Adult ADHD? The fuck? Guess That Explains Some Things
Although confusing and surprising to hear, learning that I might have adult ADHD can help explain a lot in my life and guide my therapy journey. Most importantly, it can help develop strategies to prevent me from unintentionally creating chaos in my life. Unintentionally creating a laundry list of chaos absolutely had an effect on me and affected my relationship with Cris.
The most obvious example would be how I go from one project to creating another project, then moving on to another project before finishing any of them. Then I turn around and have a wild list of crap to do. This in itself is not a problem, but it becomes problematic when unexpected life situation(s) arise, especially while trying to maintain a semi-long distance relationship.
(come back to explore)
Some relatable nuggets from Cleveland Clinic description.
The Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, I don’t really identify with.
Symptoms I can identify with:
Inattention symptoms
Difficulty staying focused. This can cause your attention to drift during conversations, meetings, lectures or seminars, and lengthy reading or studying.
Difficulty listening or paying attention when others speak to you. This can look like distraction, daydreaming or staring off into space (sometimes known as a “thousand-yard stare”).
Trouble following through and completing tasks. This means you’re quick to start new tasks or projects. However, you also tend to “run out of gas” and have trouble finishing them.
Difficulty organizing and prioritizing. This means you have trouble planning and reaching goals, especially goals that take multiple steps to reach. It can make you appear messy or disorganized, or cause problems with being on time or meeting deadlines.
Dislike or avoidance of tedious work. This makes it harder for you to complete boring or mindless tasks that require you to pay attention. Examples of this include chores, housework and doing busy work.
Prone to losing, misplacing or forgetting things. This looks like being absent-minded or careless. You may misplace items like your purse or wallet, cell phone or keys. Sometimes, you’ll leave items in odd places — for example, you might unintentionally leave your keys in the fridge and then struggle to find them later.
Easily distracted. This can happen either because of things happening around you or because you’re distracted by your mind’s tendency to wander.
Forgetful or absentminded in your daily routine. You may struggle to keep appointments, do errands, pay bills and buy household necessities.
Substance use disorders. People with ADHD are more likely to self-medicate with alcohol or non-prescribed drugs. That contributes to an increased risk of substance use disorders.
Creativity. People with ADHD commonly excel in creative professions. Differences in how your brain works can make it easier to find unconventional or innovative solutions.
Hyper-focus. You can “hyper-focus” on interesting or fun tasks. Instead of being distractible, you tune out everything else and apply yourself entirely to what you’re doing. Experts associate this ability with higher levels of productivity and achievement.
Agreeableness. People with ADHD are often more agreeable and empathetic to those around them. You can be a strong “team player” and often want to help to others.
It’s common for adults with ADHD to have other health conditions, especially certain mental health or brain development-related conditions. Examples of these include:
Anxiety, especially social anxiety.
Stress and related health problems.