It’s not easy having ADHD/ADD. It can be a daily challenge. Those who have it as well will understand and know what I’m talking about. Or at very least, will hopefully be able to relate with what I’m talking about and what I’m going through. However, for those who don’t have ADHD/ADD, you may not know exactly what goes on inside us and inside our brains. And that is fine. It can be hard to understand something that you don’t personally go through. It’s not like it’s something that others can see. It’s not an obvious thing.
That being said, there are always things that we wish others would know and perhaps try to understand. There are definitely some things about ADHD/ADD that I would like to share with others, especially those who may not have it. The list is somewhat long, and I could probably talk about this for a long time, but I did narrow the list down to nine. So, here are a few things that I would like to share with others.
1. ADHD/ADD is real.
Yes, it is real. It’s not something that anyone with this condition can make up. It is something that we struggle with every day, whether we want to or not, whether we like it or not. It’s just there. We wouldn’t pretend to have, if we didn’t have to. I know I wouldn’t, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. It’s not something that I would chose to have.
2. It’s all the time. It’s EVERYWHERE.
It affects every aspect of my life. It’s with me 24/7. It affected me while I was at school, when I was at school. When I was working, my ADD was there with me too. When I’m with my husband and kids, or with friends, I still have it. It’s affecting me no matter where I am, no matter where I go. My ADD is going to affect me one way or another. I don’t have much choice in the matter.
3. My brain is different.
My brain is different than those who don’t have ADHD/ADD. It works differently. What should be easy for some isn’t for me. Some things don’t come naturally to me. It’s not better or worse. It’s just different. An ADHD/ADD brain does things differently. It thinks differently.
4. ADHD/ADD doesn’t equal to stupid.
No, it doesn’t mean that a person is stupid or dumb. I am not dumb, because I have ADD. All ADHD/ADD means is that we process information differently. The way we organize the information in our minds is different from someone who doesn’t have it. We can be just as smart as others.
5. Focusing is hard.
For someone with ADHD/ADD, focusing on one thing can be very hard and challenging. Anything can be a distraction for us. We really want to be able to focus on a task, or on a conversation. But it isn’t easy for us. It’s just not how our brains work. It’s hard for us not to get distracted easily. We don’t mean to get so distracted, but it doesn’t always come naturally for us with ADHD/ADD.
6. Yet, focusing can also be very easy.
Yes, you read that right. Although we do have a difficult time focusing on certain things, we can also sometimes have a really easy time focusing. We can hyperfocus. When there is something that really interests us and grabs our attention, we can hyperfocus. It can be really hard to distract us, when there is something that really grabs our attention. I know this all sounds odd, but that’s the truth.
7. There’s a lot going on, underneath.
On top of the usual ADHD things that I struggle with, like focus and distraction, I do have to deal with low self-esteem and sometimes even some anxiety. It’s something that goes on very often. This is just things that I deal with, but there are so many other things like this that ADHDers and ADDers deal with, like depression and potentially other learning disabilities. There is just so much going on inside of us, which cannot be seen, which we don’t always show. We struggle with so much and we can’t help but struggle with self-esteem, especially since we struggle with completing tasks and such.
8. It is very chaotic in our minds.
You may think that our houses are a mess. Well, it’s very similar inside our brains. Our train of thought is like a roller coaster. Each thought is there for maybe a few seconds, before another thought goes by. No thought stays for more than a few seconds. They’re not there long enough for us to really process the thought and figure out what it’s all about. Each train of thought is all over the place. There is so much that goes on inside our brains. It’s definitely like a roller coaster than simply won’t stop, and doesn’t seem willing to slow down. No matter how much I try, I can’t seem to slow mine down. It has a mind of its own.
9. Having ADHD can be exhausting.
Yes, it definitely can be. With all the things that goes on in our minds, things that we have to remember, do, and focus on, it can be really tiring. It takes a lot of energy to just do the simplest thing. We are trying so hard to focus on the task, plan it out, and not get distracted. It would be nice, if we didn’t have to try so hard, but sometimes, we have to. Well, that’s not quite true. We have to try a lot of the times. We work hard to just do things that should be easy for us to do. Like it or not, it’s just how our brains are built.
As I mentioned earlier, this is just a short list. And this is just my list. I’m sure there are things that other ADHDers would like to share. If there is something that you would like to share or add, you can always contact me about it. I will make a note of it, and try to incorporate it in a later post.
In the meantime, if you’re curious to know a little more about lists like this one, here are some websites that you can look at for more information. These sites did give me some inspiration for my list. So, feel free to check them out!
https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolinekee/it-is-a-disorder-not-a-decision?utm_term=.hyG3R5rgr#.gs0do7xXx
http://aplus.com/a/15-things-people-with-adhd-understand?no_monetization=true
Enjoy!
