ADHD Gift or Curse?

Have you or your child been diagnosed for ADHD? Getting a label is the worst part for many people. One survey found that 80% of adults with ADHD symptoms feel dissatisfied with themselves. ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

It need not be a curse, ADHD can be a gift. Focussing on one’s weaknesses and trying to conform and be like everyone else is the main reason for this dissatisfaction. The first step for someone with ADHD is accepting one is different. Then it is possible to take control of your life and set the direction forward.

Do you have difficulty saying no? That’s ADHD. Do you know the answer to a problem without knowing how you arrived at the answer? That is ADHD thinking.

Understanding yourself is vital. Attention deficit is one side of the coin; the other side is super focussing, intuitive out-of-the-box thinking, enthusiasm, energy and helpfulness among a long list of positive traits.

Conventional thinking is that attention deficit is a disorder, but people with attention deficit have a different way of thinking. This is the idea behind the neurodiversity concept. The part of the brain that is controlling our impulses does not function well in the attention deficit brain. This is a part of the ADHD personality’s creativity.

Brain scans show a lack of cognitive thinking. When an average person’s brain is generating beta waves, indicating a well functioning cognitive thought process, the ADHD person’s brain is in an alpha or theta state. This is the sign of a well functioning intuitive thought process. We who have an attention deficit brain do not have a disorder; we are just different.

The reason it was previously believed that ADHD was only a children’s condition, was that by the early twenties attention deficit people have learned coping strategies and learned self-control. Hyperactive children are spirited souls who have not understood how to control their energy. Dissatisfiedl adults with ADHD have not understood how to harness their creative energy.

The danger for an attention deficit personality is learning to conform and become compliant, instead of guiding the creative spirit. Uncontrolled impulsivity is problematic and will result in difficulties in life, but a guided impulsivity is a creative force.

If attention deficit is a lack of dopamine, where does the dopamine come from when the child has left school, and become absorbed in a favourite hobby at home? ADHD is a gift. Do not put yourself down. Learn to use your strengths.