“Surely that’s just what everyone does?”
I’ve read countless posts and watched endless reels about ADHD and responded this way.
The stories they’re telling describe exactly how I think and work, and I thought most people would agree, that these were just influencers trying to appeal to the masses.
But the more I spoke to other people, the more I realised that wasn’t true. They didn’t relate to them in the same way I did.
I won’t seek a formal ADHD diagnosis, because I don’t need one. My life is already set up in a way that works for me. If I were trying to work full time in an office, that wouldn’t be true (thankfully not a reality I’ve faced since 2006!).
Just as my son gets on great in home education but couldn’t manage at school – our environment makes a big difference.
If he needs to roll around on the floor to take information in, he can do that now (and he does!); if he’s just not in the right headspace for learning, we can take a break; if he’s got a topic or activity he wants to hyperfocus on, we can follow it for as long as he wants.
I’m not a big one for labels. I’m all about personalised care (ahem, award winningly, did I mention?) and doing what’s right for the individual, not making assumptions based on their labels.
But… ADHD is a kinder label for myself than useless, lazy and selfish, which have been my usual go-tos for many of the things that I now understand are ADHD traits.
So, label or not, I read ADHD: an A to Z by Leanne Maskell trusting there would be something in it that would resonate with me and help me. There was tons! I’m so glad I have read it and now understand myself (and Oscar) better.
If, like me, you find yourself relating to every ADHD meme you see, even though you don’t think you have ADHD, I recommend giving this book a read – you might just find a whole lot of things suddenly make sense in a way they never did before!