Maybe this was obvious to everyone who knows me, but being diagnosed with adult ADHD came as a surprise to me.
Yes, as a chiropractor I’ve done a LOT of studying and training in ADHD for kids. I’ve read a lot of books about ADHD in kids and taken a lot of continuing education on the brains of ADHD kids.
Somehow I MISSED the chronological LOGIC that kids grow up, and that their ADHD brains follow them into adulthood.
(Interesting tangent: kids and adults with ADHD often struggle with the concept of time. As in, time is a stupid concept, and there is only NOW. The future doesn’t really exist, and planning for it ….how is that even possible? That makes being late a definite probability. That also means that correctly budgeting enough time to complete a task is a challenge. And getting STARTED on a task is hard, because...well, “later” is a good time to start something...since “later” is in the future, and the future doesn’t exist. Besides, how can a project, task, or deadline be more important or urgent than another one? How can it be prioritized?)
Welcome to the rambling tangent that’s in my brain, all day, every day.
And I NEVER recognized those classic signs of ADHD: impulsivity, distractibility, poor short-term memory, oversharing, all-or-nothing thinking, inattentiveness or hyperfocus, procrastination, poor decision-making, inability to complete projects because - oh! SQUIRREL!
So to all of you who put up with all of my maddening habits and tangents and rambling stories: I apologize. To all of you that I inadvertently tuned out: I apologize. To all of you that I have failed to follow through on promises: I apologize. (Mom, really, I meant to do all the things you asked, but some book was ALWAYS more interesting...and I apologize!)
As part of all of this self-revelation, I saw great gifts in having ADHD. I have unstoppable curiosity. I’ve taken risks in my career and my life. I love motion. I love problem-solving. I love my career, because no two days are alike, and people are endlessly amazing, in terms of healing and hope. I have MANY hobbies. I have an impressive yarn stash and art stash. (Reference above: impulsivity.) I’m not lukewarm on much of anything: I’m either fanatically interested or completely bored. (Sorry, Packer fans.) Give me a challenge and I’ll hyperfocus on it.
So as I wrap my head around this diagnosis, this is my new challenge: how can I help others see the gifts in their ADHD?
Angela Hall
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