Francis on ADHD and Boredom
Writing this blog is hard because it is boring. There are not many ways to make writing a blog interesting, unless you have particularly interesting subject matter. For instance, I could write a blog about advanced guitar technique with far more pique to my interest than this. ADHD is not something I would ever choose to obsess about. The only reason I do, is because it creates such problems for me. Unlike advanced guitar technique, because learning how standard modes as scales separate from their Ionian mothers IS fascinating.
For most people, boring is a problem. For people with ADHD, boring is an anathema, the nemesis. It crushes freedom underfoot and blockades the passage of time. Boredom is like being under siege, nowhere to go and no ability to go there; surrounded by the same old same old, and a little bit of martial law. I wonder if boredom is just as stark for everybody? Maybe it is particularly bad for ADHD because we keep placing our wandering minds on how bored we are. We refuse to stop thinking about it. I find it difficult to stay focused when I actually am interested, it cranks up to 11 when it is something I simply have to do.
There are some people, who on hearing a description of the symptoms of ADHD, take offense at the idea this issue could be considered diagnosable. They hear things like, “I really can’t stand doing boring things” and feel annoyed that they must. After all, boring is, boring no matter who you are. It is fundamental to the human experience, and only childish and selfish to indulge in the unpleasantness of it. Why should I be given a pass? Why am I even talking about it? Life contains boredom, get over it, with your “Oh-so-special disorder”.
Well, I will quite literally walk for miles to alleviate boredom. I have done. Boredom will lose you your job. Boredom will drive you to addiction. I spent many years addicted to alcohol largely because I could not bear the thought of an evening alone with my boring, vanilla thoughts. Boredom gets you kicked out of school, boredom means you pay too much for too little. Boring means you do not go out with friends because it will involve a lot of sitting and talking, that is, unless they are doing something interesting. Boring renders you rude. Boring makes you talk during films.
I feel like I’m leading up to an advertising slogan.
Boring is.
What boring is, is fu##ing boring. I’m bored of writing about it. I was going to write about the ways I might attempt to make writing a blog about adult ADHD not boring. But writing about the boredom itself did seem somewhat appropriate.
Just before I go though, it may be that my experience of boredom is not a standard feature of ADHD? Everybody copes in different ways, perhaps I have just gone for the most childish option — that of saying BOOOOORING loudly and not trying to engage? I would be very interested to hear what my fellow ADHDers have to say about it. Just so you know however, I can’t promise I won’t get bored…….
