I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 26 years old. For years, I had thought that I just needed to “buckle down and focus” on homework or “apply myself” when it came to completing chores or daily tasks. ADHD can make navigating life feel more complex and overwhelming, as if every day is an elaborate obstacle course. A tastefully shot short film, “What don’t you understand?”, depicts how ADHD can affect everyday life and the overwhelming feelings that can occur.
So how do we train for this elaborate obstacle course? Well, there isn’t one correct answer, but there are some common themes to keep in mind. One is stimulation; ADHD is mainly driven by the brain’s lack of stimulation or too much of it. This is where the elements of focus come into play. Say you are trying to read a book that is required for a class; too many words on a page may be visually overwhelming to the point where one cannot get through a paragraph without having to read it three or more times. This is where interest-based stimulation counteracts the previous statement: a favorite book series or a book you have been dying to read could be read with ease due to personal pleasure rather than required reading.
Another element to be aware of is time blindness. The feeling you get where you think you have only been on your phone for 10 minutes, but it’s actually been closer to an hour? Having a source of easily accessible stimulation such as our phones can be a useful tool but also a hindrance to completing tasks or other responsibilities. One might bring up their phone just to play background music while they are completing paperwork or a homework assignment, but then a cycle begins such as this: “Okay, I could answer a quick text message. Oh, I forgot to check my email for that one thing. Oh, there’s a new video from a YouTuber I follow. Oh, that person responded back to me; I better text back. I could check Instagram really quick. I wonder what time the store closes because I still need to pick up things for tomorrow. Wait… what was I doing again?” And then one realizes that it’s been an hour and a half, and their original task has not even begun.
Again, how do we train for something such as this? Even with the assistance of prescribed medications, such as Adderall, providing structure to individuals with Hyperactive-Impulsive type, Inattentive Type, or Combined Type ADHD can be crucial for someone to manage day-to-day living. MY ADHD Adventure is a collective that promotes ADHD awareness through social media, providing insight into managing ADHD symptoms as well as how it affects other aspects of one’s life such as self-esteem, relationships, and emotional regulation. They have made a few detailed guides to assist those who may want a playbook for tackling their ADHD, available by donation through their website. Although there are several ways you could train for the ADHD Obstacle Course, they all can help one reach the end goal.
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