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)
The Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, I don’t really identify with.
Symptoms I can identify with:
Inattention symptoms
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.
Coping strategies and “protective” measures:
Body Doubling: https://psychcentral.com/adhd/adhd-body-doubling
Why did I instinctively know why I wanted Cris around when I’m doing random stuff? Even when she’s not physically helping? It also added a sense of “service” for me, as in the task I was working on will eventually allow me to service our relationship and needs once it’s finished and out of the way. So it felt like I was serving Cris even when the task was not actually for Cris.