A New Kind of Energy: Spunky AND Organized

From an InsideADHD.org subscriber

“Spunky,” “energetic,” “outgoing” were the positive words; “scootch,” “pain” and “nuisance” were not. I knew at a young age that I definitely had a short attention span, even shorter than the other kids in my class. Regardless of what the subject matter was, I was always “going in all directions,” something that my second grade teacher, Mrs. Smith, once told my mother. I just couldn’t concentrate; my desk was always messy; my handwriting was barely legible; and my work looked careless and was filled with spelling mistakes. In a quiet setting, I would even shake my leg without even realizing it, always squirming and fidgeting in my seat. Every chance I got, I would jump at the opportunity to walk around. I was always the first one to get in trouble for talking in class and was easily distracted by my peers or some surrounding noise. However, I had no idea until later that my problem was called ADHD.

When I was younger, I was never interested in learning. As I look back on it, I realize that it was because it did not come easily for me. It would always take me twice as long as my peers to do simple tasks. Through the support of my parents and teachers, my school work began to improve, and I began to take pride in my academics. I also started seeing a psychiatrist periodically, who prescribed me medication and provided counseling. At the same time, I developed skills to organize myself, learned to make clear lists, and created very specific methods for tackling tasks.

As a high school and college student, my problem became easier. I knew that I could not procrastinate on assignments, so I would plan ahead and reserve a specific time to complete small parts of the assignment. I would even have three or four people proof read my assignments before handing them in to the professor. Often I would read a paper out loud to recognize my errors more easily, or I would wait an hour and read the paper again.

Through some hard work and determination anything is possible to overcome, and I have done just that with ADHD. Proudly, I can say that I graduated from a top school and have a demanding job in the media business.