I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, just a few years ago, and despite the shame associated with the diagnosis, the resources I have been able to find and the ways that I have been able to modify my routine have greatly improved my life.
The School Year
I grew up way before ADHD accomodations were a thing, and really any type of schooling that adjusted to individual learning differences was out of the question in my small town in rural New Mexico.
Despite my reading disability and general lifelong attention problems, I did well in school. My reading lagged behind but I excelled in other subjects and was generally able to keep up with my schoolwork. In addition, school was a major part of my creative life, as I was heavily involved in school plays and musicals, show choir, and other performing arts opportunities all the way from my elementary school days up to college.
Like a lot of people with undiagnosed and untreated ADHD, I was able to persevere despite unexplained challenges through sheer grit and a lot of luck.
In the Workforce
ADHD proved to be a blessing in disguise in some ways when I entered the workforce. Various skills that I had had to hone both due to my participation in the arts and as a way to compensate for some of my struggles, like rapid memorization, helped me stand out in various temp and assistant jobs I had over the years, until I eventually headed my own department at a church in the Denver Metro area.
Despite my successes and the ways in which my uniquely wired brain was an advantage, I also experienced a lot of internalized frustrations and shame when it came to having problems focusing or motivating myself around certain tasks. Eventually I moved into a contractor role, which was much more compatible with my brain and let me work according to a more flexible schedule. Flexibility in the work environment is key for neurodiversity and it really helped me build a life where I was much less frustrated with myself in my day to day.
The Key to a Door I Didn’t Know Was Locked
Shortly after my Tourette’s diagnosis, I was diagnosed with ADHD. All of a sudden a lot of behaviors that had never been explained, and struggles I had never gotten support around, made complete sense.
My ADHD diagnosis truly unlocked a world of potential for me.
Now I build my life about working with my brain rather than against it. This is a key paradigm shift that allows me to schedule work time at times of day that I am most productive rather than fighting with myself to get things done.
In addition to how it has changed how I approach my schedule and my to do list, it has also given me so much more grace and patience with myself when I do need it. Sometimes a diagnosis can hold us back, but other times it is the key that helps us understand ourselves better, find resources, and access much needed self-compassion.
While it can frequently be a source of mean-spirited jokes, and can make getting some things done more difficult, I am so glad I got an ADHD diagnosis and began to rebuild my life to work with my brain and not against it.
Thank you for reading and for Facing Tourette’s with me.
