Living With ADHD

Okay, so the title makes it sound ominous and serious.  Totally not ominous, but perhaps a little serious.

Society has an interesting effect of causing individuals to want to, to some extent, conform and act similar to their peers.  That there's a standard that we should all strive to emulate and live.  What that standard is, differs from place to place, but is typical in every culture.

Growing up I was diagnosed with ADHD (super shocking right?  Well perhaps the hyperactive portion of it is).  And for a long time I was trying to overcome the fact that my brain works a million miles a minute and notices everything.  Focusing on one task is hard for me.  Before we tried medication, what got me through the urge to do something other than sit and listen was doodling.  I was still paying attention, even if I looked like I wasn't.  Fiddling with pen and paper controlled my impulses to move enough so I could sit still.

Fast forward to grade 9, we finally decided to try some meds.  My grades were the best they ever were.  High 90s, mid 70s were my lowest.  But I didn't feel like me.  Sitting and focusing on one subject just isn't me.  Plus there was the fact that the medication I was on suppressed my appetite and I didn't feel like eating (I know right?!)

Then we tried another one. It worked, but still, I didn't feel like me.  So in typical fashion for me, I stopped taking it.  My grades suffered, sure, but I was happier being me.

During that nasty ass writer's block I suffered through for years  I kept thinking part of my problem was that I couldn't sit and focus and just write.  It took a while for me to remember that I've never, never been able to focus on just one thing.

So what has helped?  Just accepting the fact that I have a short attention span.  That's part of who I am, and there's nothing wrong with that.  Instead of trying to overcome it, or suppress it.  I've learned to live with it, and adjust how I do things accordingly.

Now I know I need to let my mind wander.  So I usually have a movie playing in the background while I write, or listen to music, or just take a pause and surf the internet.  It keeps me fresh and able to happily go back to the task at hand.

What makes me happy though, is the fact that more and more society seems to be shifting it's focus.  Now more people are speaking up, wanting to be allowed to live authentically.  Allowed to be who they are.  To realize that things like ADHD, or homosexuality, or being shy aren't negatives just differences that make the world a beautiful place.  I mean, how boring would it be if everyone had to live the same way?  People wouldn't be happy.