How has your ADD helped you?

[mathonwy]

Originally Posted by holmracing

Hyperfocus would be a good thing if i could control it! But since i have no control over what my mind decides to hyperfocus on... Its more of a pain the a** that anything.

Hyperfocus is also THE only good thing about the disease.

The problem is, most of us have struggled through their entire lives without an inkling of what the heck is going on with the brain and subsequently, they've been massively emotionally scarred. Now with medication and being able to actually feel like a normal person, we look back at our very messy lives and *facepalm ourselves* each time we remember ourselves doing stupid stuff.

I control my hyperfocus through THC believe it or not.

[fracturedstory]

The part I like is when good things happen through distractions. Last night I was going to make dinner after I bought something on Ebay, but then I really wanted to see if I could find out where you could buy the Stargate/Doctor Who crossover shirt. And then I found it and bought it.
Very few will understand what owning this shirt means to me. But I would have kissed Hitler had he walked into the room after I purchased the shirt. A lot of things like that happen when I'm distracted - the good things happening, not kissing Hitler thing. But I have a lot of TARDIS's in my bedroom so who knows what might happen.

ADHD really helps me out in my writing when I get so many ideas in my head. Sometimes it can be overwhelming and I can't get them all down in my notebooks, but I'm grateful for it. I hardly ever have writer's block and my story just grows and grows. This special trait can become frustrating when it keeps happening but once I work out what I need to keep and what's ok to change I'm fine.

The symptoms are frustrating, impairing. But I'm not going to pretend that I can get something good out of them. If I wasn't kept up at night with a flood of new ideas then I would be struggling as a writer. I do struggle in some ways but if I pace myself and set aside a time to write then I do much better.

If people can say there's a good side to OCD or anxiety then I don't see why someone can't see a positive side to ADHD, as long as they remember that it is a real disorder. Balance people, it's all about balance.

I can see the positive in my autism and even my temporal lobe epilepsy. Yeah, epilepsy. I guess I must sound really mad now but it's made me see a world I couldn't imagine. And now I have a plot for book 2.

Today I'm letting my ADHD run wild at a Mother's Day lunch, and if need be I'll medicate. I might just eat up eating these words.

[xxbluejay21]

It's never helped me. I got really good at some games (Starcraft especially). So good that I started winning several major online tournaments. But it ruined my life. My grades were horrible all throughout high school. And I agree with people saying hyperfocus is annoying. It's annoying as helllllllllll.

[Raye]

Sorry... but is this a JOKE? Undiagnosed ADD has ruined my life for 22 years. I've suffered and so have my children and family. Sorry to sound bitter but just being honest.

[Conman]

my brain operates at an inordinately fast rate, i have very good memory in very specific areas of knowing things, my ADHD-C and high metabolism allow me to burn anything i eat in a day (although the metabolism is too high so i lose weight in time), i have a surplus of Energy

[pechemignonne]

Originally Posted by Conman

my brain operates at an inordinately fast rate, i have very good memory in very specific areas of knowing things, my ADHD-C and high metabolism allow me to burn anything i eat in a day (although the metabolism is too high so i lose weight in time), i have a surplus of Energy

I have ADHD-C, and my metabolism isn't particularly fast, and neither is my brain. I don't have a surplus of energy, but I do have a surplus of anxiety!

Did you just get the "good" ADHD-C, and I got the carppy kind?

That would be just my luck...

[Conman]

i dont think there's good or bad kinds, it's different for each person it seems

[Lunacie]

Originally Posted by pechemignonne

I have ADHD-C, and my metabolism isn't particularly fast, and neither is my brain. I don't have a surplus of energy, but I do have a surplus of anxiety!

Did you just get the "good" ADHD-C, and I got the carppy kind?

That would be just my luck...

Sounds like the same kind I got.

[Drewbacca]

It hasn't helped me in anyway. My life is a disaster. ADHD is a curse. There is no positive. There is no benefit. I can try to put it into a positive light, but that is a lot different than saying that it has "helped me." Yeah, sure, it helped me... helped me like a rabid black bear that saves me the hassle of walking back to my car because I'm already dead.

[holmracing]

Originally Posted by mathonwy

Hyperfocus is also THE only good thing about the disease.

The problem is, most of us have struggled through their entire lives without an inkling of what the heck is going on with the brain and subsequently, they've been massively emotionally scarred. Now with medication and being able to actually feel like a normal person, we look back at our very messy lives and *facepalm ourselves* each time we remember ourselves doing stupid stuff.

I control my hyperfocus through THC believe it or not.

Two things with this...

1) ADHD is a disorder not a disease.. There is a big difference.

2) I tried smoking weed alot as a teenager.. All it did was put me to sleep. When i did meth.. I could almost function! My problems came when i did meth for many days in a row! AHHH!!

[mathonwy]

Originally Posted by holmracing

Two things with this...

1) ADHD is a disorder not a disease.. There is a big difference.

2) I tried smoking weed alot as a teenager.. All it did was put me to sleep. When i did meth.. I could almost function! My problems came when i did meth for many days in a row! AHHH!!

1) I didn't know there was a difference. Thanks for raising it to my attention.

2) Weed has been my saviour and I only just recently realized it (in the last week). Nowadays, I'm pretty much "medicated" all of my waking hours and I'm 1000% more productive.

[holmracing]

A disease is a destructive process in a organ or a organism with specific causes and characteristics...A disorder is the upset of normal function of the health.

I had to search online for the actual difference. But for reason of typical thinking... Most people refer to a disease as coming from outside sources (a cold or flu) and a disorder as something you were born with. (ADHD, Autism, Bi-polar) or a flaw within the body.

[tudorose]

There is one thing. To me it's a big thing and it's probably what saves me sometimes.

I am sooooo distractible that it helps me manage when I get sad or depressed. I can't wallow in self pity for long because something will distract me and I forget what I was sulking about. People close to me know this so when I am in a bad way they know that they can actually do something to help even if it is momentarilty Distraction can be a wonderful thing.

Edit to add: I'm not just talking about the little things here. I'm talking major stuff like PTSD, loss of a parent and the stresses of raising an autistic child.

It's not a cure but I do get some moments of relief which I am grateful for as I know many others don't get that reprieve.

[cantakeitnemore]

It has helped me flunk a semester. Helped me lose many friendships. It has made me what I am today, a lazy procrastinating loser.

[windycindy]

Your posting helped me immensely, although I am not sure what is a "post" or a "thread" because I am so distractible even with 120 mg per day of adderall. They say "to thine own self be true," but first I have to know myself! Now I understand why others think I am cold or aloof, despite what is going on my head, because I cannot stay in their moment and am on to the next thought and the next. I have been wondering about this for a long time. Thanks.