Busy Bees and ADHD Awareness
Most of us have heard of ADHD, though there’s still some common misconceptions about it. For instance, many real symptoms with a basis in neurobiology are still sometimes seen as character flaws.
ADHD Awareness Month occurs every October, with their ribbon colored orange. I created the above painting as part of my “floral awareness” series, with an orange rose and sleeping bee. This is my first painting in the series, with plans to make more floral art to spread awareness of various mental and physical health conditions.
This first painting is special to me because I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of almost 40, and my diagnosis opened my eyes. For the first time in my life, I felt like I fully understood myself. The more I learned about ADHD, the more I was able to modify my environment to produce positive changes. Although I will use personal examples in this article, this is not about me but about spreading awareness.
When I first suspected that I may have a neurodivergent mind, I started following a psychologist on Instagram @ addept_org. Although I normally don’t recommend getting scientific advise from social media, she is a professional. She posts simple to read slides with easy to digest information, and has a website with helpful information.
Another great resource to get information includes Additude Magazine, also on Instagram @ additudemag with a website here. If you prefer podcasts, this episode of Ologies (I listened on Spotify) features an interview with an ADHD expert.
Neurotypical brains have a nervous system that is priority based, while ADHD is interest based. We all have our own interests of course, but there are structural differences that make someone with ADHD more interest driven than priority driven.
To explain the differences in how ADHD brains function differently than neurotypical minds, consider neurotransmitters. To put it simply, neurotransmitters send messages to different parts of the brain. ADHD brains do not use dopamine as effectively as someone without ADHD. If different parts of the brain cannot talk to each other effectively, its no wonder that some of us can be chronically forgetful or always late, just to name a few symptoms.
Some of dopamine’s role in our brains:
- task initiation aka motivation (we’re not lazy!)
- feelings of reward, or satisfaction (that also encourages future task completion)
- regulations of emotions- like driving a car and gradually applying gas or brakes
This list does not include a full scientific explanation, just an overview. Getting started on a task, such as homework or doing laundry, takes a lot of mental energy. Starting a boring task when you have ADHD is like adding an extra hurdle at the starting line. Feelings of reward directly tie into this as well, since people with ADHD don’t benefit with the same feeling of accomplishment after finishing a task either.
ADDept.org explained emotional regulation on her Instagram perfectly- neurotypical emotions are like dimmer switches that gradually build up in intensity. ADHD emotions are like light switches, on or off. That could be why you or someone you know sometimes suddenly explodes, or cries, or gets excited. People with ADHD also struggle to notice their body clues- for example, when I am hyperfocused on a task I won’t realize I am getting hungry until I am starving.
Executive functioning, which helps organize our thoughts, is also impacted by ADHD. Executive functioning helps us plan and switch tasks. The parts of executive functioning are:
- self awareness
- inhibition
- non- verbal working memory
- working memory
- self motivation
- planning and problem solving
This makes tasks very difficult. It is easy to overlook all of the little tasks that go into doing one thing. Take cooking as an example. ADDept.org posted a great slide on Instagram that explained why cooking with impaired executive functioning is difficult. Simply cooking a meal involves planning what to make, planning what to buy for it, planning when to cook, planning what order to cook everything in. Focusing on following instructions. Estimating the time each ingredient needs to cook, switching from cooking, to measuring, to stirring, to chopping, to cleaning as you go.
The ADHD mind may seem perplexing from the outside, due to the paradoxes that come with contradicting wants/ needs and behaviors. For example, our minds do not filter out unnecessary information, so we notice everything. This makes things like clutter overwhelming, but people with ADHD often have cluttered homes. Why? Because we are also very much “out of sight, out of mind” thinkers. If we leave something out in the open, we won’t forget it!
People with ADHD often thrive with structure, yet we crave spontaneity. Having a routine helps build habits, and daily habits use less brain power. Structure and routine provides better opportunities for “habit stacking,” where one habit is built on top of another. As an example, I know I pick up my son from school at a certain time, then we have snack time, then we have TV time, etc… In the summer, we have no routine because I lost my ability to habit stack. However, I have to have unstructured time as well, or I will get too bored.
Having ADHD is like riding on a seesaw, where each end of the seesaw is stimulation of some sort. I feel like I am constantly riding a seesaw of being understimulated and depressed or overstimulated and overwhelmed. Too many uncontrolled thoughts, too much clutter, nothing new, etc… Yet many people with ADHD thrive in high stress environments! Many of us work in emergency medicine, myself included. That type of work provides plenty of stimulation, and when I’m at work my brain works.
When you have ADHD you have to have stimulation in your life! Our brains need it more. Healthy coping behaviors include exercise, exploring outdoors, listening to music, etc… Basically behaviors that feed your brain. Many people self medicate with unhealthy behaviors as well. Risky sex and recreational drugs also provide stimulation, but in unhealthy ways.
Our brains are constantly looking for the right amount of stimulation- think of it as trying to drive a car with a battery that’s dying. Adding the right kind of stimulation to our lives helps give our brain battery a little juice. That’s why it is easier for me to concentrate in class if I am also doodling. Many people fidget, or even snack to stimulate their brain. We’re not being rude, we’re trying to function at our best.
I am not a mental health expert, nor am I a doctor. My understanding of ADHD is very basic, and I am always saving helpful slides I find on Instagram. I do my own research, and find ways to apply what I’ve learned to my life. Once I realized how very out of sight, out of mind we tend to be, I started taking my produce out of produce bags before dumping them in my refrigerator bin. I no longer waste all of my produce, literally, because I see it and am more likely to eat it.
Once I realized that time blindness is a huge problem for me, I bought an analog clock and put it in the living room, right next to my TV. Now, when I am sitting on the couch for hours at a time, watching TV and reading, or doodling, I can see exactly how much time I am wasting and what time it actually it.
I love to exercise, and always assumed I was exercising enough. After someone suggested I use a tracker, I realized I only exercise about once a week. Now that I use a tracker (I use Map My Run) I can see how often I am actually exercising and modify my behavior. I can see what my friends are doing, and compete with them, which helps give me motivation. I also have all of my routines saved in the app, so I can just pull up whichever one I want to do next and get to work!
My leftovers often get thrown away, because I cannot remember when they were cooked. I recently started making big batches of soup in the crockpot, and I freeze half of it in small containers. Having frozen soup that is only one or two portions in size means I won’t struggle with wondering how long ago it thawed- it thaws quickly and I can eat it within a day or two. Next week I am going to pull out my ham and sweet potato soup and eat it with rice!
People with ADHD need to use a planner and reminders. I don’t know how anyone, ADHD or not, can function without one. However, planners that are designed for most people may not work well for people with ADHD. I used to make my own, but I recently found a planner that is similar to the one I was making for myself. It’s called Commit30. It has the typical month and week view, but it also has places where I can list my big picture goals, and their steps. If you can’t find a planner you like, I recommend typing something out, and printing it as you need it. You can tape it into a blank sketchbook. This works well because you’ll also have space for notes and doodling.
Although I use pencil and paper to plan my life, I still need reminders. My favorite app for this is Color Note- I use the calendar function to remind me of recurring events. Once a week a reminder will pop up to take out the recycling. I have another reminder for my EMT recertifications that pops up once a week. I have a daily checklist with things to do that pops up Monday through Friday as well.
The app allows for text or checklist notes outside of the calendar widget as well. I have a sticky note widget on my home screen with a checklist for groceries. Every time I think of something I need, I add it to the note. When I’m ready to shop, I put in a curbside order.
I created my ADHD awareness rose with a bee intentionally. I used acrylic paint on bristol board to make this image. The rose is orange, because the awareness ribbon is orange. There’s a bee in the center, because people with ADHD are often busy bees! We flit around, with our own purpose and intentions that may seem chaotic and random to an outsider. We are productive, and provide many important contributions to those around us. We are often on the go, and crash for a good nap, just like this sweet bee sleeping inside the rose.
I do not publish behind a “paywall,” so read all you’d like.
