Adult ADHD and What a Difference a Diagnosis Makes

I was driving in the car this weekend thinking about how much better I am at paying attention to auditory stuff than I was even a year ago. I listen to audiobooks all the time and podcasts galore and I think it's really made a difference. As soon as I had the thought, though, I got to wondering about would I have ever noticed I had a hard time listening if I didn't have this adult ADHD diagnosis. Hm, I wonder what a difference an adult ADHD diagnosis makes ...

Pondering My Adult ADHD Diagnosis

I have always had vivid daydreams. I sit and ponder many possible ponderings and flip from subject to subject in my brain in the blink of an eye. The thing is - that used to be me. When I was a kid growing up, daydreaming wasn't a symptom of ADHD. And, it wasn't not a symptom because I was a kid - it was because I wasn't diagnosed yet. As soon as the actual, honest-to-goodness ADHD diagnosis came down the pike, the view I had of myself become colored (ADHD green, or ADHD pink, or ADHD hybrid color - depending on who you are).

When I mess up questions on an exam because I read a word wrong, I find it so hard to think that it's a simple mistake. It's yet another reason why ADHD is horrible and sometimes my brain takes it so far as to let me know I'm a failure for reading a word wrong. "Normal" people can do it.

Thing is - "normal" people make mistakes, too. And, really, today, "normal" people don't exactly exist ... we're all some variation on normal and the act of comparing ourselves to this fictional "normal" is totally unfair to our psyche and self-confidence.

Having an Adult ADHD Diagnosis Changes You

Back to the point at hand: knowing you have a disorder, like adult ADHD, does bring things into perspective, but it also changes your perspective on your actions, thoughts and feelings. I'm not sure yet how to overcome this hurdle, but I know it's one waiting for me when I'm jogging around the track. Being comfortable being myself as opposed to a collection of symptoms is a challenge - especially considering much of the world sees those of us with disabilities as that collection.