F is for Focus

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
Many think that people with ADHD can’t focus on anything at all.

But you can actually focus more intently than most, when something is interesting enough.
In this intense focus, called hyperfocus, you can maintain an intense focus on a single thing for hours and hours.

You lose all sense of time and ignore bodily functions like hunger and thirst.
When directed at a positive activity, you can be far more productive than most while hyperfocused.

But the reverse is also true.

Hours may pass with nothing to show for it but reorganized collections or sorted crafts.
Neurotypicals observe your hyperfocus and think it proves that "you can focus if you try" which is wrong.

They may mistakenly think you are just lazy, selfish, or defiant and choosing not to focus on things that are important.
For more on ADHD:

• Follow me @jessejanderson

• Visit adhd.page to download my free ADHD guide or sign up for my free weekly newsletter, Extra Focus.

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More from @jessejanderson

20 Oct
L is for (not) Lazy

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHD causes a dysfunction of motivation.

The invisible nature of ADHD leads some people to label ADHDers as lazy or weak-willed.

But that is a fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening.
Laziness isn't something you do by accident.

Being lazy is a choice.

Someone who is lazy decides "I don't want to do that thing, so I will relax instead."

But this isn't the ADHD experience at all!
Read 6 tweets
18 Oct
ADHD is disproportionately common among addicts.

Dopamine deficiency—especially when undiagnosed with ADHD—causes us to seek something to fill that void.

My 10 favorite ADHD tweets/threads of the week:
It's hard to argue with the story these statistics tell.

ADHDers are getting caught up in addiction, and not enough people in power are talking about it.

@petequily

More information on how dopamine deficiency relates to addiction, and how many fail to recognize how powerful that dynamic can be.

@kevdog824

Read 12 tweets
18 Oct
K is for Kryptonite

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
People debate whether ADHD is a superpower.

It certainly gives you unique traits that can—in the right circumstances—give you strengths neurotypicals don't possess.

The problem is, we live in a society built on kryptonite.
With hyperfocus, you can get much more work done than most in a short amount of time.

But our world is built on schedules and deadlines.
Read 7 tweets
17 Oct
Late night concept sketches of the “infinity drawer” Image
Basic concept: object permanence. If I put something in a drawer and close it, I will never remember it again unless something else reminds me that it exists.

Metaphorically, I’m often accidentally dropping things in the drawer.
I might forget a responsibility at work, it falls into the drawer.

I will never ever remember that responsibility again because it’s fallen into the abyss of my infinity drawer.

It will live there indefinitely until someone or something reminds me to take it out again.
Read 5 tweets
15 Oct
J is for Judgment

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
One of the most damaging aspects of ADHD is the years of judgement from others that don't understand your condition.

They accuse you of being stupid, lazy, selfish, weird, clumsy, messy, rude, or a host of other hurtful things.
By the age of ten, ADHD children receive 20,000 more negative messages than their peers.

This influences your self-talk, leading you to reinforce these negative messages and cause even more self-blame.
Read 6 tweets
14 Oct
I is for Impulsive

(ABCs of ADHD: a daily thread series for #ADHDAwarenessMonth)

🧵👇
ADHDers often leap before they look.

Action without foresight leads to trouble in school, work, and relationships.

The "future you" is often sabotaged by regrettable choices and commitments that cannot be altered.
Some impulsive behaviors may include:

• inappropriate interruptions

• saying yes without considering other commitments

• poor purchasing decisions

• snacking when bored

• jumping into a new project as soon as an idea sparks
Read 6 tweets

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