Apply Your ADHD Strengths to Move out of ADHD Struggles
By: Cindy North, ADHD Life Coach Specialist
October 23, 2020
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, commonly called ADHD, can often feel like you are sinking in the quicksand of ADHD symptoms. The more effort you put in, the harder it becomes. The calmer you try to be, the more your body wants to move. The harder you try to remember, the more you forget what you were trying to remember. The harder you try to listen, the more your mind wanders in thought. Sound familiar? What looks like solid ground quickly sucks you under. One would think you could just use your feet to climb out of quicksand. But can you?
When you find yourself stuck, you should just get out of it. Right? It seems opposite to lay flat to pull your feet up. Just pull your feet up. Sounds simple. Why can’t you just do that??? The frustration grows, and the quicksand grabs a stronger hold as you pull and pull against the force. What works for someone else walking on a sandy beach is not what will work for someone trying to walk through quicksand. You both are walking on sand. Why then, is it so hard for you? The answer is your brain works differently from someone else’s brain. Understanding the uniqueness of your ADHD is step one in walking through ADHD quicksand. ADHD strengths can offer a balance for ADHD weakness. In calling on strengths, ADHDer’s can know what to do to move forward when they feel stuck in their ADHD quicksand.
ADHD strengths come in so many forms and are unique to each person in output. ADHDer’s are super observant, vigilant, courageous, creative, innovative, devoted, energized, fun, thoughtful, big thinkers, and so much more. Is that what is seen? Not always. Society has painted a false image of ADHD as the hyperactive boy skipping across desks at school or the boy climbing in the zoo’s tiger pen. This label has falsely categorized ADHD as a disorder of boys when, in fact, ADHD is diagnosed in girls and boys and children and adults. The human brain is regarded as the most complex organ in the body. Doctors and Scientists are yet to have all the answers to brainpower. Brainpower is what makes us all unique. That uniqueness can make ADHD challenging to manage. How can you spread out your “ADHD weight,” so you can move out of your ADHD struggles? Many ADHD annoyances can be reframed and viewed on the upside. Using strengths to move through weaknesses is key to walking up and out of your ADHD quicksand rather than staying stuck. The sample list below shows how a few mindset shifts can move weaknesses towards positive opportunities.
Distracted towards noticing more
Overwhelmed towards having a useable meter
Poor performance under pressure towards working well in safety
Overly talkative towards sharing thoughts
Ruminator towards the use of imagination
Procrastinator towards careful consideration
Forgetful towards using tools to remember
Oblivious to time towards living life in flow
Impulsive towards uninhibited
Making living life more comfortable is a mindset we all could grasp. In shifting your approach to getting out of your quicksand, you can use your strengths and what works best to better your lifestyle. Living life is not one-size-fits-all. We are all challenged to find our solutions using our unique brainpower. Living life with ADHD and using ADHD strengths to shift your weaknesses can be a step towards embracing ADHD and its upside. Quicksand is known to pull you down. The unique human brain has learned to beat the force. Don’t choose to stay stuck. Choose to shift gears to move up and out.
Cindy North is an ADHD Life Coach Specialist working with people get unstuck. Her passion is guiding the ADHD community to success by empowering others to shine with their abilities.
