It is a bottomless pit of feeling you're failing, but three days
later, you feel you can do anything, only to end the week where you began.
It is not learning from your mistakes….
It is a hyper focus, so intense about what bothers you, that you
can’t pay attention to anything else, for very long.
It is a never-ending routine of forgetting things….
It is beauty when it has purpose.
It is agony when it doesn’t.
It is agony when it doesn’t.
It is called Attention Deficit Disorder.
~
Shannon L. Alder
In
2015, I’m participating in Jeff Goins’ My 500 Words
Challenge: writing at least 500
words a day for a year! (YTD Word Count: 44,891)
In
addition, for the next 50 days, I’m participating in the Abbey of the Arts’ Pilgrimage
of Resurrection: A Creative Journey through the Easter Season.
|
I
|
ntentions. We all know
what road they pave, don’t we?
Pithy, but it doesn’t apply to all people at all times and in all
circumstances.
Take
someone who suffers from ADHD. For many,
something vital is missing from the prefrontal cortex. Executive functions, or management system of
the brain, should have developed over time; functions that would enable them to
make decisions, focus on tasks, and exert self-control.
They truly
have the best intentions, good intentions, but with a neurobiological disorder like
ADHD/ADD, these ideas and intentions and dreams often fall by the wayside. Their brains aren’t like other brains, and
until they receive treatment (therapy + medication + nutrition), they will
continue to forget vital information, overbook their calendars, and leave tasks
chronically unfinished.
They lack the abilities to handle
frustration, start and complete tasks, recall and follow multi-step directions,
stay on track, plan, organize,
and self-monitor. ADD/ADHD therapists and
other professionals
who can evaluate and diagnose ADD/ADHD typically point out
executive-function problems, but many families dismiss them as less critical
than other learning challenges. However, it is clear that effective executive
functioning is a key factor in remedying academic difficulties.
Executive functions are the skills that an
individual of any age must master to deal with everyday life. Self-monitoring
is particularly important for students, because it governs their ability to
evaluate their work and behavior in real time. (Executive-Function
Deficits in Children)
When this
happens, it causes great distress for the person with ADHD/ADD. They feel guilty for letting people down. Depression– whether it is a chemical
depression related to the ADHD or situational depression based on societal and
familial attitudes and treatment of the person, usually follows.
My cyclothymic
depression mimics certain aspects of ADHD/ADD. So I understand all too well
how those with ADHD/ADD feel. My desk at
home is layered with projects that were started, but never completed. I have a notebook full of bits and bobs of
poetry and poetry ideas, story lines, dialogue – but no draft manuscript.
However, I did write and complete
one today – in honor of #NationalPoetryMonth,
for all my friends who suffer from ADHD/ADD and depression, and based on the
50 Days Pilgrimage word for today: Intention.
I hope you enjoy and it reminds you
to take a step back, support your loved ones who are suffering, and join me in
fighting to #EndTheStigma. (Learn more
about ADHD/ADD here.)
Oremus pro invicem,
~
Mikaela
You are not alone.
Posts
on La Belle are written with the following fonts: Georgia, Times New Roman,
Vivaldi, Edwardian, and occasionally Baroque Script.
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