11 Things I Love About Having ADHD

We often hear about all the challenges that having ADHD can present, and rightly so. Raising awareness about these challenges is what: helps anyone who is struggling to feel less alone; enables us to find or develop solutions; and makes it easier for allies to understand how they can best support us.

 However, for me, it is equally important to speak about the positives that ADHD has brought me. Doing this helps me to appreciate the full picture of my neurological difference and feel a sense of pride in it.

 So, below is a (non-exhaustive) list of 11 things I love about having ADHD. These are, of course, my sentiments about my experience of having ADHD and they will not be applicable to everyone who has ADHD, so please do not feel disheartened if you do not relate to them. Instead, I would love it if you shared with me what you love about having ADHD.

 Now, to the list!

1.      The never-ending stream of ideas

My brain is always thinking, and whilst not every thought is comforting or brilliant, among the millions of different thought streams and tangents lie at least a handful of good ideas every day. These are the ideas that help me to live and to develop my life and create content to help others.

2.     Hyperfocus

Nothing brings me a beautiful mix of calm and productivity like when my brain finds its groove and I am able to exclusively channel my energy towards one thing, whether it be a song I am listening to, a workout, an exercise routine, or a document that I am working on.

3.     The way I surprise myself

Being autistic, I cherish and depend upon routines, but sometimes I can become stuck in them, which can feel monotonous and stifling. This is where ADHD saves the day. I love it when, out of the blue, a good idea arises, I hyperfocus on it and do something fun or achieve something that I am proud of that I didn’t plan or expect to do or achieve. This knocks me out of my funk and brings some colour to my day.

4.     The dopamine highs

My brain’s sporadic, unreliable and sometimes seemingly stingy dopamine release system means that I spend a lot of time feeling bored. Whilst boredom spells can be painful, they make the dopamine highs sweeter. After a few hours of tiresome admin, an uneventful 30-minute run can leave me feeling like I am on cloud nine.

5. My brain tells me what it likes

Boredom is unbearable for me and there have been times when I have cried at my desk because a work task has threatened me with more boredom than I can cope with. This has caused a lot of issues for me, but the extremity with which my brain reacts to what it finds boring makes it easy for me to identify what it connects with. This helps me to discover what interests and excites me, and thus understand my motivations and myself on a deeper level.

6. Energy and enthusiasm

My extreme reaction to boredom is often matched by my extreme reaction to what I enjoy. If I connect with something, I give it 110%. I go above and beyond, which I think is a beautiful quality. Not only does this typically lead to quality output, but it gives me a sense of purpose and strong emotional connection to what I do.

7. Freestyle

Being socially anxious and autistic, many aspects of life can be terrifying, complicated and confusing for me. Thankfully, my ADHD seems to have come with a built-in ability to freestyle. I can handle most challenging situations pretty well by going with the flow (or bringing my own flow). I might feel terrible and ill whilst I do it, but oftentimes I can think on my feet, solve problems at a moment’s notice, talk enthusiastically about a lot of things and make a good impression.

8. Light-hearted

Whilst I am serious about what I do, my ability to freestyle and change direction enable me to be light-hearted as well. When in the right frame of mind, I can be humorous, entertaining and endearing. I have been told in the past that I light up the room, which is a lovely thing to be told, and if it’s true and I haven’t misread the situation (#Autism) I am glad I can do this and bring some light relief and joy to other people.

9.     Alert

How alert I am depends on how well my executive function is faring, but when it’s faring well, I am laser sharp. I am present, I notice everything and my reaction time is second to none. I have relied on the latter more times than I can count, and it has saved me from many potentially fatal injuries.

10. Speed

Fortunately, my quickness is not restricted to my reaction time. My ADHD means that I am speedy with a lot of things. I can complete tasks on 2x speed without sacrificing quality; I can clean the house at a lightning pace without missing a speck of dust and complete a work task that would take some people 8 hours within 2-3 hours (if there is a deadline to motivate me).

11. Kindness, empathy and acceptance

Last but not least, being different to the majority and encountering unique challenges has helped me to be less judgemental and more accepting of others and more empathetic to their challenges than is typical. It is natural and instinctive for me to show other people kindness, empathy and acceptance.