What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person's ability to pay attention, being hypersensitive and uncontrollable impulse. Which in turn will affect a person's daily routines and tasks. It generally affects work,school and general lifestyle.
Let's dig deeper:
It is easier to identify this disorder in children as their daily routines will highlight "irregularities " on how they develop ,play and interact with other children . Children have certain milestones for certain ages,but in most cases kids with ADHD will often be inconsistent or all over the place.
Some kids will be identifiable by being too hypersensitive for their age,more creative and disorganized. It is best to take your child for a medical opinion .
Once the child has been assessed and diagnosed (this may take a couple of consultation visits) they can be put on medication to help balance and adjust to the "normal" lifestyle.
ADHD in adults:
Yes it does affects adults and it is mostly misdiagnosed for depression, stress and anxiety.
It is very difficult to identify because of the above mentioned which is what most adults go through. It affects adults way more significantly than kids because as an adult you have more duties and responsibilities to fulfill than a child.
For example: you may be unable to complete tasks,lose interest and abandon important duties because you are unable to pay attention. A work supervisor with ADHD may come across as harsh sometimes because they can be very impulsive, they can't control their emotions and thoughts .
How to manage?
Once you have been diagnosed with ADHD, first acknowledge and accept the diagnosis. Research more about it and inform and give a background of the disorder to those closest to you like family members,friends and immediate colleagues.
Have a routine,in most cases people with ADHD easily forget. They plan but forget or simply lose interest over time. People with ADHD are great at multitasking,very creative but disorganized.
It is best one sets up a daily plan and routine. From the moment they wake up in the morning until the moment they go to sleep at night.
List down all duties,responsibilities and tasks for the day. Tick them off as you go,have someone who will have access to your schedule,set reminders .
The most important aspect is time management, time yourself on all tasks set out on your daily plan and reward yourself everytime a task is completed on time.
Take breaks,don't overwork yourself. Breathing exercises work best especially when in a workplace.
Understand your condition first,know your strengths and weaknesses and work with those.
When feeling overwhelmed, take a break . Read a book,watch a video that calms you down. Some days may be harder than others but it is manageable.
Go to therapy,take your medications as prescribed. Work more with your creative side.
*more on ADHD on my next article *
You must be logged in to post a comment.