ADHD Awareness Month

So a while back I wrote about my on/off struggle with depression. Here’s the thing: it might’ve “just” been a side effect of something bigger: ADHD – Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 

October marks ADHD Awareness Month. The NHS describes it as follows:

My journey with ADHD

Earlier this year someone shared an article with me on “ADHD and women” & I found myself baffled. A lot of things I had struggled with for years (decades!) were actually symptoms of ADD. But I learnt to live with it & put certain mundane tasks down as just “difficult for me” or “it’s just my personality”. I’ve had days where I would get really frustrated with myself or beat myself up mentally for not being able to do things that others did with absolute ease!
So, imagine the relief I felt when those (seemingly) negative traits and the ongoing struggles & challenges I was faced with on a daily basis were not because of me but were simply ADHD symptoms!! Simply put, my brain is just wired differently! AAAAHHHH!!! Lightbulb moment! A huge load fell off my shoulders.

“We work so much harder just to do the simple things everybody else can do automatically”.

KC Davis

I have to mention here I’m self-diagnosed(*) and although I realize it’s a fairly big label to claim, I’m pretty confident I’m on the scale!
Initially I was worried I’d use it as an excuse, but in reality it’s done quite the opposite: it has empowered me & taught me to be more patient, kind & understanding towards myself. I’ve become more responsible, more aware, I plan better now and I adjust my course of action/distraction quicker. I’m putting boundaries up quicker & communicate better with others as to why something is challenging for me. I’m adjusting the way I go about my day to day tasks in order to play to my strengths. Least of all, it’s made me appreciate my creativity more: not everyone makes the (weird & wonderful) connections I make.

How ADHD shows up in my life.

Just to name a few, but not limited to…

• The Short Fuse ~ a mix of impatience/frustration/anger & getting stressed really quickly
• The countless unfinished projects and yet I’m still starting new ones!
• The chaos that is my desk & house: I’ve always loved owning beautiful things but since I’ve learnt I have ADD I’ve really put a great deal of effort into minimizing on stuff in order to reduce ongoing clutter/overwhelm. Now, the less stuff there is, the happier I am!
• Experiencing overwhelm quite quickly~can be triggered by feelings, stuff, noise, too many people, too many choices which in turn lead to indecision etc.
• Forgetfulness: The countless times I’ve made a planner, convinced that “this time I’ll stick to it”~ only to forget about the planner within 2 days. // The times I’ve left the front door of our house completely open until I came back home (thinking somebody had burgled us no less!) // The countless times I’ve misplaced my keys & phone // Being proud for meal planning but having forgotten to buy essential ingredients to make meals.
• Difficulties with organization & structuring things: Not being able to make a distinction between urgent & non-urgent matters very well; tidying & organizing takes my husband 10mins, I need at least an hour for the same job! I get caught up in countless insignificant details & get overwhelmed! (But I do it anyway!)
• Struggling with time
• Being distracted easily
• Difficulties with consistency & discipline despite my best efforts!
• The struggle with low mood/depression: to realize this wasn’t a thing unto itself but as side-effect of ADHD!
• PMS & how hormones seem to affect & increase ADHD symptoms at certain times in my cycle.
• Hyperfocus: being so engrossed in what I’m doing I forget to eat, ignore the need for sleep, etc
• Restlessness!
• Learning fast when interested in a topic but bored easily & unable to focus when I find the topic uninteresting.
• Unstoppable & racing thoughts (mental restlessness) which have sometimes produced really great creative ideas but for the most part are just annoying.
• And the list goes on!

I’m writing all this not for my own benefit, but I’m thinking some of you might relate and if so, know you’re not the only one & it’s not you! There are things that can help you, it’s just a bit of a journey to find out what.

Last but not least I want to mention this: “There is a heritability index from 0 to 1 as a way of saying how much genes have to do with whatever we’re looking at. ADHD is 0.76, so it’s highly heritable.” — Thomas E Brown, PHD. So if you’re wondering if it might be ADHD in you, chances are you inherited it from your parent(s) and your kids might have too!

Sidenotes!

I’m linking the original article which was shared with me here but unfortunately it’s paywalled… so unless you’ve got a subscription to the times.co.uk you won’t be able to access it. However, there is sooo much research out there, the internet can be a good friend sometimes!

On instagram I’d recommend @adhd_couple @the_mini_adhd_coach and @adhdawarenessmonth to start off with, as well as these podcasts which have helped me so far: Struggle Care (KC Davis) and ADHD for Smart Ass Women (Tracy Otsuka).

*although I’m self-diagnosed at the moment I have been referred by my GP back in February but apparently it can take well up to a year before even being seen by someone!

Hope this helps.
Wishing you clarity & peace on your journey!

Nina