By: Ana Rogers
Thumbnail credits: https://www.psycom.net/adhd
ADHD stands for attention deficit (shortage) hyperactivity disorder. Most people stereotype this as just a very talkative person, someone who struggles to pay attention, or someone who is very energetic. NO. You’ve got it ALL wrong. I’ll explain as we go. Before we start, viruses and bacteria DO NOT give you ADHD. it can be passed down through family, or it can come up abruptly, and there are different “levels.”. These can get worse as time goes on, better, or stay the same.
1: You have it really mild. You may have so low and little symptoms you don't even know you have it.
2: Your symptoms are meh. They are recognizable but don't interfere with anything.
3: You may have trouble paying attention in class sometimes.
4: PROCRASTINATION. IGNORING WORK. FALLING BEHIND. FORGETTING IMPORTANT THINGS.
DON'T: Self-diagnose
DO: See a doctor. There are many things very similar to ADHD.
ADHD is what has us do things we shouldn't, which people say is simply “not paying attention.” We actually do it to get it out of the way so we can now focus on the current topic. We often try to get FUN stuff out of the way first. This can take a while to get everything off this “mental checklist” especially since most of the stuff is added as we go along. (for example, doing a craft for a bird toy when you're supposed to be doing a math assignment.)
DON'T ASSUME what ADHD means.
DO RESEARCH it so you know what to expect of others and/or yourself.
This is also why we are really talkative. Ever had a friend with ADHD who kept interrupting you? They don't mean to be rude. They thought of something to say, and they cant stop focusing on THAT, so they say it so that they can listen to you finish your conversation. We think of things abruptly. That may sound bad, but that's just another way of saying we have lots of creativity, but in exchange, we easily are distracted and forget other important things.
DON'T ACCUSE you/your friend of being rude. It's not their fault they’re so talkative.
DO KINDLY remind them that you were talking about something different. This will help their brains learn that what they want to say isn't important right there and then.
People with ADHD can be stereotyped as energetic. Yes and no. We actually have Hyperfocus. We hyperfocus usually on the things we love, like writing, reading, or playing games, and take hours on things they hate. In personal experience, I’ve taken 30 minutes to solve a single math problem.
(This was dividing up things, for example: 2 sub sandwiches must be divided between 7 people. How much does each person get? So we had to divide up the drawing until we found an answer where everyone got an equal share, so it should have taken about 5 minutes a problem. There were 6 problems, I recall.)
DO enjoy fun activities, and also get your stuff done. Get someone to help you with what you hate. Even if you know what to do, it's easier and more fun with a friend.
DON'T just sit there! If you are struggling to pay attention, try to wake yourself up. Splash of water on your face, go outside for 5 minutes, Etc.
Alright! Quick solutions if you have ADHD. (or even if you don't, these might still help you!)
This is all from personal experience.
Sticky notes. When you use sticky notes, set it somewhere you’ll see it, and have them in rows, not all over. Be sure to remove ones you don't need. Seeing a giant wall’s worth of things to-do, even if you’ve done everything, it can be overwhelming.
To-do list. Need I say more?
Bullet journal. Bullet journals are just safe spaces for all your things. Passwords, important dates, ETC along with to-do lists and calendars, which may be optional for other people, but having everything in one place is KEY for being organized with ADHD. It may take a while to use the bullet journal for...using. When I got my bullet journal, I was excited to decorate, but as soon as I heard I would need to write everything down, I avoided it. I did get used to it, and it's really fun. I'll link some youtube videos at the end of this for more detail so please watch them!
Final do’s and don'ts! DON'T stick to a method that's not working for you.
DO try multiple methods, and know that it's okay to use multiple methods at once.
bullet journal inspiration: (these videos are not ours. The name of the channel they are from will be listed.)
artsy(Study To Success) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtfH1wY25c&t=399s
cutesy(annikas leaf) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mufza91A-5Y
minimalist (Pick Up Limes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK5VUuxGYr0
supplies:
(these are some recommended items for bullet journaling and their average prices, so you can get a sense of pricing. there are cheaper versions and more expensive versions of all of these.)
DOTTED NOTEBOOK: 10$ FINE TIP PENS: 7$ GLUE STICKS: 1$
STICKERS: Prices vary. All the stickers I have were gifts, but you can find some at the dollar store, and I recommend Aliexpress since there is a lot of options, high ratings, and cheap prices. It also depends on how much you're buying. a few sheets I think would usually be 1$ or less, and a sticker book maybe 5$. MAGAZINE AND OLD CALENDAR CLIPPINGS: 0$ In total, you'll probably spend around 20$. I may or may not go in to an article all about bullet journaling. Tell me what you think!
Take care! Ana signing off!
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