Navigating a life with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can sometimes feel like you're living the real world example of an oxymoron. Sometimes your lack of focus makes the most rudimentary tasks seem impossible, and sometimes you find yourself hyper-focusing and accomplishing the impossible. On one hand, living with the disorder can be frustrating and difficult to navigate, and on the other hand it can be a superpower.

Approaching life as a neurodivergent person can be a fascinating task. As those with ADHD get to know themselves they uncover new aspects of their personality and psyche that make life exciting and extremely rewarding. In saying this, let’s explore 6 things to love about ADHD.

Six things to Love About ADHD

Perspective: Individuals with ADHD tend to be out of the box thinkers. They approach situations with a unique and oftentimes bewildering perspective to everyday hurdles. Studies have shown that the ADHD mind works in ways that produce innovative and imaginative ideas (Mary, et al., 2016). In order to channel their creative abilities into productive endeavours those with ADHD can use strategies such as, role playing, mind mapping, and brainstorming.

Taking Risks: Studies have shown that the ADHD mind is more likely to engage in impulsive decisions and risk taking behaviours (Bob & Konicarova, 2018). Risk taking tends to be seen as a negative attribute, however in some cases these risks can lead topositive outcomes. For example, many of history's great inventions and accomplishments were a result of a risky decision or a series of risks. Thomas Edison patented over 1,000 inventions in his lifetime, many of which took a great deal of risk from experimentation to implementation.

Compassion: Not only are neurodivergence known for having a compassionate outlook on others due to their own experiences with their disorder, they are also known for being highly sensitive people by nature. ADHD individuals' high level of sensitivity means they are oftentimes more empathetic and in tune with people's feelings.

Creativity: There are many great artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and other creative types that have openly shared their ADHD diagnosis. There are several reasons why people with this disorder tend to be very creative or have certain creative skills.

Inattention, one of the most significant symptoms of the disorder, can cause an individual's thoughts to wander and explore alternative routes to certain tasks. This mindwandering could lead to creative and unique approaches and conclusions.

Impulsiveness, another symptom associated with the disorder, can cause individuals to make rash decisions. Quick decision making could lessen the likelihood of overthinking certain tasks and uncover a unique outcome.

Impulse control is a common issue that those with ADHD face, however it could lead to creative thought processes. Impulse control affects the way a person reacts to a situation and makes it more likely that the person will react instinctively rather than with reason. For tasks such as song and poem writing, script development, and acting instinctual behaviours and decisions might produce better results than those which are deliberated and carefully constructed.

Generous with ‘Stuff’: Those with ADHD can be extremely giving and selfless at times. Due to impulse control issues, individuals with the disorder are more likely to give away money, buy gifts, and surprise their loved ones with things. This is due to the person's lack of consequential thinking. According to beloved author Mark Twain (creator behind the fictional poster boys for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn), consequential thinking is the process of evaluating the costs and benefits of your choices. This form of thinking involves the process of pausing, evaluating, and responding. Those with ADHD tend to skip the pause and evaluation steps of the thinking process, making them more likely to make decisions based on a current thought. For example, a person with ADHD might be more likely to give to the poor when they see someone in need, even if they will be short on money for a future purchase. We all love a real life Robin Hood!

Persistence: People with ADHD have the tendency to not give up very easily on tasks that they are passionate about. Hyper-focusing is a well known symptom of the disorder and it causes individuals to enter a ‘tunnel vision’ or ‘all or nothing’ mindset when completing a specific task. What this means is when people with the disorder start a task that they are passionate about, they will give it everything they got until it is completed or until they reach their goal. This approach can occur with short-term tasks such as writing this blog or long-term goals such as bringing a professional athlete. Those with ADHD have a special gift when it comes to pursuing their dreams.

I hope you enjoyed my second blog post in my series ‘My Life With ADHD’. I’m looking forward to future posts and sharing my experiences with you!

References

Bob, P., & Konicarova, J. (2018). ADHD, stress, and development. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96494-2

Mary, A., Slama, H., Mousty, P., Massat, I., Capiau, T., Drabs, V., & Peigneux, P. (2016). Executive and attentional contributions to Theory of Mind deficit in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 22(3), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2015.1012491

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