I have ADHD.
Shocker, huh?
For those of you who have been living under a rock, that stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. I've had it all my life. As a kid, I wasn't allowed to eat certain things. Like syrup on pancakes. I had to eat jelly or jam. I wasn't allowed to eat any candy bars except Almond Joy or Mounds. Trust me, when your parents don't allow you to eat any other candy bars - you WILL feel like a nut. I wasn't allowed to eat cereals except for Granola, Shredded Wheat, Cheerios or Raisin Bran. I was allowed to put sugar on them though...didn't that defeat the purpose?
Anyway! Why am I telling you all this? A couple of reasons really. One, I started really struggling with focus a few months ago - right about the time things at work required more brain power. Really? NOW I have trouble with focus? I've lived my whole life with this...why now?
Second, I am reading this book: Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention. Essentially, Katherine Ellison (the author) is an award-winning journalist who was diagnosed with ADHD at the same time as her 12 year old son. She decides to devote a year toward researching and writing about ADHD and the book is a combination of her personal experiences and the findings of her research. So far, the book is encouraging and enjoyable to read. Some of the things she talks about is so "on point" with my life that it's scary.
I decided to write about ADHD because so few people understand what it's like to have it. Shucks, lots of people have told me it doesn't even exist. Uh huh. Right. Good thing I couldn't focus on what they were saying to hear the rest of their opinion. It might be over-diagnosed, over-sensationalized, and under-understood but ADHD is MOST DEFINITELY real.
And I would know. I have it.
