11. 4 Tips if You've Just Been Diagnosed with Adult ADHD
How many kids with ADHD does it take to change a lightbulb? We’ve all heard the joke in school, but in the dawn of cancel culture, ADHD’ers remain an evergreen target for inappropriate jokes for some reason. Am I suggesting we try to “cancel” people who yell “Squirrel!” to imply someone has ADHD insensitively? No. But I think I figured out why alopecia isn’t funny and chronic distraction is (shoutout to Will Smith). It’s all about visibility. As a society, if we can’t see it, it’s often not real to us.
With symptoms like depression, low-self esteem, a higher risk of suicide, and more frequent auto accidents, it’s clear that ADHD, for those who live with it, it’s not very funny. I was diagnosed in the 2nd grade 27 years ago. I was one of the kids who told the “light bulb” joke. It wasn’t until recently that I began to understand how neurodivergence has truly impacted my life.
For me, ADHD is very much like Bigfoot. It took me years of being aware of it to get a semi-decent look at it; even still, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at when I saw it. If you just found out you have ADHD, here are a couple of things that would've helped me to know sooner about the strange cognitive difference.
4 Things to know if you’ve just been diagnosed with ADHD.
1 It’s not a reflection of your intelligence
You're not dumb, and if you are, it doesn’t have anything to do with ADHD.
ADHD is not a marker of intelligence or a lack of it. It does not mean you’re stupid or a failure, though it’s not abnormal to feel that way with this condition. The reality is quite the opposite. Many of the world's best and brightest have, or are thought to have, ADHD. Richard Branson, Thomas Edison, Simon Biles. In the last episode, we learned that even some fictional characters we love, like Bart Simpson and Sherlock Holmes, suffer from neurodivergence. One of the most significant deficits one can experience with ADHD is self-esteem, so keep your mood positive.
2 Explore medication and supplement options.
As someone who doesn’t even like to take aspirin for headaches, the allure towards pharmaceuticals for me is pretty low. We all know that big pharma is shady at times, but there’s something to be offered by modern medicine regarding ADHD. I prefer not to take drugs to treat my inattention, but I have a prescription for Adderall for emergencies. It’s helped my life immensely. To use a metaphor that is overused in relation to this very subject, focus meds were like putting on glasses for the first time.
I have now found a healthy balance with supplements for the periods I don’t need stimulants. Coffee and Alpha Brain helped me tremendously with staying focused on creative projects without making me buzzed from amphetamines.
3 Meditating for mindfulness
This is a very helpful tool for slowing things down, so you don’t feel anxious and overwhelmed. It’s proven to reduce stress by reducing brain activity in the amygdala (the part of the brain that looks for stressors). Meditation is another way to say, “Focus on your breathing.”. Sitting down in a relaxed position and paying close attention to your inhales and exhales is the only thing needed to center yourself and shake off poor focus, inattention, and negative feelings.
4 Write things down
This should’ve been number one. It is easily overlooked, but the power of writing things down is immense. Journal writing, blogging, and taking notes to keep yourself organized and track your thoughts bring awareness, similar to meditation. Writing your intentions is also a proven way to increase your chances of following through on a goal.
In the past, I vividly remember struggling to prioritize my life based on what's most important to me. Some of my favorite artists and professionals tout the importance of writing. I never disagreed, but still, I never wrote anything down. Not because I didn’t think it was helpful but because I didn’t know what to write down.
I find value in going to the gym, sleeping 8 hours, learning a language, cooking dinner, doing the dishes, all of it. That doesn’t include writing blogs about aDHD, recording podcasts about ADHD, and updating my website. The problem is, how do I fit all of those things into my schedule? At my old office job, I had a clueless shell of a human corporate boss. You know, the type– optimistic to a fault for no reason other than a thick layer of blissful ignorance.
He said something to me that stuck when I explained to him why I was having so much trouble performing my soul-sucker, job. “Beyonce’ has the same hours in a day as the rest of us, yet she accomplishes so much more.” See what I mean by ignorant? “Bey” surely has a slew of paid professionals working around the clock to dress her, feed her, wash her clothes, keep her appointments, and write her songs, not to mention she’s married to Jay-Z. Someone who barely makes $50,000 /year designing graphics for a real-estate company is hardly comparable to one of the most popular entertainers in the world and the resources at her disposal.I’m getting off track.
The point is, he told me to buy a planner and see how it helps me. I bought a planner, and I’ve bought several over the last few years. None of them helped me, except to realize I hate using typical planners. They aren’t made for people with ADHD. Most of them consist of repetitive pages of calendars and weekly spreadsheets. For someone with ADHD, that just me into a spiral. Writing things in a calendar or a planner isn’t what I have difficulty with. Out of the 100 things that I enjoy doing, what I need is assistance with my priorities. Which things are important, and which should wait?
I said all of that to say, that’s why I designed a planner specifically for people with ADHD. It’s called The YOU Testament. Unlike other planners, I would say this is the truest planner you’ll ever see. It doesn’t contain grids or calendars but 21 exercises designed to help you understand what should take priority in your life, based on your personal fulfillment. Keep your house tidy, drink more water, restart an abandoned side project, or launch the business you’ve been dreaming about. To learn more about The YOU Testament, click the link in the description of this episode, or visit abndtADHD.com and click “The YOU Testament”.
In Conclusion,
ADHD can sometimes be funny, even for those who have it but don’t take a diagnosis lightly. Neurodivergence is a serious condition that has a sneaky way of not being noticed easily and makes us susceptible to mismanagement. Above all else, love yourself first, and none of this will not be difficult. Much love!