Too many distractions

Anyone can get distracted sometimes. Many would say that this is normal, and that most, if not everyone, can get distracted by one thing or another. I’m sure we can agree on this.

However, if you’re someone with ADHD, it’s a whole different ball game.

When you have ADHD, getting distracted happens all the time, everyday. No matter where you are, what you’re doing, there is a good chance you might get distracted by one thing or another.

You could be having an interesting conversation with someone, when a branch moving outside may grab our attention and distract us from the conversation.

We could be at the office, focused on work and getting this done. Maybe someone walks by the office and that distracts you. This person could be walking by, and not even looking at you or anything. Most people may not get distracted, but if you’re someone with ADHD, this may easily distract you. You then find yourself having to bring your mind back to the task you were working on and that can be a task.

The smallest, and sometimes most insignificant thing can become a fairly big distraction for the individual with ADHD. And these distractions happen multiple times an hour. Sometimes it’s only multiple times a day. Point is that it happens everyday.

No, I’m not exaggerating. I wish I was, but I’m sure that many ADHDers you talk to will agree.

The thing that I want others to remember and keep in mind is that we don’t want to get distracted so easily. We don’t go out of our way to get distracted and avoid focusing on things that need to get done or want to focus on and such. It’s not our goal in life. It is how our brain functions.

I’m not trying to make excuses for all of us with ADHD. I’m not saying that this is the way our brains work, and we should give, or not do anything, or anything like that. All I’m saying is try and be understanding.

There are definitely ways that we can try and help our brains from getting easily distracted. Maybe it’s working in a quiet environment at work, or closing the door to your office at work, if you are lucky enough to have one. There are ways that we can ensure that we limit our distractions.

Just because our brains are wired to get easily distracted, it doesn’t mean that there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to find ways that work for us in order to limit those distractions. Look at things going on your life, find what distracts you the most, and find ways to limit them. It might mean making some changes, but sometimes that’s what needs to be done.

It may not always be easy to have ADHD. It has challenges such being easily distracted. However, there are ways that can help with those challenges. We just need to be willing to work on it.

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