of my house...."I'll do it tomorrow." I have poor time management, am terrible at making plans/decisions, and remembering to do daily tasks (I leave notes for myself around the house "Check Dehumidifier"). I constantly lose things, forget what I was doing, and often get lost in my head. Speaking of my head, she's always talking, she can never turn off. And on the topic of talking, I talk all the time, to the point of interrupting others, but I get so excited about something that I just start to talk. I am great at following written instructions, but verbal instructions I can't retain and have lost half of it before the entire thing is even told to me. I am usually quite restless (even in bed I am rubbing my feet) and have great difficulty sitting for long periods of time. I squirm and fidget often, and if that isn't cutting it for me, I'll get up and wander around. I am terrible to watch a movie with as I can't sit through the entire thing, and certainly cannot not talk during it, and because I don't pay very good attention, I am asking what's happening or looking it up on Google. ...I don't know if this is ADHD, but I need to know the plot of everything I watch, and if I am invested in the characters, I read ahead to make sure I know the ending...I don't like having a character I like killed off without knowing it's going to happen...so while I'm looking this info up, I'm not paying attention and have to ask, "What's going on?"
We are a great group of people though!! As for myself, I am very attentive to other people's needs, I have a lot of fun energy that I like to try and have on display at all times, and I like being happy and helpful. All considering, I am pretty optimistic, kind, and considerate of others, despite being constantly exhausted and always in pain. As I've mentioned in my ADHD blog, I am truly grateful to have this disorder. Yes, there's some hard times with it, yes there is a huge stigma on it (as well as all other mental health issues), but it's actually pretty fun. I like being creative, energetic, happy, funny, strange, different. I feel being 'Normal' would be so dull. I like the chatter going on in my head at all times...the stuff she comes up with is pretty hilarious, or neat ... or sometimes just plain bizarre ... but it still is pretty darn funny. I enjoy it as I get to have some really fun conversations, and I laugh at myself quite often. Yes, I am clumsy, I regularly walk into things (I rap my knuckles all the time on the corners of whatever), and some things are much harder for me to do ...math... but for the most part, it really isn't that much of a burden ...believe me, I have far worse things to deal with then ADHD... and at least with this disorder, I have the opportunity to have energy to get some things done...the constant pain I am always in is exhausting, so this spare energy really is a bonus. I also get to have a better frame of mind then say if I were 'normal' and trying to live with all my other health issues. I really hope, the more we share about ADHD, and the more people become aware of the symptoms, the easier it will be for everyone. Once you get to know us, and understand our situation, the better it will be for everyone involved. With awareness comes patience and understanding, then you'll see how great it is to be around someone with ADHD.