With October being Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) awareness month, I thought I would share some facts on ADHD and some ways to help you take advantage of your “superpowers”.
I was diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD my freshman year of high school, after going under the radar my entire life simply because “I wasn’t as hyper” compared to the other kids my age that had been diagnosed.
This brings up my first point- there is not just one universal type of ADHD, there are 3 main categories. Hopkins Medicine defines them as:
- ADHD, combined type. This, the most common type of ADHD, is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviors as well as inattention and distractibility.
- ADHD, impulsive/hyperactive type. This, the least common type of ADHD, is characterized by impulsive and hyperactive behaviors without inattention and distractibility.
- ADHD, inattentive and distractible type. This type of ADHD is characterized predominately by inattention and distractibility without hyperactivity.
Secondly, ADHD is not a mindset and not just how easily you get distracted, it is the way the brain is wired. People with ADHD have lower levels of Dopamine, a neurotransmitter. PET scans reveal that the ADHD brain metabolism is slower in the areas of the brain that control attention and movement.
I read this Forbes article where the author writes about the strengths of people with ADHD after talking with Dr. Perpetua Neo, a psychologist who helps high-performers go big without burning out.
Below are some of my main takeaways from the article:
Traits associated with ADHD that you can take advantage of and apply to your own life.
You can think of these as your “superpowers”, as Dr. Neo describes.
- “Curiosity – a willingness to explore what life has to offer
- Hyperfocus – when the ADHD brain is sufficiently stimulated, they can laser-focus for long periods of time
- Creative thinking – divergent, non-linear thinking which synthesises two or more otherwise-disparate concepts together
- Impulsivity – acting intuitively and quickly despite uncertainty
- Resilience – bouncing back after failing
- Multitasking – performing multiple tasks competently at the same time
- Performing under pressure – people with ADHD enjoy the pressure of deadlines and crises, they come alive where most might knuckle under
- Risk-taking – taking a chance, even if the odds look stacked against you”
It is so important and helpful to understand how your specific brain works so you can best serve yourself and make your life a little bit easier. Of course, all of these traits need to be applied in the right context in order to be helpful and not “detrimental”.
Other helpful takeaways:
- “[People with ADHD] are curious and restless. So they are wired to learn voraciously, taking in every detail excitedly and curiously and their high levels of creativity means they can synthesize conceptual links that previously didn’t exist before.”
- “There may be few studies done on this, but the current research shows that people with ADHD-like traits are likelier to be self-employed”
- “People with ADHD can laser focus and hone their skills and projects for extended periods of time, once their brain is switched on because they are interested.”
- They have a tendency to procrastinate a lot, so people with ADHD thrive with deadlines.
- People with ADHD make for great entrepreneurs (as an entrepreneurship minor, I was very excited to learn this)
I highly recommend reading the full article, with Dr. Neo, if you found this article helpful at all. Remember, there is nothing wrong with you, your brain is just wired differently :)
Sources:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/adhdadd