Three Weaknesses of ADHD

Let's be honest, some things in life simply cannot be replaced, like sneezing. I have always asked myself, "Why does sneezing feel so good?" There are those moments when you get that slight tickle in your nose, before the big, "ACHOO!" Afterward, there's that silly feeling we all get in our heads, that leaves nothing but satisfaction. Regardless, there are reasons we cover our faces when we sneeze, because it's just nasty, for everyone else. No one ever thought less of anyone over a sneeze, itself, but the way we control our sneezes can most certainly begin affecting the opinions of others.

(Pure bliss...)

Perhaps it is somewhat uncouth that I think my own sneezes feel amazing, but with all great things, there are definitely setbacks. The real question boils down to one inquiry. Can we exercise self control?

For the longest time, I had no idea what a lot of my behavior looked like to other people, and would frequently be labeled random, weird or particularly eccentric. None of this is particularly bad, but I never understood what was so strange. The way us ADHD folk mentally shift channels can be heavily misunderstood, and eliminate capacity for productive collaboration with those "normal" folk. The diagnosis comes alongside more benefits than negatives, in my opinion, but I would like to highlight some set-backs that can hold those with ADHD back.

Aversion to Disinterest: If you have ADHD, it is not a matter of getting distracted from the things you have no interest in, rather we practically avoid or completely forget an item's existence, entirely. This is not a voluntary decision, our brains just discard whatever it may be that we have no interest in. There might be a report, or paper that takes most individuals 30 minutes to complete. When you have ADHD, without learning how to leverage hyperfocus to get around this, the same report or paper might genuinely take 7 or more hours to complete.

We do not simply get distracted, like your typical procrastinator, we practically abstain from disinterests involuntarily.

Short-Term Memory: "What did you eat for lunch today?" If you have ADHD, your answer is "I have no idea," roughly eighty percent of the time. Suddenly, it hits you five hours later. You remember how good those fish tacos were, with the extra avocado slices. Information gets committed to our long term memory, but once our minds move on to the next big ticket thought, all recent transactions can feel nearly non-existent. Items that immediately commit to memory, however, stick to our minds like glue.

Random Thoughts: With our strong ability to multitask, comes the shifting turntable of random thoughts and ideas. The reason this is a weakness, is because it can be extremely distracting, disruptive and derailing with collaborating and interacting with others. When multitasking, we are able to shift back and forth between transactions, rapidly. This is not normal. Others have to pick up steam, to get back into whatever it was they were focused on beforehand. This is something us ADHD folk should be conscious and sensitive of.

Now that I have gone over some key strengths and weaknesses, I would like to discuss how we can start to maximize our strengths, to fill in weaknesses. Hyperfocus is particularly brilliant, in learning how to become more efficient and successful with our studies and career lives. Tune in, halfway through this month, for my next post!

Until then, let the beat go...

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