Adult ADHD Year in Review

Hello again, all! I've been writing the Living with Adult ADHD blog for a nearly a year and this seems, with the new year just around the corner, like a really good time to review what I/we have learned this year together. We've talked about some strategies to improve our attention span and decrease our anxiety. We've talked a bunch about adult ADHD medication - the good and the bad. We've talked about just how much time having Adult ADHD costs - needing to get prescriptions, fill them and invariably get distracted at some point during the process. We've had a great year together, I'd say!

What Living with Adult ADHD Means To Your Life

If I learned anything as a teacher, it was that it's important to reflect on information. Sure, it's great to know that 2+2=4, but it's even better to know what that means for life.

By far, the most well-read posts by me this year were about famous adults with ADHD, journaling as an Adult ADHD coping skill, being a woman with ADHD, and medication. What golden nuggets of info can we glean from these happy, popular posts? Being famous with Adult ADHD is nifty and it's super cool to know that we are not alone. We Adults with ADHD do not live in a vacuum - we exist in real life! The most important thing about knowing Justin Timberlake has Adult ADHD? I'm pretty sure it's that we can do anything that anyone else can do (as a whole). We can be musicians; we can be actors; we can be doctors (in one-and-a-half years for me!). ADHD makes things harder, that's for sure. It does not make things impossible.

Journaling is amazing. I learned recently that we Adult ADHD'ers stink at internal dialogue. We do much better verbalizing. It increases our ability to stay on task and to figure stuff out. I notice it myself at school when I'm constantly saying, "I'm going to do this now and then this next ..." To keep my brain working and my classmates not so angry, I journal the heck out of life. I make task lists in my journal, so I can look back and reflect about what I've accomplished. Also, when I make task lists in my journals, I'm nearly guaranteed NOT to lose that sheet of paper I made the list on. Genius, I tell you! Genius!

Being a woman with Adult ADHD presents unique challenges. The golden nugget of info about this? Realize those unique challenges and kick their butts! Know that you might get moodier once a month and talk with your doctor about it. Understanding yourself is always a great place to start and then educate others about your needs.

Finally, medication. Yikes, there's a lot to say about Adult ADHD drugs. Take it if it helps, don't if it doesn't. Make sure you eat well, regardless of how much you don't want to eat anything. (ADHD Medication and Food) Medication can enhance your life if it's the right drug. Just make sure to weigh the opportunity cost of the benefits versus side-effects.

I'll see you all in the new year with some resolutions quite soon!

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