So, I have ADHD

When I was 16, my teacher asked me to see her after an exam. 
‘Lindsey, you blanked out, staring out the window for a good 10 mins,’ she said. ‘You should get checked for ADHD.’

Sure enough, I was diagnosed with the attention disorder but, as a competitive swimmer, my parents declined medication & encouraged me to channel my wondering focus through sport. 

Since my last uni exam, I haven’t thought about ADHD. I thought it was just a ‘kid’s thing’, that you grow out of. However, observing my frustrations over the lack of my book progress, my sis-in-law, booked me an app to see a specialist.

‘I think you’ve probably got ADHD.’ Dr. Humphries said, within 3 minutes of our appointment.

‘How can you tell so soon?’ I asked, whilst twiddling the button on my pocket.

‘You can’t stop fidgeting. But, lets proceed. Tell me about yourself Lindsey.’ He nodded as I told him my life story.

‘So, you’re impulsive?’ he said, when I told him I mermaided the Thames in Nov, as I wasn’t free before & just wanted to do it.

‘You get hyper focused too.’ He said, when I told him I once ran 250 miles to Manchester so I could teach myself the ukulele. ‘That’s your super power. When you’re into something there’s no stopping you.’ He continued, making me blush.

‘I actually love writing, but I find myself staring at a plane through the window, wondering where its going.’ I said, when he asked if I’m easily distracted.

‘Everyone struggles with tasks they’re not in to, but most can complete them when they have to. People with ADHD struggle ALOT more. Your brain just works differently. You see life through a wide-angle lens, which is wonderful, but it makes it hard to focus.’ he said. 

This time when I was offered medication I decided to take it.

‘Like glasses help the near-sighted person focus, medication helps an ADHD person see the world more clearly. It won't cure it, it'll just help you focus to get what you need to do done. ’ He said.

I never blanked out during my GCSE exam. I was just watching a robin dive from his nest, dancing in the snow- more interested in whether he was going to catch his morning worm than the exam paper in front of me.

If you know anyone with #ADHD, please get in touch, I’d love to hear their journeys regulating their focus through adulthood