ADHD

I deal with it pretty well, all and all, but I think I'm pretty mild compared to most. I was diagnosed back in 2004 when doctors were handing Adderall out like candy so I do have a diagnosis, most people say they can see that I have it, so I'm inclined to believe that I do. I don't need medication anymore and I feel much better because of that. I hated Adderall, it just gave me terrible headaches and made me thirsty. Withdrawals sucked too because I would have massive mood swings.

However, growing up I was very fortunate to have parents that understood and did what they could to teach me replacement behaviors for when I was over the top jittery. They kept me active in sports and had things around the house for me to get energy out and still be mentally alert. We had a trampoline, a basketball goal, a swing set, stuff like that. Nowadays I work out regularly, I have a job that allows me to be flexible day to day while still providing routine (I work for a school district). I play video games, my wife and I watch TV shows, I'm involved with church, I love to go play sports with friends, and I cook so I generally stay distracted from being obnoxious with my need to always be moving. I've also turned more into an introvert the older I've gotten so I get and like alone time.

Some things are annoying like forgetting everything. I can't leave my house with our missing one or two things. It can be very important things that if I already left and I'm like 2 minutes from where I need to be, I'll have to turn around, be incredibly late, and waste the extra time to go back and grab it. I regularly forget where I put things, why I walked into a room, and it makes reading an unbearable chore because I get distracted every sentence if I'm not interested in the material. It makes training for work hard. My wife can get frustrated because I forget things she tells me left and right or I'll drift in thought mid conversation and miss something important. I'm very lucky to be married to the woman I am (for many reasons beyond this, she's just simply amazing) because she understands mental disorders like ADHD (she's a sped teacher who deals with it on the reg). She knows it's not my goal to forget and she's very patient and forgiving. I have a fidget cube that I regularly use in coversstion to keep my brain happy with endorphins too. It can be frustrating having intrusive thoughts left and right during important discussions. Patterns of addiction can be very hard to overcome. I specifically haven't done hard drugs or drank alcohol because of this. Growing up I was super addicted to video games and sugary food and I don't know that I've ever really kicked either habit despite putting an honest effort to do so. Sometimes I feel like I can't be myself around people I've known for years because I can be a little overbearing and meeting new people who aren't used to high energy or impulsive talk can be hard; however I am fortunate to have a large friend group who love me for me.

All in all I'm a happy person and I have stuff that bothers me like everybody else, but finding things I enjoy, keeping myself busy, physically and mentally, helps a lot. Milage varies from person to person, but I hope this helps somebody who may need help with ADHD get some tips on managing energy or to let people know what ADHD can look like.

Edit: I also love photography and nature so I go on hikes and take pictures as a way to relax. I think that's something anybody can do is enjoy walking outside and getting energy out that way.