238 A Beginner’s Guide to ADHD, Part 2: ADHD is (NOT) a Gift

I Have ADHD Podcast

Kristen Carder

Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Education, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.8K Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2023

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is ADHD a superpower? Is it not a superpower? We’ll talk about that today, in our “Getting Back to Basics” series, part 2.

If you’ve been around here a while, you know that my position is – NO! ADHD is not a superpower. It’s not a gift. It’s not awesome!

When people say ADHD is a gift or a superpower, they point to traits like creativity, hyperfocus, and inventiveness.

So sure, Simon Sinek, if you’re a rich, white, super smart, privileged man, you can look at some of the qualities that you have and say – “ADHD is an amazing quality of my life.”

But here’s the thing: If you’re a student struggling in school with very few resources, without the privilege of a diagnosis, treatment, or support, who’s being made fun of or rejected by their peers, then – NO, ADHD is not a gift.

Labeling ADHD as a superpower invalidates people who are struggling with this neurodevelopmental disorder. It can even lead to victim-blaming: “If ADHD is awesome, then I’m the problem.”

In my opinion, this is not the right way to address ADHD. It’s actually quite the opposite.

I worked for a decade with students and their parents. I, myself, am a parent to two children with ADHD. I’ve found out, time and again, that telling children the truth, validating their struggles, and giving them coping skills is a better way to go.

Saying ADHD is awesome invalidates your true experience and reality. Instead, understand ADHD challenges and understand how to cope and reach out for help and support.

It's so important for us to live in the reality of what ADHD is and how it affects us.

As you navigate your ADHD journey, I want you to know that YOU are amazing, not ADHD. YOU are the gift, not ADHD. Your personality, your goodness, and your generosity are all gifts. Don’t let ADHD take the credit for your badassery!

If you want help better understanding the role ADHD plays in your life, I invite you to check out my group coaching program FOCUSED. Come join our incredible community of like-minded people who are learning to thrive with their diagnosis instead of just surviving.

Come hang out with me on Instagram HERE.

AG1 by Athletic Greens

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the I have ADHD podcast where it's all about education, encouragement and
0:11.2	coaching for adults with ADHD.
0:13.5	I'm your host Kristen Carter and I have ADHD.
0:17.5	Let's chat about the frustrations, humor, and challenges
0:21.1	of adulting, relationships, working, and achieving with this neurodevelopmental disorder.
0:27.0	I'll help you understand your unique brain, unlock your potential, and move from point A to point B.
0:34.0	Hey what's up, this is Kristen Carter and you're listening to the I have
0:41.0	ADHD podcast. I am medicated, I am
0:44.9	regulated and I'm ready to roll. I actually think the claim that I am
0:50.4	regulated may be slightly questionable at the moment but we're going to go with it.
0:56.7	It's just regulation is a little bit subjective and today my kids have off of school because of teacher in service and election day and I've
1:06.1	been so off the entire morning and like it just seems like I mean it's not the morning anymore the whole day I've just been so off and it's funny because every once in a while I have this thought that's like wow I'm really managing my ADHD so well. It's barely noticeable and then bam I have a day like today and I'm like oh there it is.
1:29.3	There's that ADHD that I was feeling a little smug about so-called overcoming.
1:35.0	That is not the case I can assure all of you.
1:38.0	The first sign was that I woke up on my own with no alarm
1:41.5	because the kids didn't need to get up and I ate breakfast right away which I am telling you I never do like I know it sounds normal but I never do that I go to my a. G1 straight away and then I go right to the coffee pot like every
1:55.5	single day for a long time that's what I've been doing and I don't usually eat
2:00.0	breakfast until like nine or ten a.m. I'm just not hungry and whatever it doesn't matter.
2:04.6	But I went straight to the pantry today and got my frosted mini weeds and ate a bowl of cereal and
2:10.9	then went to the couch and then I was like wait a second did I drink
2:15.2	coffee did I drink my AG1 like it was so I know this sounds dumb but when you do the same thing every day in a row over and over and
2:26.0	then all of the sudden you just do something different like my brain was like
	...

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