ADHD is trending! let’s talk about the article that finally helped me understand how my ADHD brain works (i was diagnosed ~10 years ago).

this article asks “what do people with ADHD experience that other people do not?”

here are the 3 things:

1. an interest-based nervous system

ppl didn’t understand how i could read my favorite books for hours but break down over a 5-minute homework assignment or house chore

i seemed selfish and lazy, which made me spiral even more

turns out my brain’s on-switch is just different!

2. emotional hyperarousal

while my body might not appear hyperactive, my brain is constantly running at full speed with thoughts, ideas, and often with anxiety (related to how long it takes me to do things compared to people around me). sometimes this manifests in fidgeting!

3. rejection sensitivity

this is the most debilitating. i’ll be in the middle of a task, then i’m bombarded with intrusive thoughts of potential criticism/embarrassment/failure, along with somatic manifestations of anxiety that stop me in my tracks.

here’s the article: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.additudemag.com/symptoms-of-add-hyperarousal-rejection-sensitivity/amp/

i didn’t realize all this till i was teaching and a student’s mom came to me and said her daughter with ADHD heard me talk about my experience & how that made her excited and wondered if i could chat. so i researched and found this!

someone DM’d me asking for tips and here’s what i wrote up real fast:

link to the @moodnotes app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moodnotes-cbt-mood-tracker/id1019230398

thanks for reading this far!!

here’s a great resource for educating yourself on the current and historical issues faced by Black people in America - pls read and donate if you’re able! Equal Justice Initiative ( @eji_org):

https://eji.org/about/ 

#BlackLivesMatter