Living Life One Step at a Time With ADHD

I honestly don’t even know where to begin. My mind is a cluster of thoughts. Did I do my laundry? How will I get the motivation to put all my laundry away? I want to watch that movie that just came out, but I also want to read that book that’s been sitting in the corner of my room for months. But the simplest of tasks can be more than exhausting for me to complete.

Other relevant stories:
• Worst Careers for ADHD
• Are You Born With ADHD?
• ADHD and Anger
• What is ADHD?

I attempt washing and drying my laundry. When it comes to putting it away, I am dragged away from the task by the thought of reading that dusty book sitting in the corner of my room. So I sit down, open the book, and put it down after a paragraph or less. I turn the TV on and try to watch a simple movie of interest, but continuously get up every two minutes, losing my train of thought as I fidget consistently.

As a teenager in high school, I always had a feeling I might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I could never focus, I was a terrible test-taker, and I wasn’t able to apply myself to be the better student I knew I was and could be. It was in late 2013 when I really began to notice a difference with my focus and concentration.

I began taking online classes with the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, majoring in photography. At the beginning of the course, I knew something wasn’t right. I would look at a single sentence within my notes and I would have to re-read it five, even six or seven times for it to vaguely sink in. I started to fall behind with my studies and projects that needed to be completed in a timely manner. Photography is one of the things I am most passionate about, so I was very hard on myself for not being able to complete simple educational tasks for something I love so much.

I also love to read and write, but ADHD does not discriminate. When I write, I can only write a few lines at a time because my attention is being pulled into five different directions. I get severely fatigued by the middle of my day because I cannot complete the goals I have set for myself for that day.

Since being diagnosed with ADHD, I have been receiving treatment through medication and practicing more patience. It took me a long time to learn that just because you have a disability, it does not mean you cannot accomplish anything you set your mind to. I believe if you dream big and have faith, anything in this life is possible and worthwhile.

Thinkstock image by Mary LB.