Your ADD/ADHD Strengths & Weakness

[meadd823]

You are just a very Original Wacko!

OKay this would make you wacko's little sister?-lol!

You know what else I love that I have found most of us have ....with ADD....the wonderful smart alec, creative, quick witted sense of humor....

I prefer people with a sense of humor myself.

Love it love it ! One of the few things I miss when I am fully medicated. Tends to tone that down. But when you are sitting at a table full of big wigs in a corporate setting they really don't think your smart A S S remarks are cute!

Yea only cause they didn't think of them first. I do try to avoid suites as much as possible I don't think they are cute I find most to be a PIA, I would rather have the smart as* remarks they are at least entertaining.

So fine....but I see it in many many people here...and it makes me laugh over and over again....and that folks is just the kind of therapy I need!

Smart as* therphy Hmmmm a new field of phycho-therphy ADD style.

why is it so hard to remember to pay bills?

Oh poo I forgot to pay me credit card bill again. Hopefully I will still remember to go on-line and do this when I am through here. Thanks!

[aliciajx]

Hi, I'm Alicia, a new member!!
I was very interested in your ADD strengths and weaknesses. I've just started to kinda date a guy with ADD and so many people have total me it will be impossible to be with him because of the ADD, he is incredibly caring and loving, always hugs and kisses me when I am stressed or annoyed. I am not sure of the other affects of ADD, and was wondering if you could help me learn more about ADD????

Thanks

[meadd823]

Originally Posted by aliciajx

I am not sure of the other affects of ADD, and was wondering if you could help me learn more about ADD????

Hi Alicia welcome to the forums.

Although ADD can make relationships more challenging it doesn't have to make them impossible. Much depends upon the severity of his ADD and your ability to tolerate his specific "quirks".

A couple of sections that may be of interest.

non-ADD partner support

ADD and Realtionships


Diagnostic criteria

and time.

[tiggy100]

Hi, I'm new but been watching and listening for a while. I have spent my whole life thinking about the disadvantages to being ADD and was only diagnosed last year. My self-esteem has been zero, but I'm beginning to see some of the positive sides. I see things that others don't. I'm not hyper or anything, more the inattentive type but the UK doesn't recognise the differences yet and is only slowly beginning to understand that it actually exists! I see things in a special way. I'm very sensitive and intuative, overly concerned with other people's feelings, but I'm trying to turn this into a good thing and find a way of using it, not only to help others but help myself.

[meadd823]

Originally Posted by tiggy100

I have spent my whole life thinking about the disadvantages to being ADD and was only diagnosed last year. My self-esteem has been zero, but I'm beginning to see some of the positive sides.

ADD like most things has it’s good points and not so good ones. Zero self esteem sucks big time. Having or being ADD was never a choice for any one however how we perceive our own ADD is every ones choice.

Originally Posted by tiggy100

I see things in a special way. I'm very sensitive and intuative, overly concerned with other people's feelings, but I'm trying to turn this into a good thing and find a way of using it, not only to help others but help myself.

Statements like the above always brightens my day. We all have strengths along with our weakness however most tend focus on the weakness while over looking their strengths.

Another thing many people forget or fail to see one of the great ironies of life is:

There are times our strengths can become our weakness but on the other hand our weakness can also become our strengths, A lot depends on circumstance and/ or environment and /or how the trait is used.

Thanks for posting, reading it was the happy moment of my day.

[stargirl101]

I think what Mead said about perception is very relative to Adders and Non- Adders. Being born with ADD is out of our circle of control, however how we deal with it makes all the difference.

Anywho... my strengths vs weaknesses...........

My Strengths:
- Analyzing others emotions and understanding and caring for others.
- Soul- the pain I have face as a result of ADD has given me depth and deeper perspectives on life.
- Creativity- I am very creative.
- Perserverence- Because of the struggeles I have faced throguh ADD, I have learned to never give up even when the going gets tough.
- A love for pschology.

Weaknesses-
- Overbooking my schedule/ thinking I have more time than I do.
- Hyperfocusing on little details and making them seem worse than they are.
- Poor short term memory.
- Difficulty working with and making sence of ideas that involve lots of important details.
- difficult with just getting a project done- I tend to spend way more time than needed.
- Self contiousness.

[jc10101]

ah I got been diagnosed asperger's syndrome (with maybe other stuff too) However I have many good strengths and some weaknesses too.

Strengths: I have many interests that I consider myself to be a expert in. Such as the constant never give up attitude, when I am interested in something I will do it for weeks, months and just do it over and over. Some of my strengths examples are and were in the past the following: in basketball once I get that first 3 pointer: i will be repeatly getting those 3 pointers many times over and over the same day,. and be a top 3 pointer player in my school. I have a out of the box thinking cap, I have been successful and wealthy utilizing the internet and internet marketing in my past.(meaning I would be financially wealthy for a certain amount of time) I know how to use many computer applications/including programming such as php,html,javascript and others. know how to multi task on the internet. I sometimes can hear my family parking in the front yard while I'm at the back with a headset on, I also seem to think I can tell when disasters happen by ending up being nervous and or overloaded (lol not sure if it's true, but I wish it was true) and it seems to be somewhat true, I have a craving of many tast buds thoughout the week, which can be a curse too.

Weaknesses:
I sometimes get alarmed with sounds, such as the tv being on and or a ambulance driving by. I get very Nervous for no reason, Sometimes I do so much work that I get overloaded and dont remember what I was doing for several minutes. Do not like being around other people (socially non active) unless it's on the internet. Sometimes i get so ****ed at people when they make to much noise or argue with me, I usually wont be violent I just drop my arguments and will take a walk in a quite neighborhood till I feel better. which can end up being hours.. where my family used to get worried, but they understand now too.

[vmills]

plus-
creative and inspiring to other to get out of their box
think of things no one else does
can tear up a kitchen- i agree on being able to make dinner for a whole group of people
im everyone's emotional therapist esp. my friends
i want to rescue, save and help any animal, person, etc and will find a way to do it

negative-
bills- i think i filed them under all the other crap on my kitchen table
laundry- i wait till i really have nothing to wear, and still it sits in the dryer
i havent read a book in 10 years- guess thats why i like kids books- short and sweet
put off everything that seems daunting
cant sit still to watch a movie

still trying to get my meds right, so i hope one day i can erase most of what is still challenging

good topic, make you feel not so alone when were all in the same boat

[junetown]

strengths:
creativity!
silliness!
subjective (can also be a weakness LOL)
learn very quickly when interested
full of ideas (that, as others have said, may never see the light of day)

weakness:

lack of social skills
inability to pay attention to people/conversations for very long
impatience
foggy brain
ditzy spacecadet persona
laziness
lack of motivation to carry out chores and creative ideas
rushing everything
tiredness, lack of energy
foggy brain



i don't know where to place the constant thinking/day dreaming, as the brain fog clutters it and it's not exactly very productive. however, it's not a totally bad thing. i just feel less smart than others because it's not so clear.

[sarek]

To sum up my own most important strengths and weaknesses, outside the standard ones already mentioned on this thread(and I mean all of them):

I am quite capable of devising ingenious and convoluted solutions to solve most of the problems I have caused in the first place by forgetting something very trivial.
That very much sums up my life.

[Michiko74]

Wow, you'd almost think that we're all the same person because all of my strengths/weaknesses are the same as yours! *lol* I've lost count the number of times I've said 'hey, that's me!'

So once again, here are my strengths/weaknesses..
Hyperfocus, but can't get anything done
Think outside the box, fantastic analysis, can't get simple ideas
Lots of ideas, none of it gets done
Creative, but can't fill out a simple form
Interested in many things, but can't focus on one

[MECMR]

Oh, I am so glad this thread got revived!

So many things said on here speak to me or resonate for me.

To try and sum up:

Strengths:
I can see multiple possibilities in almost anything. It's like a giant mental flow chart.
I can go through the flow chart before anyone else even figures out there is one, and have possible solutions to suggest for the outcomes.
I have great empathy for others.
When I learn something, I don't forget it, and in fact may become the expert on it that everyone else comes to.
I read so fast, I can read everything 3 or 4 times before anyone else has read it once. (It really helps the learning part above.)
Multitasking: On the internet chatting and posting AND surfing sites while watching TV, on the phone, talking with my husband and petting the cats.
My long term memory frightens people.
Since I learn things so completely and have such a good long term memory, I can assert myself very well when I need to.
I am great at motivating people, and getting projects started, building plans.

Weaknesses:
I cannot change tasks well. Even when multitasking...if the power goes out, I am done. If my boss tells me to stop one thing and do another, I am lost. (It's worst if it's completely different, like "stop reading that and walk to this other location to lift boxes." UGH!)
My short term memory is horrible.
I repeat myself all the time.
I get so focused on what I am doing, I miss that others have moved on. (School field trips to museums? Yeah, I got lost all the time because I was staring at a painting while everyone else moved on.)
I get irritable and snap at people when they break my focus.
I repeat myself all the time.
I get lost in my flow chart sometimes, and cannot stop coming up with scenarios. It prevents me from moving on with topics, or from asserting myself because I cannot make a decision.
I get obsessed with things, like picking at my nails.
I lose focus and interest, and fade out on projects.

[ADDBecky]

My strengths:

Very Creative (Own my own craft business)
know peoples feeling and try to help
Good problem solver
Can put things together w/o directions
Happy most of the time
Can do lots of things at once


My weaknesses:

Always late where ever I go
Procrastinate
Can't spell that well
Can never keep my house clean
Get angery or frustrated easy
Lose focus easy
Start one thing then go start something else and leave the other

[SuzzanneX]

my strenghths are also my weaknesses

I'm gracious friendly and out going = I won't shut up
I'm abstract in thought and speech = I appear to be a flake, or "a little different"
'm a person you can ask for an idea = 1000s of thoughts per second
innovative atlernative to the conventional. = excentric, appearing wayward
I'm good company to myself = I'm self absorbed, hyperfocused and hermitative ....even tho I have that other gear that's very social.