Reasons why I love my mental disability
An ode to my ADHD and the benefits it gives me
Having been in therapy for my ADHD symptoms for some time, I realised that the techniques I was given to cope with my neurodiversity were aimed at making me ‘normal’. And while I do find them effective, I began to feel the need to protect the ‘unusualness’ that ADHD gifted me with.
Growing up as an undiagnosed neurodiverse kid, I often felt different from my peers. I had special ways of doing things, unique interests, and creative ideas constantly swirling in my hectic mind. Yes, some people found me a little weird, but most people loved me for these qualities.
Now as an adult, this ‘unusualness’ persists and manifests itself in exactly the same ways as it did when I was growing up. Although, I had to learn to tone it down to match the expectations of society placed on a young female — I try not to scream out weird random facts at people whom I just met, clean up my ‘organised mess’ before having people over, and generally try to act ‘normal’ in front of people.
Yet, as I embrace the learning of doing things the way ‘normal people’ do, I refuse to discard some of my patterns. Instead, I have fallen in love with them and the benefits I get from them.
I am creative
A lot of research suggests that ADHD and creativity go hand in hand. Recent studies even show that it’s not just a perk but a requirement, and I found it to be true in my case.
Although, it is still inconclusive whether ADHDers are generally more creative, it is conclusive that we have qualities aligned with those needed during a creative process — spontaneity, wittiness, and thinking ‘outside the box’.
After almost three decades of forcing myself to conquer first academic and then corporate fields, I have given up and decided to pursue creative work instead.
Since early childhood, I have always been drawn to creative activities and arts. But the capitalist society told me I needed a ‘proper job’. So I graduated from university and began working in sales. I hated all of my office jobs, but everyone around me seemed to be into it, so I forced myself to like it too.
Unfortunately, the realisation that I don’t quite fit among other working professionals came only after a couple of nervous breakdowns and various stress-related health problems.
When I left my corporate job, my physical and mental health were in pieces, but I was fortunate enough to find time to rest, heal, and explore my genuine interests.
Eventually, I reconnected with my childhood hobby — writing. Having a marketing degree also came in handy, as I managed to combine both domains — writing and marketing — and make it my job. That’s how I got into content writing.
The most beautiful thing is that when I rediscovered my intrinsic desire for creativity, I was able to start living a more fulfilled professional life and began seeing my career take off.
I can hyperfocus
This is something of a blessing and a curse at the same time. But generally, I do believe that if you know how to take control of your hyperfocus patterns, it is truly a superpower of ADHDers.
While all people can hyperfocus on things of their interest from time to time, people with ADHD can only focus on things that have the right balance of personal interest, stimulation and reward. So, this is really a slippery slide because completing boring and mundane tasks requires way more effort from ADHDers than neurotypical people.
Whenever I get into this hyperfocus mode, I feel like a superhero film character, and my superpower is having tunnel vision on the task and an endless supply of energy to complete it.
I can hyperfocus on my work or life projects, topics of interest, or creative activities, like painting, and spend hours writing or researching a topic. The results of each hyperfocus episode are always rewarding, and I embrace these moments with a lot of pleasure.
There have been many instances in my life when I became so absorbed in a new work project that in a short amount of time, I was able to study all the ins and outs of the client’s industry.
Most of the time, I have difficulty staying focused and easily get distracted, either by sudden thoughts or sounds around me. I am well aware of these patterns and often get very upset about them. But after being in my super productive hyperfocus mood, I can’t help but feel great about myself. Almost empowered.
However, it’s important to remember that hyperfocus and excessive productivity come at a price, which is exhaustion, either physical or mental. So, going back to where I started, it is important to stay mindful of these episodes and introduce ground rules for yourself.
For example, I tend to hyperfocus on my writing, especially when I am working on an exciting topic, and to not exhaust my brain I introduced a rule where I close my laptop and stop writing regardless of anything at 9 pm sharp.
P.S.: This blogpost was written during the hyperfixation episode, just like many others.
I am energetic
Am I restless, or do I have a lot of energy to get things done? I like to think of myself as very energetic.
Hyperactivity can manifest differently in different people, but here’s how I see the benefits of it in my personal experience.
Most days I am constantly on the go, and I find it to be a great quality to have to complete everyday tasks, like going to the store, sending parcels, running errands, etc.
Even before being diagnosed, I’ve noticed how easy it is for me to just get up and go to the corner store to get that one missing ingredient for my favourite pasta or quickly run to the post office to pick up a new dress I ordered.
My energy also made me easygoing, which instantly attracted people — friends, boyfriends or just people who were down to do fun activities together. I attribute my wide social circle to my ADHD. At the end of the day, who doesn’t want a buddy who is always down to hang out and go on spontaneous trips with you?
All of the above qualities bring rewards into my life on a daily basis, and I enjoy feeling different from others. There’s a lot of empowerment in realising that you do have a mental disability, but it is in your power to make it your asset. With the right tools (in my case, it was CBT therapy and related literature), you can handle many difficulties that come from neurodiversity and turn them into benefits, celebrating your own uniqueness.
This article has been slightly edited using an AI grammar tool because English is not my first language. However, I still want to deliver good-quality content that resonates with my readers.
