Sagittarius And ADHD — Crazy Meet Obessed

I have ADHD and I’m a Sagitarius — yikes! For years, I’ve struggled with my own version of the crazy (ADHD) / hot (Sag) matrix. And this post is about my journey with ADHD and some tips for those fortunately unfortunate to be Sag-ADHD. In the end, it’s a good thing!

For many of us with ADHD (and maybe us Sag’s), we live in a thunderstorm. As with all violent storms, they come and they go. They are terrifying and beautiful to watch. They can violently destroy and also produce life-giving moisture growing beautiful landscapes. ADHD is as torrential as it is sustaining… As such, I’ve looked at my ADHD / Sag combo as a gift, but one I am fearfully fond of.

At 11 years old, I was diagnosed with ADHD. I took a variety of medications, Ritalin being primary. My symptoms:

• restlessness and edginess
• difficulty keeping quiet, and speaking out of turn
• lack of task focus
• mood swings, irritability and a quick temper
• inability to deal with stress
• moderate to extreme impatience
• taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for personal safety or the safety of others — for example, extreme sports
• and maybe some organizational challenges…

Being diagnosed a Sag, a birth, I’ve come to accept my sign as critical to the universe’s stability. As Sag’s go, the following is my sign’s expression:

• Blunt, and to the point of being know-it-all
• Emotional, and emotionally intelligent
• Arrogant, and frightened of being arrogant
• Big picture thinker, and particular about stupid things
• Fun, excitable and a little reckless with spending
• Commitment… Well, kinda good at it, kinda not — sorry, not sorry

Thankfully, I grew as an athlete and goal-setting was bred in to me. Take it from someone who has ADHD, this is a saving grace, a life win! Instead of losing sight of objectives, I get a little obsessed over them. Whatever the case my be, I have been and always will be ruled by my ADHD. So, how have I coped? How have I predicted the torrent's? What are the steps I’ve used to control my Sag!?

My saving grace is / was training and mountain athletics… As I mentioned above, my family was sports-oriented and this focus kept me on point. I’m a lucky one. This rigger continued throughout my life (again, so thankful) and turned in to an obsession, in a good and bad way. Athletics / training / mountain adventures is my life, it’s what I would do if I didn’t work. For anyone struggling with ADHD, athletics focuses the mind / body. Burning calories keeps the mind focused and lessens the anxiety. Now, there are downsides. People with ADHD get obsessed, and quickly. I’ve had my fair share of relationship breakdown due to my training demands, and some of these I regret. So, as I’ve learned balance (ha ha, riiiiiight), I’ve started to build towards a more sustainable way of incorporating my passion and relationships (as best I can). Below is a quick list of ideas for training your body (and then mind):

1. Train, do something! Walk, run, move… That’s goal #1.
2. Intensity matters… People with ADHD are easy to spot (just look for the ones sitting on the machine on their phone, but only for a few seconds, and then watch them do something else-squirrel!). The point is — go hard!
3. It must be done everyday! I don’t think ADHD people should have rest days.
4. Buy a home gym! Do it, done.
5. Get obsessed… It’s just how Sag’s operate.
6. Group classes — Jiu Jitsu, for example is perfect. We love being around people and positive energy helps us thrive.
7. Tell people you’re doing this — you’ll do this anyway (you’re a Sag). The point is the talking will get your committed.
8. Set a goal, but don’t really pin point it. Make it “out there”, like a dream goal. Specific goals for ADHD/Sag’s are tough, and I don’t think they work that well.
9. Repeat #1.
10. Have multiple discipline approach… Don’t do just one thing. You’re a varied person, enjoy variety.

Train hard, sweat and stay focused!