3For My Readers with ADHD
It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.
—e.e. cummings
My adult diagnosis of ADHD was one of the biggest bumps I've encountered in my adult life and yet it also became the catalyst for me to write this book.
The ADHD definition I use is “a disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity‐impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.”1 Medical professionals stress: ADHD has a strong hereditary component; the onset of ADHD symptoms is traced back to childhood; ADHD symptoms occur across multiple settings, including work, home, and one's social world.2
The challenges of recognizing ADHD start with the fact that it can show up with different challenges for someone who has inattentive symptoms (e.g., not listening when spoken to directly) and someone who has hyperactive symptoms (e.g., be constantly in motion or on the go). And some folks display symptoms of both.
In my coaching practice, I use these three buckets to categorize adult ADHD symptoms.
| Attention/Focus | Organization/Prioritization | Emotional Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to give attention to detail | Difficulty organizing tasks | Blurts out |
| Difficulty sustaining attention | Loses things | Difficulty waiting turn |
| Difficulty engaging in leisure activities | Difficulty breaking a big goal into subgoals and steps | Low frustration tolerance |
| Doesn't seem to listen | Failure to give attention to detail | Feels restless |
| Avoids tasks requiring sustained ... |
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