INSIDE THE ADHD MIND
From Me, 17-year old Ally:
Some may say ADHD isn’t a real thing but instead an excuse for bad behavior and not doing well in school. I'll tell you that it is a real thing because I live with it every day. My symptoms include hyperactivity, impulsivity, the inability to focus, forgetfulness, and having difficulty learning.
These are not behaviors that anyone strives to have. These behaviors affect you, everyone around you, and everything you do. Living with ADHD is a struggle and life is very challenging until you learn how to navigate it and turn your disability into an ability.
Imagine being different, being wired differently than everyone else. Feeling that you are driven by a motor at high speed that controls your mind and your body. Your mind racing and thoughts swirling around in your head, your body in motion and restless. You cannot focus which makes learning difficult. Reasoning, formulating and calculating are impossible. You act before you can think things through. All logic goes out the window and consequences don’t exist in your head.
Lack of self-control and impulsivity get you into trouble. It is nearly impossible to sit still, not fidget, or not talk. Your hyperactivity distracts and annoys others around you.
Ultimately you become labeled as different, stupid, weird, learning disabled, behavioral and difficult . You are separated from your peers and put into special education classes that make you feel worse about yourself and how your peers see you. Making friends is difficult because you are different and lack social skills. You come to believe that you are broken and don’t fit in. Your mental state is affected and you become depressed, lack self-confidence, and you wonder if you will ever be like everyone else.
You must make up your mind that you will not let ADHD define you. Find an outlet that makes you happy or that you are good at. Harness your hyper focus to achieve your goals. Some of the most successful people have ADHD. I like to refer to myself as powered by ADHD and it is that drive that led me to share my art and start my own business Ally Brooke Designs.
From Mom:
Parenting a child with ADHD is extremely challenging. First I had to recognize something was amiss and accept that my child had special needs. I did research to learn about ADHD and had to find the resources and the support needed to help her. This included finding medical professionals for diagnosis, having cognitive testing done, enlisting therapists and working in conjunction with her school and special education teachers.
Having to deal with impulsivity, bad behavior and hyperactivity daily is extremely draining mentally and physically. I found that my reactions to her bad behavior including anger, yelling and punishments had a negative affect on my mental health as well as hers. My frustration and reactions made us both feel badly.
I watched her struggle with learning, homework, studying, and making friends. I often wondered if and when she would outgrow ADHD and not need to take medication to keep her calm, focused and on track. I hoped that she would catch up with her learning and life skills so she would one day be independent. As she grew older she worked hard to overcome her learning disabilities and do well in school. Art became her therapy and doodling an outlet for her hyperactivity. Her determination to use ADHD to her advantage is what is giving her the focus and drive to be a 17 year old entrepreneur and launch Ally Brooke Designs.
Submitted by Keeping it Real Contributor Ally & her Mom
