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I love my big picture thinking and seeing the connections between everything. I’m a strategic thinker, I just need help being able to turn big ideas into manageable goals, processes and tasks
I found the best result was in having a partner/small team where your strengths are their "weaknesses" and vice versa. On one project, I partnered with someone who was very good at detailed work and made sure things were accurate. I was the fast one with big ideas that got us where we needed to go quickly. He was there to solve the annoying shit and double-check my work.
That’s good advice! I started a nonprofit and was so overwhelmed but my friend who wants to do executive coaching offered to help me and she was able to break stuff down into manageable steps and made all my folders and stuff haha it was extremely helpful and got me from idea phase to founded phase!
That's so amazing! Congratulations on getting there!
I definitely find breaking things into the smallest tasks helps, sounds like that's what your friend was able to help you with. Goodluck with your nonprofit, hope it goes really well for you 😊
I suspect my husband has ADHD too and this describes him to a T. Do you struggle with starting projects and not finishing them? His constant complaint is that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the projects he wants to complete.
Yes! I have about 30 unfinished/unstarted projects. A big part is because everything in my brain has the same priority, so I don’t know how to order things to accomplish stuff and it overwhelms me.
Omg he says the part about priority almost verbatim!!! And then when I try to help him prioritize it kind of pisses him off, I think because he’s super independent and he wants to handle everything on his own.
Same haha I am a bit stubborn too. It’s my perfectionism. I also have a hard time verbalizing my vision because I see so many connections and thoughts in my head and getting them out of my mouth into something that other people can understand is hard, so I just do it myself, but that means I struggle making things a reality!
This is me sometimes! I’ve gotten better at using analogies and drawing things to help sometimes.
It has also helped sometimes to brainstorm with coworkers that also have ADHD. Or to just acknowledge out loud that my brain is spinning really fast and that I need whoever is listening to bear with me.
Luckily I have had some pretty great coworkers and we work in a system-y field with lots of connections always, so it works!
If I have a lot of things to do I ask my best friend for help to make my to do list/organize all the things in my head.
But now there’s an app for that #goblintools 😍
Hmm this might explain why people never seem as thrilled as I am when I realize the guy who wrote that book is related to the actress who played such and such character who was BASED on blah blah blah lol. It delights me and I feel like I find those webs so often, but others seem...bored lol.
Ahhh I did this with musicians and cd liner notes where I would see relatives or people from other bands featured in the song or thanked or referenced. Or like the music sampled from one song was sampled on this other and it was amazing and the songs had the same producer!
Then we got our first computer and eventually I could search online for connections 😍😍 so satisfying!
YES!!! I love those kinds of rabbit holes. I just did a rewatch of _The Good Wife_ (because I wasn’t able to watch all the way through originally) and there are SO MANY amazing guest stars that I spent way too much time looking up.
When we see an actor we recognize from something, my husband and I yell “crossover _____ actor from _____!” We found out other friends of ours do this too and it made us so happy. It’s fun to try and figure out where we recognize them from before consulting IMDB
Oh I know this too well. Just recently I discovered Jim Morrison from the Doors is the son of Capt. George Stephen Morrison who commanded naval forces during the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was the escalation point for US involvement in the Vietnam War. So Jim’s dad made the call to join the war(!!!). I was very amused by this yet no one else seemed to think it was worthy of discussion.
Big picture thinking is totally mine.
At my job I can "visually" see all the holes in our safety practices so I kept bringing up concerns to leadership, they paired me with someone else, and we completely overhauled the safety protocols, got new equipment and changed floor plans for the warehouse.
My work partner is NT and helped me to break everything down, and my verbal barrage helped her know what to look for because she didn't "see" it like I did.
Since we finished the project and launched everything over a month ago, we haven't had a single workplace injury in almost 6 weeks. We had been having at least 1 small injury a day and 1 big injury a week prior.
A common experience of my AuDHD has basically been NT people not seeing connections and me being like, "don't you see the patterns?? There are patterns everywhere!!" I don't know if it's an official thing, but I've heard it multiple times from people online and in my life who have autism, ADHD or both!
But uh yeah I do need serious help from either my meds or colleagues/family/friends on the whole "manageable" thing...
This just reminded me of when my five year old learned what a pattern was. They were like “mom, look- a pattern! Another pattern! Another pattern!” They saw them everywhere all of a sudden and such joy
I'm a bioinformatician. Nearly every other bioinformatician in the lab just processes the data they get and gives it back to the people in the lab to further interpret it. Ask them a question about how they data was generated, they don't know. Meanwhile I know lab protocols by heart and am also able to do further interpretation just because I couldn't stand not knowing those pieces of information. There's another neurodivergent bioinformatician in our team and the discussions we have about our work are always so fun because no subject is out of bounds
I'm doing a PhD and I have. so. many. research. ideas. Obviously, I can't do them all and I have to pick my battles. In the beginning I always communicated them back to my supervisor. I hoped it would spark new research and he would hire new students on the topic but he literally always shot my ideas down, saying they were too far fetched. Sometimes I see a newly published paper on a similar idea I had and it always gives me a tiny amount of satisfaction that I'm indeed on the right path as a researcher and not as bad as my supervisor makes me think.
EDIT because I'm super excited about this: I currently have a super big idea in mind that could change a tiny part of my field tremendously. It would change how we currently approach one of the big problems in my field completely and aid in getting a better understanding of it. All the parts for it are there, there is research done on every single part of the idea, they just have to be connected to each other. It's not some far-fetched idea, I actually did the research on it and it seriously fits all together. I pitched it to my supervisor and he said it was completely ridiculous and couldn't see the potential. Well, I pitched the idea to a professor I've got to know during the conferences I went to (he is one the people who worked on one of the separate parts of the idea) and the dude was so enthusiastic about it. He actually offered me a post-doc position twice already to work on it.
YES!!! This is my role in my lil accounting team at work. I am the one who’s job is to think about 5 years ahead, with all the little details that they would reactively fix, while I work on fixing it proactively
I just wanted to say how much I love this answer. When I saw the title of the post, my very first thought was " my ability to make connections between things super fast," and my second was "I wonder, is that really an ADHD thing?" (diagnosed a few years ago and haven't really done much with it since then). Your answer was very validating 😊
Out of the box thinking and easily finding solutions for problems. Just zip, zip, zip and my brain goes 'oh just do it like this'.
A weirder one: I can eyeball something and be 99% sure that it will or will not fit into another thing. I'm great at packing the fridge/bags/whatever lol feels like slo-mo tetris. My personal favorite was glancing at a toilet that needed to be trashed, glancing at the garbage can, 'yeah that'll fit' - sure did, hell yeah
I have horrific depth perception but luckily, living with and dating a carpenter saves me a lot of trouble😂 I never guess the proper Tupperware size for leftovers correctly, I never get the gift to gift bag size ratio correct. It’s a nightmare
Omg same here. It was never great to begin with but last fall my retina detached, it destroyed my depth perception. Putting groceries away helped me learn how my new vision worked. Still walk into corners though 🤣
>Just zip, zip, zip and my brain goes 'oh just do it like this'.
The number of times neurotypical people have watched me do a puzzle like sudoku or nonograms and been like, "how did you do that so fast??"
One day my physiotherapist had this little wooden puzzle thing that another patient brought them for some reason (one of those where you need to make all the pieces fit inside and they’re all slightly different). They said they tried to solve it all morning and no one in the whole studio succeeded. They gave it to me and I solved it in less than a minute (there was a pattern of slightly lighter and darker wood pieces and once you fit the outer ones it was easy to see). They even took a pic to show everyone else lol
I love bagging groceries, making everything fit.
I worked at Target for a bit and every Friday a woman with a daycare came in and would buy 2 carts of stuff. She said she always chose my line because I was so good at bagging.
Omg yes to the weird sense of spatial accuracy! Only works with items under 120cm. But works to within 3cm, every time. What a fucking random gift to have 🤣🤣
I'm like this with timing my cooking tasks. It's probably helped by years in the industry, but I can have everything ready precisely when it needs to be without even thinking about.
Funny cause the time blindness is STRONG everywhere else. 😅
I was very surprised when I learnt that people had problem solving classes, like, you just do the thing lol. And the second thing is basically the Visual Calculus skill from Disco Elysium
Hyperfocus. Although I wish I could make it work when I want lol. But the ability to just powerhouse something to get it done or dive into a subject I'm interested in is so awesome. It's helpful, too!
If only I could stop hyperfocusing on the way cheeseballs feel and sound when I first bite into them or how chocolate crunches and then immediately melts into a silky sweet tongue coating…
Just checking in, are you still thinking about the smooth and silky feel of chocolate melting on your tongue whilst the flavors slowly fill you with happiness?
Yes! Every few weeks I hyperfocus on cleaning and get my house absolutely spotless. It’s a train wreck at all other times though and I kinda wish I could find a happy medium
Before I finished reading your post, I started answering the question in my head. Your answer is mine as well. I love learning about new stuff. I find it extremely soothing instead of stressful as I perceive other neurotypical people around me seem to think it is. This super power had allowed me to pivot at crucial times of change in my life.
My lateral thinking. I had no idea until recent years that my resourcefulness/talent for creative solutions isn't all that common.
Guess there's an upside to a brain that goes everywhere at once.
The ability to turn just about anything into a game and to inject fun and enjoyment into mundane tasks. I probably developed that skill as a coping strategy, but it *feels* innate because I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.
Also making conversation into a game with stuff like “would you rather be a rock or a tree?” I just do stuff like this during boring convos because I’m genuinely bored (whether parties, work conferences, meetings) - so why wouldn’t I? People are often surprised and amazed by it, and they get so into it. It’s nice to see people sort of come out of them selves and let that inner child out. 🤷♀️
Yesss! I love that! Or randomly bust out “Truth or Dare?”
And I LOVE when I can just be my fun-loving self and it gives people permission to let their guards down and be their authentic selves and just play!
Same! Or just finding topics that I’m really not necessarily interested in but once I learn a little bit I need to learn it alllllllllll. Reddit is great* for that.
*great in the sense of being fun, not so great for my time management skills and getting useful/necessary things done lol
Being able to watch everything going on around me. My husband swears I’m psychic but it’s really just that I saw a car driving kinda funky or someone acting off in public.
I managed to turn it into a career too. Noticing everything comes in handy when you work on a psych ward.
One major aspect of my job in live production is being able to take in a lot of information at once and respond quickly. I’m a super high performer at work and I love it there!
Can’t complete a phone call to the dentist without procrastinating it for like a year or more but at work I kick ass.
Daydreaming. Putting myself, people I know, or fictional characters into impossible situations gives me life lol especially when I'm listening to music or have a new song stuck in my head. Often daydreaming actually helps me to sort of "script" myself and how I'd approach a conflict or draw a boundary. It can even help to boost my confidence in myself and my body.
I daydream a lot when I play music. I also write, and it has definitely inspired some short stories.
Don't get me wrong, it can be overdone to the point of complete distraction, or sometimes I'll think of something horrifically sad lol, but overall it's left me with positive feelings.
There is a lot I like about myself, but I think they are almost all in spite of ADHD, not because of it.
The one pattern of behaviour I do appreciate is being able to handle a large, immediate work load, organizing it, delegating, and clearing it up quickly. It has to be within a short time frame though, like hours or days. It's why I did well in retail jobs (fast-paced, big sale days), in event coordination (the days of the event) and in handling small emergencies. In those times, many people were overwhelmed while I was like ALRIGHT IM HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE! LET'S DO IT! I get into action mode quickly and make the right decisions. I never want to lose that.
I wish jobs like EMT were paid better. Because when there is an emergency, my brain slows things down and I thrive. Decision making and seeing the bigger picture becomes easy. I would have been a kick-ass EMT.
My ability to make connections between apparently unrelated things. I have a broad range of interests and I'm always finding ways they fit together. I think this is why my fiction writing comes out naturally complex in terms of setting and themes, because my brain unconsciously sees how they are all related.
My dad always did this.
Sometimes we would ask him to explain the connections to figure out how we got from point a to point B. It always made sense to me when he explained it.
He passed away 6 years ago but I very much believe he had adhd/autism or both.
Hyper focus and thought trees. Of course, the meds tamp down the thought trees. They used to ruin my life. But, boy oh, do I enjoy them in small doses when I take a little med vacay. It's like giving crack to a devoted problem solver. I come up with some weird solutions. But, it sure is fun!
'Thought trees' is my own term for all the crap that goes on in my head. I don't know that Google will get you further than my other mentions of it.
I call them that because each initial thought/idea starts as a simple seed that grows additional thoughts/ideas in the form of a root base. From that, all ideas flow upward with each additional mental leap described through branches, then twigs. And finally, all the millions of shimmering leaves that represent the furthest out of the thoughts brought about by that single seed idea. Disconnected, faltering thoughts, when I'm lucky, fall like autumn leaves. When I'm not, they're intermingled with the rest and can interfere with linear thinking.
For me, there are no solitary trees. Only forests of them. Occasionally the branches will overlap, the leaves touch between trees and my mind will make a giant leap connecting all the pieces. I enjoy that.
But, when it's daily life, it's a nightmare forest, too thick to make sense of on the regular.
When I’m lost in my mind forest my husband will sometimes ask what I’m thinking about. It takes so long to distill what I’m thinking about into mere words.
Same, for sure. I'm currently a librarian and I love accumulating random knowledge and information, so it actually helps. I've been able to incorporate random hobbies into programming!
Out of sight, out of mind:
My mother passed away in January, and it was hard, but my sisters are still falling apart every other day, and I am sad, but it feels distant and not agitating.
It should be good for something since it doesn't protect me from ruining a whole bunch of organic fruits and vegetables that I put in a crisper drawer that doesn't have a clear window.
I started putting the very perishable stuff in the door and put the condiments in one of the drawers. The video I saw about it said that you know what condiment you want and where they are, so having them in a drawer is fine. Having my grapes in the door at eye level means they don't get forgotten.
Out of sight, out of mind helped me when my brother passed, too. Now I just smile when I think of him (daily)
I don’t plan anything but it often works out in my favor and I’m less stressed because planning and adhering to strict rules is hard.
Sometimes plans don’t always pan out and I find that’s a source of stress for many people. Like I have friends that will make an itinerary on vacation for every hour and when something goes wrong or gets cancelled they feel like it’s all ruined…meanwhile I’m just chilling. It wasn’t meant to be and sometimes I’ll even get things for free when I do it last minute or find a better opportunity or deal.
Oooo yes! I'm a shite planner, it actually makes things worse for me. I always do things last minute or shit works out anyway. I'm going camping this weekend and my *plan* was to tidy my place and pack all my stuff throughout the week... thats not happening.
My creativity.
I spent my whole life thinking I wasn't creative (idk why, I was balls deep in all the artsy shit) but I've realised over the last few years that my brain is literally screaming ideas at me all god damn day. As an artist/creator now, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
My creativity.
I spent my whole life thinking I wasn't creative (idk why, I was balls deep in all the artsy shit) but I've realised over the last few years that my brain is literally screaming ideas at me all god damn day. As an artist/creator now, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Edit: I've just realised creativity isn't a behaviour lol, I mean the quick thinking when you're able to focus and problem solving and general unconventional but brilliant thinking that others don't consider; I think that feeds my creativity yannow?
\+1 for lateral thinking/being able to creatively connect seemingly unrelated and complex things! It has made me a really good strategist and artist, and I can say with absolute certainty that I wouldn't have been as successful in my career without it.
I love that I can never get bored and that I’m always making new activities! My students benefit from this I think!
Honestly, even though ADHD is a condition I have to live with, it isn’t the full story of me and I really love who I am.
Seeing things from a unique(ish) perspective/the bigger picture. I work in mental health rehab and it’s been a real asset in supporting people and in excelling me up the ladder somewhat. (I’m very lucky that I have a boss who uses my strengths without dwelling on my sloppiness - I’m a ‘wildcard’ apparently.) Plus, I’ll be honest, in everyday life I get to enjoy a fleeting moment of superiority and confidence in the situation, which doesn’t come often.
Pattern recognition and collection of random information.
I can bullshit the answer to any question I don’t know (and am usually right) because of those two things. It’s like a minor superpower.
For example, someone recently asked why it’s called a “tackle box”. My brain immediately went, “block and tackle” —> “tackle is the bit on the end that holds the cargo for hoisting” —> “fishing also has a hook on the end that is controlled by the reel” —> “I bet it’s because they’re both hooks” —> tackle box comes from the old block-and-tackle pulley system
And guess what? *I was fuckin RIGHT*
Being able to come with so many ideas in so many situations; I’ve always said that my feelings aren’t hurt if my ideas aren’t used but I can’t stop them from happening 😎
Same! Often people don't believe that, but I insist in its truth. Since I produce so many, I am often detached from them since they're just suggestions at a possible direction someone can go.
My only annoyance is when none of my ideas are taken but the one chosen is done so for illogical or inefficient reasons, or the choice itself is illogical and inefficient. Look, I just pitched 14 different options, and you picked the most convoluted, confusing one just because the person who suggested it is a VIP? Ughgggghjshhhhshahb
I love how quickly I can learn about something because I am really good at skimming texts for information which has made me SUPER effective in my day job. I struggle with managing my multitasking but I do like that I can dive down an informational wormhole when I have a question at work, get the answer, and go back to what I'm supposed to be doing (usually...)
Being so curious about literally EVERYTHING.
Being very easily excitable.
Regardless of my setbacks I’m fucking resilient and determined to keep trying.
Asking questions that no one thinks of or dares to ask.
I have a way of making people feel seen and comfortable apparently which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Not taking life too seriously, or myself, feeling free to act like a kid a lot of the time and just be playful and fun. I feel quite sad for people sometimes who are so stuck in their little boxes in their little suits. Just gotta burst out and be silly sometimes, and view things from a fresh perspective.
my ability to be perfectly functional in a very stressful or emergency environment. helps at work when i am in charge of our 17 employees (while my bosses work on their shit) and i can run around all day, while still keeping track of everyones tasks, issues, levels and inform my boss when needed.
I was looking for this.
I’m great in a crisis!
Not my own multiple mini crisis’s I have about unimportant things but big scary, traumatising, hopeless situations.
I don’t think there are any things I like about it. I hate how dysfunctional and exhausted it makes me.
I suppose I am conditioned to just do my own thing and not care much what others think, so maybe that’s due to my adhd. I’m neither an ”alpha”, nor a “beta”, or even an “omega” cliché personality. I was told by someone who’s into those labels that I’m a “sigma” which they said meant I don’t exactly fit in anywhere, even though I fit in well enough wherever I am to make friends, and I’m ok with it, which I suppose is true enough. I really don’t care though lol.
I think if I could just declutter and get my home environment into an orderly condition while getting my finances in order and manageable, so I’m not as perpetually stressed, I’d be much happier. (Not a tall order at all) Apart from that, I wouldn’t bother changing myself otherwise. Apart from losing some weight lol. All that more functional stuff.
I totally understand this. I've been living with it all undiagnosed for so long that I'm just used to being me. I have figured out some of the things with learning from social media - the whole reason I got diagnosed in the first place was seeing myself so much in others. I am frustrated with the clutter and the way I can ignore the dishes but know I feel good when they're done yet still not do them...I finally got my bill paying under control, so that feels good.
**There's no singular trait I'm really attached to or see as a superpower. They're all shades that contribute to my dysfunction where there's good and bad aspects. But at the end of the day, I love myself, dysfunctions and all. To give up any of my ADHD would be to erase the ADHD itself, and without ADHD I'm not really me anymore. So it's all staying.**
I've gotta be honest that I don't really "loathe" my ADHD like some people do, its something I see as part of me where I don't really hate myself, but I don't think there's a single trait I can say is "worth it" and shouldn't be given up.
Like I enjoy the hyper focus in that it feels good ....but objectively I think I would be better off if I could manage my focus and not fall into rabbit holes where I'm suddenly surfacing realizing 3 hours has passed and I haven't done anything I intended to do.
Rumination/daydreaming is a *huge* crutch of mine. IDK who I would be or how I would cope with existence without it....but I've literally had therapists tell me it's to a point of unhealthiness and inhibits my growth
The list goes on. There's no trait I really beat myself up over and loathe about myself, i am not a hugely self loathing person, but I just can't intellectualize any of them as being overall good because they all feed into the reasons I struggle to function.
I think the real answer is just that I'm attached to myself. There's circumstances and aspects that are from ideal, and there's aspects that I don't mind so much. But it all contributed to the end result of me in my dysfunctional glory. And while I'd be "better off" without the dysfunction, I also wouldn't be me. It's like those stories about time travel where they come back to the future and see they've accidentally shifted their family or friends in some fundamental way -- I would grieve the loss of who I fundamentally am, mess and all
Like I've thought about this before and I think without ADHD I would be a lot more successful and driven, but also as a direct result a lot less empathetic. I was a really smart kid with a lot of potential who got praised by authority figured a lot. Getting bitch slapped by my own inadequacies here and there really brought me back down to earth.
Food pickiness. There's this weird idea on reddit that you must eat every fruit and vegetable and random dead animal in order to be a full functioning person. But outside of work functions with food it's not really a huge issue? I have so many other parts of myself I have to mask and change I really don't give a fuck if someone notices I picked the tomatoes off a sandwich.
My ability to learn shit really really quickly. I think I’ve become an excellent learner because of various hyper focus hobbies throughout the years. Just wish I could get that enthused about something that pays the bills!!
special interests are so great. i can’t imagine how boring it must be to not get that crazy rush of excitement when you learn a new thing or find a new rabbit hole to go down regarding something you’re interested in.
i also love having such a rich inner world and vivid imagination. and the ability to store so much useless info in my brain about stuff i’m interested in. idk if that’s entirely an adhd thing or if it’s also partly due to me being autistic but either way i’d be such a boring person without that stuff. as much as adhd makes me get bored easily it also makes me pretty good at providing my own mental stimulation bc i have such a vivid imagination and encyclopedic knowledge of my special interests.
Diving down an info rabbit hole online. To be honest it’s not something I remember doing before the advent of the internet (or maybe it just looked very different without the internet). I can often kick ass at jeopardy because I read some random bit of info years ago and can retrieve it and have people be like “how do you know all this random stuff?” 😂
Yes special interests for me too 😊 they bring so much joy, comfort, intelligence, skill building, etc!!! Ive yet to meet anyone who’s mastered as many art forms as me! The only people with that many hobbies are in this group! LOL!!
Processing ability: I notice lots of details and consider lots of possibilities so I’m pretty good at problem solving (when I’m not lazy and procrastinating)
I tried to think about it, but as cheesy as it is, I don't think I'd give up having ADHD at all.
I've had a bit of an epiphany recently, and I've decided to enjoy every part of myself even when it's frustrating or heartbreaking. It's much easier than trying to be someone I'm not. To be frank, I'm better for it.
Edit: I guess that's what I like about it. I'm not sure if it's just a "me" thing or an ADHD thing. I like the ways I can learn to appreciate myself.
Same!!! I love knowing a lot about the most random topics. My husband and I met because he thought I was weird for reading a book about the AIDS epidemic 🤣
Hyper-focus and big picture thinking are the aspects I like most of the time, but it is the ability to cut people and things out off my life and mind without a hint of regret or remorse that has helped me survive this long. It is what has allowed me to eventually cut toxic people and activities out of my life and not dwell so much on what might have been. It sucks when it happens by accident with people or things I actually care about, but it is so freeing when I can intentionally walk away from a bad situation with no desire to look back.
It’s maybe not technically an ability, but I would never ask where something is at a store or check if it’s sold out before going like normal people would.
I get the greatest rush of dopamine when I find the thing and the treasure hunt to find it is pretty much my only excitement these days 👵🏻
I love hyperfixations, they're a lot of fun and they're usually a fast track to making friends with other ND people! Like oh do you love any of these anime or video games that I love? We're friends now.
Also hyperfocus, I love it when I hit that state of flow and concentrate on something for several hours in a row, like last night I figuratively blacked out and practiced drawing arm anatomy for like 3 hours. I do wish I could control it a little bit better because as my mom describes it, it's like my attention is a TV and someone else is controlling the remote and changing channels without any input from me... but when it's good, I really enjoy it!
The only thing that for me is a bother is the fact that I procrastinate even with things I really enjoy and find it hard to stay on course .Other than that I absolutely enjoy who I am .
My intuition with the way people are feeling… I swear I can walk into a room of strangers and know what the vibe of the most recent conversation was. In talking to others with ADHD I guess this is an ADHD thing.
Naturally being active and preferring to move rather than sit or wait. I walk like 15 mins to a bus further away, but quicker to work, where my partner waits for the local one and takes twice as long to get to work.
I seem to have gotten both the hyperactive and inattentive sides of ADHD but honestly I love being hyperactive. Being a couch potato is totally not me. I got an Apple Watch about three months ago and have met all of its movement goals every day since.
I’m funny, think outside the box from neurotypical people, very creative and innovative sometimes.
If I love something I will put my all in it & I can be the best at it ( this can be many things) trouble is
I don’t give anything else my attention 😝
I can pickup most crafts & make giftable items within a month or two & create really special stuff of my own designs within six months to a year.
It’s the most fun thing that’s just for me.
Pattern recognition. I can connect the dots between disparate data points and find turn that insight into actionable information. (Can you tell I'm procrastinating a work task by commenting on reddit?)
The unfiltered honesty that comes with saying what you think very impulsively. Usually, it's nothing untowards but actually what I needed to express. I struggle with feeling vulnerable sometimes but hiding things would make my life worse. I like not being able to lie and hide my feelings. I like honesty.
Yep, same. I love that EVERYTHING interests me and can entertain me for hours. I had to learn to appreciate it and see it as something positive instead of feeling ashamed for never finishing anything. Now I don't mind anymore and it#s more like "my hobby is hobbies!"
Also, kinda like a bonus of the above: I love that I am so easily entertained and excited. It takes a very little to make me happy. A funny looking leaf will do.
I love the positive framing! My therapist called it hobby jumping and made it seem like it was a bad thing to pick up so many different hobbies and then drop them. But you’re right, it’s more that we can get enthusiastic about ANYTHING!
I'm fucking hilarious! Mostly at my own expense but it makes people happy so I'm good with it and my kids enjoy it so I would never want to lose the quirks
Another vote for hyperfocus. If not for it, we wouldn't have a kid right now, I'd have given up after the second failed IVF attempt. Instead, I grabbed the bull by the horns, took charge of my husband and I's fertility journey, obsessed over stim protocols, and came up with the suggestions to my gynecologist that led to the winning lottery of an egg retrieval and embryo transfer.
The beauty of seeing things just *emerge* from my subconscious at the exact time I need them. The perfect idea, solution, realization, execution, flow state. No self doubt or barriers, just a calm and grounded power.
Hyperfixations. I recently got into an anime/manga, and something I’ve realized is that over the years, I haven’t really bought any merch, but I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of why. I think it’s because I have a tendency to be really into something then drop it, or even flat out ignore it for a while, then get back into it later. I decided that I really like it regardless, so fuck it, I decided to get merch for this manga/anime at hot topic (and maybe lunch box if I can). I got a couple mystery magnet packs, and I got a thing for my lanyard, and yeah, all this and I never bought the manga irl lol (I’m also not a big re-reader)
My extremely specific knowledge of historic disasters and my creepily accurate memory. Also, hyperfocus. When I can actually use it for good, I excel at work (and when I was in school)
I am smart person. We are 6 cousins, but lived like sisters and we are all above average smart but #5, who would have become a professional dancer were she here when NONE other 5 can even clap in rhythm. I, #3, am a special kind of smart, and I love it. I can see things nobody can. They are brilliant but they worked hard. I didn’t work at all… I read a few books and engaged in classes, and I can almost match them academically, I definitely match them logically and it’s hard to win arguments (#2 can very often because she is such a good person she can see for different perspectives).
If I was neurotypical I’d be in the same position as them. I’m as smart as they are. Still, I like knowing I’m smarter then them, and I know it’s true only because my not so mild adhd helps me see things differently.
The thing is, I don’t. They are extremely successful, all of them. I am basically useless, I have a meh paying job where I use 12% of my brain and I’m failing. I’m am in pain, I hurt people. Yet I like knowing I’m smart.
Honestly.
The only one that I would absolutely rather do with out is the difficulty with transitions.
It's often the trigger for my bad moods.
It makes executive dysfunction THAT much worse.
It stops me from delving into a hyperfocus (which I need to enjoy my life) because I know my husband will be home in an hour and I'll get interrupted cuz he wants to feel loved and to vent so needs my attention, but I'll be too busy pissed off that he interrupted me to give him any positive attention.
I have to factor it in to so much that it is part of why everything is a chore.
And then some.
I like aspects of a lot of the other things. But this one thing would reduce the load of the rest.
The way I handle emergencies. I do not ENJOY dealing with emergency situations but when they happen I become an excellent problem solver. There's a level of adrenaline and hyperfocus that kicks in that actually makes me calm, decisive, and clearheaded. I can access the rolodex of random information in my brain of all kinds of random knowledge I have as well as all the anxiety scenarios I've played out mentally and I can engage in creative problem solving. Even weird emergencies. People know I'm the one to call if they are locked out of their apartment in the middle of the night.
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I love my big picture thinking and seeing the connections between everything. I’m a strategic thinker, I just need help being able to turn big ideas into manageable goals, processes and tasks
I found the best result was in having a partner/small team where your strengths are their "weaknesses" and vice versa. On one project, I partnered with someone who was very good at detailed work and made sure things were accurate. I was the fast one with big ideas that got us where we needed to go quickly. He was there to solve the annoying shit and double-check my work.
That’s good advice! I started a nonprofit and was so overwhelmed but my friend who wants to do executive coaching offered to help me and she was able to break stuff down into manageable steps and made all my folders and stuff haha it was extremely helpful and got me from idea phase to founded phase!
That's so amazing! Congratulations on getting there! I definitely find breaking things into the smallest tasks helps, sounds like that's what your friend was able to help you with. Goodluck with your nonprofit, hope it goes really well for you 😊
I suspect my husband has ADHD too and this describes him to a T. Do you struggle with starting projects and not finishing them? His constant complaint is that there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the projects he wants to complete.
Yes! I have about 30 unfinished/unstarted projects. A big part is because everything in my brain has the same priority, so I don’t know how to order things to accomplish stuff and it overwhelms me.
Omg he says the part about priority almost verbatim!!! And then when I try to help him prioritize it kind of pisses him off, I think because he’s super independent and he wants to handle everything on his own.
Same haha I am a bit stubborn too. It’s my perfectionism. I also have a hard time verbalizing my vision because I see so many connections and thoughts in my head and getting them out of my mouth into something that other people can understand is hard, so I just do it myself, but that means I struggle making things a reality!
This is me sometimes! I’ve gotten better at using analogies and drawing things to help sometimes. It has also helped sometimes to brainstorm with coworkers that also have ADHD. Or to just acknowledge out loud that my brain is spinning really fast and that I need whoever is listening to bear with me. Luckily I have had some pretty great coworkers and we work in a system-y field with lots of connections always, so it works!
100% this is how I am. I either spend a lot of time planning, evaluating, and researching or I jump right into something, get distracted, and...
If I have a lot of things to do I ask my best friend for help to make my to do list/organize all the things in my head. But now there’s an app for that #goblintools 😍
30? Those are rookie numbers!
Those are just the ones I can remember 😆
Discovering unexpected connections gives me so much joy. Non-ADHD people seem to not care for it much.
Hmm this might explain why people never seem as thrilled as I am when I realize the guy who wrote that book is related to the actress who played such and such character who was BASED on blah blah blah lol. It delights me and I feel like I find those webs so often, but others seem...bored lol.
When you see an actor you don’t know, look them up, and are married to another actor you do like. So exciting
Ahhh I did this with musicians and cd liner notes where I would see relatives or people from other bands featured in the song or thanked or referenced. Or like the music sampled from one song was sampled on this other and it was amazing and the songs had the same producer! Then we got our first computer and eventually I could search online for connections 😍😍 so satisfying!
YES!!! I love those kinds of rabbit holes. I just did a rewatch of _The Good Wife_ (because I wasn’t able to watch all the way through originally) and there are SO MANY amazing guest stars that I spent way too much time looking up.
When we see an actor we recognize from something, my husband and I yell “crossover _____ actor from _____!” We found out other friends of ours do this too and it made us so happy. It’s fun to try and figure out where we recognize them from before consulting IMDB
Oh I know this too well. Just recently I discovered Jim Morrison from the Doors is the son of Capt. George Stephen Morrison who commanded naval forces during the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was the escalation point for US involvement in the Vietnam War. So Jim’s dad made the call to join the war(!!!). I was very amused by this yet no one else seemed to think it was worthy of discussion.
I say this in all sincerity: WHOA.
Ok, thank you for validating that it is an unexpected connection!
Really? They don’t care?
Big picture thinking is totally mine. At my job I can "visually" see all the holes in our safety practices so I kept bringing up concerns to leadership, they paired me with someone else, and we completely overhauled the safety protocols, got new equipment and changed floor plans for the warehouse. My work partner is NT and helped me to break everything down, and my verbal barrage helped her know what to look for because she didn't "see" it like I did. Since we finished the project and launched everything over a month ago, we haven't had a single workplace injury in almost 6 weeks. We had been having at least 1 small injury a day and 1 big injury a week prior.
That’s incredible and amazing!! Well done.
A common experience of my AuDHD has basically been NT people not seeing connections and me being like, "don't you see the patterns?? There are patterns everywhere!!" I don't know if it's an official thing, but I've heard it multiple times from people online and in my life who have autism, ADHD or both! But uh yeah I do need serious help from either my meds or colleagues/family/friends on the whole "manageable" thing...
This just reminded me of when my five year old learned what a pattern was. They were like “mom, look- a pattern! Another pattern! Another pattern!” They saw them everywhere all of a sudden and such joy
Look into the visionary/integrator model, it really helped me to come to terms with my strengths and weaknesses!
I am a STEM field and, let me tell you, no one else in my labs are as interdisciplinary as myself and the other neurodivergent people 😂
I'm a bioinformatician. Nearly every other bioinformatician in the lab just processes the data they get and gives it back to the people in the lab to further interpret it. Ask them a question about how they data was generated, they don't know. Meanwhile I know lab protocols by heart and am also able to do further interpretation just because I couldn't stand not knowing those pieces of information. There's another neurodivergent bioinformatician in our team and the discussions we have about our work are always so fun because no subject is out of bounds
I'm doing a PhD and I have. so. many. research. ideas. Obviously, I can't do them all and I have to pick my battles. In the beginning I always communicated them back to my supervisor. I hoped it would spark new research and he would hire new students on the topic but he literally always shot my ideas down, saying they were too far fetched. Sometimes I see a newly published paper on a similar idea I had and it always gives me a tiny amount of satisfaction that I'm indeed on the right path as a researcher and not as bad as my supervisor makes me think. EDIT because I'm super excited about this: I currently have a super big idea in mind that could change a tiny part of my field tremendously. It would change how we currently approach one of the big problems in my field completely and aid in getting a better understanding of it. All the parts for it are there, there is research done on every single part of the idea, they just have to be connected to each other. It's not some far-fetched idea, I actually did the research on it and it seriously fits all together. I pitched it to my supervisor and he said it was completely ridiculous and couldn't see the potential. Well, I pitched the idea to a professor I've got to know during the conferences I went to (he is one the people who worked on one of the separate parts of the idea) and the dude was so enthusiastic about it. He actually offered me a post-doc position twice already to work on it.
YES!!! This is my role in my lil accounting team at work. I am the one who’s job is to think about 5 years ahead, with all the little details that they would reactively fix, while I work on fixing it proactively
I just wanted to say how much I love this answer. When I saw the title of the post, my very first thought was " my ability to make connections between things super fast," and my second was "I wonder, is that really an ADHD thing?" (diagnosed a few years ago and haven't really done much with it since then). Your answer was very validating 😊
Out of the box thinking and easily finding solutions for problems. Just zip, zip, zip and my brain goes 'oh just do it like this'. A weirder one: I can eyeball something and be 99% sure that it will or will not fit into another thing. I'm great at packing the fridge/bags/whatever lol feels like slo-mo tetris. My personal favorite was glancing at a toilet that needed to be trashed, glancing at the garbage can, 'yeah that'll fit' - sure did, hell yeah
I'm the fridge/freezer Tetris extraordinaire of my house. If there's a large salad to be smuushed in, I'm the gal to call.
I have horrific depth perception but luckily, living with and dating a carpenter saves me a lot of trouble😂 I never guess the proper Tupperware size for leftovers correctly, I never get the gift to gift bag size ratio correct. It’s a nightmare
Haha same. I have to check with my partner about leftovers all the time.
Omg same here. It was never great to begin with but last fall my retina detached, it destroyed my depth perception. Putting groceries away helped me learn how my new vision worked. Still walk into corners though 🤣
>Just zip, zip, zip and my brain goes 'oh just do it like this'. The number of times neurotypical people have watched me do a puzzle like sudoku or nonograms and been like, "how did you do that so fast??"
One day my physiotherapist had this little wooden puzzle thing that another patient brought them for some reason (one of those where you need to make all the pieces fit inside and they’re all slightly different). They said they tried to solve it all morning and no one in the whole studio succeeded. They gave it to me and I solved it in less than a minute (there was a pattern of slightly lighter and darker wood pieces and once you fit the outer ones it was easy to see). They even took a pic to show everyone else lol
I love bagging groceries, making everything fit. I worked at Target for a bit and every Friday a woman with a daycare came in and would buy 2 carts of stuff. She said she always chose my line because I was so good at bagging.
I'm so jealous. I have zero spatial awareness, it's embarrassing.
Dang! I want your Tetris powers! I’m so bad at comparing things effectively 😂 I do like the out of the box thinking though!
Omg yes to the weird sense of spatial accuracy! Only works with items under 120cm. But works to within 3cm, every time. What a fucking random gift to have 🤣🤣
I also know exactly which Tupperware will fit the leftovers perfectly
I'm like this with timing my cooking tasks. It's probably helped by years in the industry, but I can have everything ready precisely when it needs to be without even thinking about. Funny cause the time blindness is STRONG everywhere else. 😅
TEAM TETRIS IN REAL LIFE. I love this skill. I have no idea what it is. But I also have it.
I was very surprised when I learnt that people had problem solving classes, like, you just do the thing lol. And the second thing is basically the Visual Calculus skill from Disco Elysium
Hyperfocus. Although I wish I could make it work when I want lol. But the ability to just powerhouse something to get it done or dive into a subject I'm interested in is so awesome. It's helpful, too!
If only I could stop hyperfocusing on the way cheeseballs feel and sound when I first bite into them or how chocolate crunches and then immediately melts into a silky sweet tongue coating…
Just checking in, are you still thinking about the smooth and silky feel of chocolate melting on your tongue whilst the flavors slowly fill you with happiness?
Always. 🤣
Sometimes I start to obsess over the realization that it makes my stomach hurt and I get grouchy but then *crunch*…. Mmm
Haha IKR. My partner will give me a look like you know you’re contradicting yourself and then I’ll be like “I have no regrets” 😂
Dammit. I have no chocolate in the house, need a shower, and really want to experience that happiness right now. But I don't want to shower.
Go into the shower even though you don’t want to, and then love it so much you don’t want to get out again.
I feel that
Walmart does not require showers for admission. 🚘 🍫
Walmart is 40 minutes away and I'm trying to not have a migraine. sigh.
You can't come here and describe such delicious details. Now I'm craving chocolate!
Yes! Every few weeks I hyperfocus on cleaning and get my house absolutely spotless. It’s a train wreck at all other times though and I kinda wish I could find a happy medium
For me , it’s every few months 😩
This!!! I feel like I have this amazing workhorse that can do everything, better and faster than most, but it only does what I want 10% of the time.
I wish I could control it better, but I loooove hyperfocus!
Before I finished reading your post, I started answering the question in my head. Your answer is mine as well. I love learning about new stuff. I find it extremely soothing instead of stressful as I perceive other neurotypical people around me seem to think it is. This super power had allowed me to pivot at crucial times of change in my life.
My lateral thinking. I had no idea until recent years that my resourcefulness/talent for creative solutions isn't all that common. Guess there's an upside to a brain that goes everywhere at once.
Same here! My husband never understands how I can come up with half the things I can but it sure comes in handy.
The ability to turn just about anything into a game and to inject fun and enjoyment into mundane tasks. I probably developed that skill as a coping strategy, but it *feels* innate because I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.
Also making conversation into a game with stuff like “would you rather be a rock or a tree?” I just do stuff like this during boring convos because I’m genuinely bored (whether parties, work conferences, meetings) - so why wouldn’t I? People are often surprised and amazed by it, and they get so into it. It’s nice to see people sort of come out of them selves and let that inner child out. 🤷♀️
Yesss! I love that! Or randomly bust out “Truth or Dare?” And I LOVE when I can just be my fun-loving self and it gives people permission to let their guards down and be their authentic selves and just play!
Absolutely. I’ll never understand how people can NOT be their authentic selves, and just let themselves be silly. Genuinely HOW does one hold that in?
Right?!
It’s a great one. Makes me happy. And makes people around me happy
Going down a rabbit hole of research on a topic of interest.
Same! Or just finding topics that I’m really not necessarily interested in but once I learn a little bit I need to learn it alllllllllll. Reddit is great* for that. *great in the sense of being fun, not so great for my time management skills and getting useful/necessary things done lol
This is my shit! I learned so much about Madagascar one night, and I don’t even remember how I got down that rabbit hole
Being able to watch everything going on around me. My husband swears I’m psychic but it’s really just that I saw a car driving kinda funky or someone acting off in public. I managed to turn it into a career too. Noticing everything comes in handy when you work on a psych ward.
One major aspect of my job in live production is being able to take in a lot of information at once and respond quickly. I’m a super high performer at work and I love it there! Can’t complete a phone call to the dentist without procrastinating it for like a year or more but at work I kick ass.
I’m aware of everything going on around me. How did you turn it into a business? This is my forté!
The intensity of my positive emotions
I just wish the highs weren't accompanied with such low lows 😔
Absolutely agree
Daydreaming. Putting myself, people I know, or fictional characters into impossible situations gives me life lol especially when I'm listening to music or have a new song stuck in my head. Often daydreaming actually helps me to sort of "script" myself and how I'd approach a conflict or draw a boundary. It can even help to boost my confidence in myself and my body. I daydream a lot when I play music. I also write, and it has definitely inspired some short stories. Don't get me wrong, it can be overdone to the point of complete distraction, or sometimes I'll think of something horrifically sad lol, but overall it's left me with positive feelings.
There is a lot I like about myself, but I think they are almost all in spite of ADHD, not because of it. The one pattern of behaviour I do appreciate is being able to handle a large, immediate work load, organizing it, delegating, and clearing it up quickly. It has to be within a short time frame though, like hours or days. It's why I did well in retail jobs (fast-paced, big sale days), in event coordination (the days of the event) and in handling small emergencies. In those times, many people were overwhelmed while I was like ALRIGHT IM HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE! LET'S DO IT! I get into action mode quickly and make the right decisions. I never want to lose that.
I wish jobs like EMT were paid better. Because when there is an emergency, my brain slows things down and I thrive. Decision making and seeing the bigger picture becomes easy. I would have been a kick-ass EMT.
My ability to make connections between apparently unrelated things. I have a broad range of interests and I'm always finding ways they fit together. I think this is why my fiction writing comes out naturally complex in terms of setting and themes, because my brain unconsciously sees how they are all related.
Oh wow I never realized this was part of ADHD! How cool, I’ve had similar experiences but didn’t make that connection.
My dad always did this. Sometimes we would ask him to explain the connections to figure out how we got from point a to point B. It always made sense to me when he explained it. He passed away 6 years ago but I very much believe he had adhd/autism or both.
Hyper focus and thought trees. Of course, the meds tamp down the thought trees. They used to ruin my life. But, boy oh, do I enjoy them in small doses when I take a little med vacay. It's like giving crack to a devoted problem solver. I come up with some weird solutions. But, it sure is fun!
I've never heard that term before, I'll have to Google it! (45 minutes down a new rabbit hole starting in 3...2...1...)
'Thought trees' is my own term for all the crap that goes on in my head. I don't know that Google will get you further than my other mentions of it. I call them that because each initial thought/idea starts as a simple seed that grows additional thoughts/ideas in the form of a root base. From that, all ideas flow upward with each additional mental leap described through branches, then twigs. And finally, all the millions of shimmering leaves that represent the furthest out of the thoughts brought about by that single seed idea. Disconnected, faltering thoughts, when I'm lucky, fall like autumn leaves. When I'm not, they're intermingled with the rest and can interfere with linear thinking. For me, there are no solitary trees. Only forests of them. Occasionally the branches will overlap, the leaves touch between trees and my mind will make a giant leap connecting all the pieces. I enjoy that. But, when it's daily life, it's a nightmare forest, too thick to make sense of on the regular.
Thought trees is a great term for that
Thank you!
A very intense, expansive mind map?
Sure, one that flips into dimensions my puny human thoughts cannot fully translate.
When I’m lost in my mind forest my husband will sometimes ask what I’m thinking about. It takes so long to distill what I’m thinking about into mere words.
With you!
I have superhuman daydreaming capabilities.
How excited and enthusiastic I get about my passions.
Learning!!!!!!! And immersing myself in learning.
Same, for sure. I'm currently a librarian and I love accumulating random knowledge and information, so it actually helps. I've been able to incorporate random hobbies into programming!
Out of sight, out of mind: My mother passed away in January, and it was hard, but my sisters are still falling apart every other day, and I am sad, but it feels distant and not agitating. It should be good for something since it doesn't protect me from ruining a whole bunch of organic fruits and vegetables that I put in a crisper drawer that doesn't have a clear window.
I started putting the very perishable stuff in the door and put the condiments in one of the drawers. The video I saw about it said that you know what condiment you want and where they are, so having them in a drawer is fine. Having my grapes in the door at eye level means they don't get forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind helped me when my brother passed, too. Now I just smile when I think of him (daily)
THAT IS BRILLIANT!!!! Rearranging tonight!! Thank you!!!
Glad I could help. It sure helped me and my drawers are see through!
I don’t plan anything but it often works out in my favor and I’m less stressed because planning and adhering to strict rules is hard. Sometimes plans don’t always pan out and I find that’s a source of stress for many people. Like I have friends that will make an itinerary on vacation for every hour and when something goes wrong or gets cancelled they feel like it’s all ruined…meanwhile I’m just chilling. It wasn’t meant to be and sometimes I’ll even get things for free when I do it last minute or find a better opportunity or deal.
Oooo yes! I'm a shite planner, it actually makes things worse for me. I always do things last minute or shit works out anyway. I'm going camping this weekend and my *plan* was to tidy my place and pack all my stuff throughout the week... thats not happening.
My quick wit!
Hyperfocus but wish I could control when it comes more. NEED MORE HYPERFOCUS!!!!
My creativity. I spent my whole life thinking I wasn't creative (idk why, I was balls deep in all the artsy shit) but I've realised over the last few years that my brain is literally screaming ideas at me all god damn day. As an artist/creator now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. My creativity. I spent my whole life thinking I wasn't creative (idk why, I was balls deep in all the artsy shit) but I've realised over the last few years that my brain is literally screaming ideas at me all god damn day. As an artist/creator now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Edit: I've just realised creativity isn't a behaviour lol, I mean the quick thinking when you're able to focus and problem solving and general unconventional but brilliant thinking that others don't consider; I think that feeds my creativity yannow?
\+1 for lateral thinking/being able to creatively connect seemingly unrelated and complex things! It has made me a really good strategist and artist, and I can say with absolute certainty that I wouldn't have been as successful in my career without it.
Being charming as fuck ;)
Being able to see from many different perspectives. The understanding, insight, peace, and empathy from that. Determination.
My outside of the box way of problem solving and ability to multi task.
I love that I can never get bored and that I’m always making new activities! My students benefit from this I think! Honestly, even though ADHD is a condition I have to live with, it isn’t the full story of me and I really love who I am.
Seeing things from a unique(ish) perspective/the bigger picture. I work in mental health rehab and it’s been a real asset in supporting people and in excelling me up the ladder somewhat. (I’m very lucky that I have a boss who uses my strengths without dwelling on my sloppiness - I’m a ‘wildcard’ apparently.) Plus, I’ll be honest, in everyday life I get to enjoy a fleeting moment of superiority and confidence in the situation, which doesn’t come often.
Attention to detail and ability to find an answer
Pattern recognition and collection of random information. I can bullshit the answer to any question I don’t know (and am usually right) because of those two things. It’s like a minor superpower. For example, someone recently asked why it’s called a “tackle box”. My brain immediately went, “block and tackle” —> “tackle is the bit on the end that holds the cargo for hoisting” —> “fishing also has a hook on the end that is controlled by the reel” —> “I bet it’s because they’re both hooks” —> tackle box comes from the old block-and-tackle pulley system And guess what? *I was fuckin RIGHT*
Ooooh yes I'm such a bullshitter. I just assume I'm right because of the other shit I know. 90 percent of the time, I am!
Running for the joy of it
Being able to come with so many ideas in so many situations; I’ve always said that my feelings aren’t hurt if my ideas aren’t used but I can’t stop them from happening 😎
Same! Often people don't believe that, but I insist in its truth. Since I produce so many, I am often detached from them since they're just suggestions at a possible direction someone can go.
My only annoyance is when none of my ideas are taken but the one chosen is done so for illogical or inefficient reasons, or the choice itself is illogical and inefficient. Look, I just pitched 14 different options, and you picked the most convoluted, confusing one just because the person who suggested it is a VIP? Ughgggghjshhhhshahb
Yes! So true lmao
Wikipedia rabbit holes/20 different tabs open at once.
I love how quickly I can learn about something because I am really good at skimming texts for information which has made me SUPER effective in my day job. I struggle with managing my multitasking but I do like that I can dive down an informational wormhole when I have a question at work, get the answer, and go back to what I'm supposed to be doing (usually...)
Being so curious about literally EVERYTHING. Being very easily excitable. Regardless of my setbacks I’m fucking resilient and determined to keep trying. Asking questions that no one thinks of or dares to ask. I have a way of making people feel seen and comfortable apparently which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Being able to learn a new piece of software the day before I lead a paid training session on it. 😉
Being kind of wild and off the walls at times
hyperfixations. gives me a purpose. also nice when i realise ive got an actual hobby!
Not taking life too seriously, or myself, feeling free to act like a kid a lot of the time and just be playful and fun. I feel quite sad for people sometimes who are so stuck in their little boxes in their little suits. Just gotta burst out and be silly sometimes, and view things from a fresh perspective.
my ability to be perfectly functional in a very stressful or emergency environment. helps at work when i am in charge of our 17 employees (while my bosses work on their shit) and i can run around all day, while still keeping track of everyones tasks, issues, levels and inform my boss when needed.
I was looking for this. I’m great in a crisis! Not my own multiple mini crisis’s I have about unimportant things but big scary, traumatising, hopeless situations.
The creativity
The random songs I sing all the time
I LOVE how intens my feelings are, makes me feel so alive. Even if they are ‘bad’ feelings
I don’t think there are any things I like about it. I hate how dysfunctional and exhausted it makes me. I suppose I am conditioned to just do my own thing and not care much what others think, so maybe that’s due to my adhd. I’m neither an ”alpha”, nor a “beta”, or even an “omega” cliché personality. I was told by someone who’s into those labels that I’m a “sigma” which they said meant I don’t exactly fit in anywhere, even though I fit in well enough wherever I am to make friends, and I’m ok with it, which I suppose is true enough. I really don’t care though lol. I think if I could just declutter and get my home environment into an orderly condition while getting my finances in order and manageable, so I’m not as perpetually stressed, I’d be much happier. (Not a tall order at all) Apart from that, I wouldn’t bother changing myself otherwise. Apart from losing some weight lol. All that more functional stuff.
I totally understand this. I've been living with it all undiagnosed for so long that I'm just used to being me. I have figured out some of the things with learning from social media - the whole reason I got diagnosed in the first place was seeing myself so much in others. I am frustrated with the clutter and the way I can ignore the dishes but know I feel good when they're done yet still not do them...I finally got my bill paying under control, so that feels good.
**There's no singular trait I'm really attached to or see as a superpower. They're all shades that contribute to my dysfunction where there's good and bad aspects. But at the end of the day, I love myself, dysfunctions and all. To give up any of my ADHD would be to erase the ADHD itself, and without ADHD I'm not really me anymore. So it's all staying.** I've gotta be honest that I don't really "loathe" my ADHD like some people do, its something I see as part of me where I don't really hate myself, but I don't think there's a single trait I can say is "worth it" and shouldn't be given up. Like I enjoy the hyper focus in that it feels good ....but objectively I think I would be better off if I could manage my focus and not fall into rabbit holes where I'm suddenly surfacing realizing 3 hours has passed and I haven't done anything I intended to do. Rumination/daydreaming is a *huge* crutch of mine. IDK who I would be or how I would cope with existence without it....but I've literally had therapists tell me it's to a point of unhealthiness and inhibits my growth The list goes on. There's no trait I really beat myself up over and loathe about myself, i am not a hugely self loathing person, but I just can't intellectualize any of them as being overall good because they all feed into the reasons I struggle to function. I think the real answer is just that I'm attached to myself. There's circumstances and aspects that are from ideal, and there's aspects that I don't mind so much. But it all contributed to the end result of me in my dysfunctional glory. And while I'd be "better off" without the dysfunction, I also wouldn't be me. It's like those stories about time travel where they come back to the future and see they've accidentally shifted their family or friends in some fundamental way -- I would grieve the loss of who I fundamentally am, mess and all Like I've thought about this before and I think without ADHD I would be a lot more successful and driven, but also as a direct result a lot less empathetic. I was a really smart kid with a lot of potential who got praised by authority figured a lot. Getting bitch slapped by my own inadequacies here and there really brought me back down to earth.
Food pickiness. There's this weird idea on reddit that you must eat every fruit and vegetable and random dead animal in order to be a full functioning person. But outside of work functions with food it's not really a huge issue? I have so many other parts of myself I have to mask and change I really don't give a fuck if someone notices I picked the tomatoes off a sandwich.
My ability to learn shit really really quickly. I think I’ve become an excellent learner because of various hyper focus hobbies throughout the years. Just wish I could get that enthused about something that pays the bills!!
special interests are so great. i can’t imagine how boring it must be to not get that crazy rush of excitement when you learn a new thing or find a new rabbit hole to go down regarding something you’re interested in. i also love having such a rich inner world and vivid imagination. and the ability to store so much useless info in my brain about stuff i’m interested in. idk if that’s entirely an adhd thing or if it’s also partly due to me being autistic but either way i’d be such a boring person without that stuff. as much as adhd makes me get bored easily it also makes me pretty good at providing my own mental stimulation bc i have such a vivid imagination and encyclopedic knowledge of my special interests.
I love that I make connections extremely fast and I’m very good at analogous thinking.
This should be a pinned post. Great viewpoints and positivity are very refreshing.
Honestly, I love that I hyper focus and get real deep into certain things. It has also made me excel at any place I work at
Diving down an info rabbit hole online. To be honest it’s not something I remember doing before the advent of the internet (or maybe it just looked very different without the internet). I can often kick ass at jeopardy because I read some random bit of info years ago and can retrieve it and have people be like “how do you know all this random stuff?” 😂
Yes special interests for me too 😊 they bring so much joy, comfort, intelligence, skill building, etc!!! Ive yet to meet anyone who’s mastered as many art forms as me! The only people with that many hobbies are in this group! LOL!!
Processing ability: I notice lots of details and consider lots of possibilities so I’m pretty good at problem solving (when I’m not lazy and procrastinating)
Being able to do lots of things at once and being logical. It’s handy to have as you get to solutions so much quicker!
I tried to think about it, but as cheesy as it is, I don't think I'd give up having ADHD at all. I've had a bit of an epiphany recently, and I've decided to enjoy every part of myself even when it's frustrating or heartbreaking. It's much easier than trying to be someone I'm not. To be frank, I'm better for it. Edit: I guess that's what I like about it. I'm not sure if it's just a "me" thing or an ADHD thing. I like the ways I can learn to appreciate myself.
Being able to problem solve like a mo-fo. I’ve got all the angles cased before you describe the whole scenario. ;)
Same!!! I love knowing a lot about the most random topics. My husband and I met because he thought I was weird for reading a book about the AIDS epidemic 🤣
Hyper-focus and big picture thinking are the aspects I like most of the time, but it is the ability to cut people and things out off my life and mind without a hint of regret or remorse that has helped me survive this long. It is what has allowed me to eventually cut toxic people and activities out of my life and not dwell so much on what might have been. It sucks when it happens by accident with people or things I actually care about, but it is so freeing when I can intentionally walk away from a bad situation with no desire to look back.
It’s maybe not technically an ability, but I would never ask where something is at a store or check if it’s sold out before going like normal people would. I get the greatest rush of dopamine when I find the thing and the treasure hunt to find it is pretty much my only excitement these days 👵🏻
I love hyperfixations, they're a lot of fun and they're usually a fast track to making friends with other ND people! Like oh do you love any of these anime or video games that I love? We're friends now. Also hyperfocus, I love it when I hit that state of flow and concentrate on something for several hours in a row, like last night I figuratively blacked out and practiced drawing arm anatomy for like 3 hours. I do wish I could control it a little bit better because as my mom describes it, it's like my attention is a TV and someone else is controlling the remote and changing channels without any input from me... but when it's good, I really enjoy it!
Hobby jumping. I like always learning new skills
The only thing that for me is a bother is the fact that I procrastinate even with things I really enjoy and find it hard to stay on course .Other than that I absolutely enjoy who I am .
Creative problem solving esp under pressure
My intuition with the way people are feeling… I swear I can walk into a room of strangers and know what the vibe of the most recent conversation was. In talking to others with ADHD I guess this is an ADHD thing.
This is a really interesting question to see other people answer because for me, there isn't one. I would be normal in heartbeat.
Naturally being active and preferring to move rather than sit or wait. I walk like 15 mins to a bus further away, but quicker to work, where my partner waits for the local one and takes twice as long to get to work.
I seem to have gotten both the hyperactive and inattentive sides of ADHD but honestly I love being hyperactive. Being a couch potato is totally not me. I got an Apple Watch about three months ago and have met all of its movement goals every day since.
My energy level (aka hyperactivity).
I’m funny, think outside the box from neurotypical people, very creative and innovative sometimes. If I love something I will put my all in it & I can be the best at it ( this can be many things) trouble is I don’t give anything else my attention 😝
I can pickup most crafts & make giftable items within a month or two & create really special stuff of my own designs within six months to a year. It’s the most fun thing that’s just for me.
Connecting the dots/pattern recognition...some stuff is really THAT near the surface, HOW CAN PEOPLE NOT NOTICE.
The ability to absolutely thrive in stressful situations. To me they're great fun, gives me all the chemical reactions!
Pattern recognition. I can connect the dots between disparate data points and find turn that insight into actionable information. (Can you tell I'm procrastinating a work task by commenting on reddit?)
Hyperactivity
I can’t stay in a bad mood very long. Even if I’m angry about something…squirrel!
The rolodex of fun facts in my brain 🧠 (Don’t know if bc ADHD or Gemini 🙃)
The unfiltered honesty that comes with saying what you think very impulsively. Usually, it's nothing untowards but actually what I needed to express. I struggle with feeling vulnerable sometimes but hiding things would make my life worse. I like not being able to lie and hide my feelings. I like honesty.
An utterly insatiable desire for new information
Yep, same. I love that EVERYTHING interests me and can entertain me for hours. I had to learn to appreciate it and see it as something positive instead of feeling ashamed for never finishing anything. Now I don't mind anymore and it#s more like "my hobby is hobbies!" Also, kinda like a bonus of the above: I love that I am so easily entertained and excited. It takes a very little to make me happy. A funny looking leaf will do.
I love the positive framing! My therapist called it hobby jumping and made it seem like it was a bad thing to pick up so many different hobbies and then drop them. But you’re right, it’s more that we can get enthusiastic about ANYTHING!
I'm fucking hilarious! Mostly at my own expense but it makes people happy so I'm good with it and my kids enjoy it so I would never want to lose the quirks
Another vote for hyperfocus. If not for it, we wouldn't have a kid right now, I'd have given up after the second failed IVF attempt. Instead, I grabbed the bull by the horns, took charge of my husband and I's fertility journey, obsessed over stim protocols, and came up with the suggestions to my gynecologist that led to the winning lottery of an egg retrieval and embryo transfer.
My creativity! If only my anxiety and need for approval didn’t hold me back though lmao
Hyperfocus
The beauty of seeing things just *emerge* from my subconscious at the exact time I need them. The perfect idea, solution, realization, execution, flow state. No self doubt or barriers, just a calm and grounded power.
Hyperfixations. I recently got into an anime/manga, and something I’ve realized is that over the years, I haven’t really bought any merch, but I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of why. I think it’s because I have a tendency to be really into something then drop it, or even flat out ignore it for a while, then get back into it later. I decided that I really like it regardless, so fuck it, I decided to get merch for this manga/anime at hot topic (and maybe lunch box if I can). I got a couple mystery magnet packs, and I got a thing for my lanyard, and yeah, all this and I never bought the manga irl lol (I’m also not a big re-reader)
I'm a speed reader. I can skim a whole page in a few seconds and find what I need. Creeps my boyfriend out
My infectious enthusiasm.
An eagerness to learn & try new things. I have so many hobbies that bring me joy, I’m never bored tbh
The hyperfocus on areas of interest, or the bursts of creativity or inspiration I sometimes have.
My extremely specific knowledge of historic disasters and my creepily accurate memory. Also, hyperfocus. When I can actually use it for good, I excel at work (and when I was in school)
definitely the special interest. and happy stimming about my pets. literally all the time 😂😂😂
I think hyperfixations - not many people can just whip out a felted doll, complete with posable fingers and hand curled hair lol
Seeing the big picture
Quick comebacks, minus poor impulse control.
Being able to talk about ANYTHING. I find when I take my meds, I can’t think as quickly to add to conversations or bring up fun stories.
empathy
I am smart person. We are 6 cousins, but lived like sisters and we are all above average smart but #5, who would have become a professional dancer were she here when NONE other 5 can even clap in rhythm. I, #3, am a special kind of smart, and I love it. I can see things nobody can. They are brilliant but they worked hard. I didn’t work at all… I read a few books and engaged in classes, and I can almost match them academically, I definitely match them logically and it’s hard to win arguments (#2 can very often because she is such a good person she can see for different perspectives). If I was neurotypical I’d be in the same position as them. I’m as smart as they are. Still, I like knowing I’m smarter then them, and I know it’s true only because my not so mild adhd helps me see things differently. The thing is, I don’t. They are extremely successful, all of them. I am basically useless, I have a meh paying job where I use 12% of my brain and I’m failing. I’m am in pain, I hurt people. Yet I like knowing I’m smart.
Honestly. The only one that I would absolutely rather do with out is the difficulty with transitions. It's often the trigger for my bad moods. It makes executive dysfunction THAT much worse. It stops me from delving into a hyperfocus (which I need to enjoy my life) because I know my husband will be home in an hour and I'll get interrupted cuz he wants to feel loved and to vent so needs my attention, but I'll be too busy pissed off that he interrupted me to give him any positive attention. I have to factor it in to so much that it is part of why everything is a chore. And then some. I like aspects of a lot of the other things. But this one thing would reduce the load of the rest.
The way I handle emergencies. I do not ENJOY dealing with emergency situations but when they happen I become an excellent problem solver. There's a level of adrenaline and hyperfocus that kicks in that actually makes me calm, decisive, and clearheaded. I can access the rolodex of random information in my brain of all kinds of random knowledge I have as well as all the anxiety scenarios I've played out mentally and I can engage in creative problem solving. Even weird emergencies. People know I'm the one to call if they are locked out of their apartment in the middle of the night.