June Newsletter, 2019
This month, we feature, “My ADHD Journey: Living with ADHD in Pakistan.” The author, Haseeb Waqar, has mined his life for information about the many ways that ADHD has impacted his life and how he has changed his story from one of failure to one of increasing success. Long summer days give us the opportunity to relax, to just “be.” I suggest that it is also a good time to reflect on your own journey with ADHD.
Just a list would do, but recording your story, in the spoken or written word, has greater power to inform and transform your life.
This doesn’t have to be complicated.
Use your remembrances from childhood.
- What do your parents remember about you?
- How well did you do in school?
- What challenges did you face?
- How did you feel about yourself?
- What tactics did your parents and teachers use to ease your struggles?
Recall your journey towards wholeness.
- What have you learned about ADHD?
- What are your struggles and how have you overcome them?
- Who and/or what has guided your understanding of what you need to succeed?
- What tools and skills have you developed to address your difficulties?
Claim the unique abilities and values that guide your vision of the future.
- What “drives” you? Gives you purpose and direction?
- What is your mission in life?
- Have you developed supports that will help you along the way?
Coach Linda Taylor proposes that “At the heart of successfully managing ADHD is redefining or eliminating the measure of normal.” Use the power of story to define YOUR normal.
As Haseeb says, “We should all have the opportunity to know who our true self is, and to learn to focus on our strengths and gifts rather than our weaknesses…You have many great qualities that define you more than your diagnosis ever will.” Celebrate them. Use them to create the life you were meant to live.
Most of all,
be good to yourself,
Joan Jager
Additional resources: If you’re struggling with defining your strengths, check out the tools for self-discovery found in both of these articles. Be the Best Version of Yourself: Explore your Strengths by Coach Marla Cummins and/or Self Advocacy for ADHD: Know Yourself. Our Pinterest page ADHD: From the Trenches features many personal stories
Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash
Modified on Canva.com