Five common symptoms of ADHD
In my post What is ADHD? I discussed in detail what it means to be diagnosed based on the textbook definition. Today, we are going to go through what five prevalent symptoms look like in the life of a 30 year old black chick in the Midwest. .
Inattention:
No, I am not ignoring you. I am actually listening intently, but I am going to walk around and do all of the things as you talk. Matter of fact, if I’m not doing anything else, I’m probably not listening to you. All of my senses need to be involved. I have noticed that when I do try to give someone my undivided attention, my reactions are VERY EXPRESSIVE and I will forget damn near everything you have said by the end of the conversation. I think people believe that in attention should be referred to as split attention if anything.
In action: You are telling me a story, I am asking related questions getting you off topic, and then when YOU get too far off topic, I bring you back to where you were before I asked the question.
As I read and learn more, I have come to find out that is caused for due to the lack of being able to organize tasks due to executive dysfunction.
2. Hyperactivity:
The textbooks stay us ADHDers exhibit excessive restlessness, fidgeting, or squirming and always feeling the need to move.
When I was little my parents tell me I would talk until I fell asleep… and then wake up talking. I do believe that growing up in the black community that was my version of moving. I knew better than to move. I was not trying to get snatched up my mother in public. Black mothers will do anything to make sure their kids behave. My form of “fidgeting” was writing. I was always trying to write or color or something.
As an adult, I am constantly looking for a better employment opportunity even though I am pretty happy with my job. I just “feel the need to move.” Or that is just me looking for better opportunities. I dunno. It also shows up in the fact that I move my apartment furniture at least once a month to spice things up.
Impulsivity:
Impulsivity is me jumping in and asking those questions instead of just letting you tell the story. It is never to give my input, but to make you give more detail. Once again, I have been conditioned to not share my opinion. Children are meant to be seen, not heard. You gone hear me, but you’re going to not mind because I’m asking more about you.
Now all of the other impulsive things I’m do is going to be chalked up to my Sagittarius sun and Scorpio moon.
Poor Time Management and Organization:
I so desperately want to be an organized person. I love planners and calendars and all that. I LOVE planning things. I just never stick to the plan. A sista loves to go rogue. Time blindness is a thing. Task paralysis is a thing.
On multiple occasions I have made it to work early and accidentally waste tooooo much time fraternizing and end up clocking in late. I remember one day in particular I showed up 45 minutes early and started reading. When I remember where I was and looked at the clock I was 5 minutes late to clock in. Whoops.
When it comes to organization, I know where I want things to be and how I want it to look, it is just getting from A to Z. I’m the girl that have to take EVERYTHING out of my closet and then put everything away into an empty space…. That is also what my mom used to do when my room was messy. Clear dat shit out and start with a clean space. Life doesn’t always work like that so then I get in a tizzy because though I create a mess, I cannot stand a mess.
Difficulty Sustaining Focus and Motivation:
Now this one sounds the worse to me, but i can make sense of it…. There are sooooooo many decisions to be made. Focusing on one task is crazy. There are so many things that go into doing one thing. I found this TikTok that can better describe what I mean.
I don’t know how much energy to put into what task. Ima give it my all until I have no more. That regulatory talent is nonexistent.
All of these line up with the lack of executive functioning. These cognitive things aren’t natural in the brain of someone who is neurodivergent. Instead of being ashamed and feeling useless, they make meds for dat! Or find other ways to compensate. We live in a neurotypical world. Us neurodivergent folk just navigate a little differently.