I have a confession. I am extremely easy to irritate. People have asked me why I am such an angry person, and the reality of it is that I am not, however, to get an outward look at myself, I can understand why other people might see me that way sometimes. The truth is that because of my ADHD/ anxiety combination, I am constantly on edge, ready to be set off at the next thing that comes along. Which is, more often than not, something not worth being upset about. I want to talk about that a little bit because I’ve really had to look at the way my anger, and in particular, my inclination to yell when I am angry, has affected my family. It has caused me to take a look at what I might be able to do differently so that I can have the exterior of a calm, in control person, even though I often don’t feel that way on the inside.
The ADHD Brain
One thing that frustrates me beyond end is the notion that ADHD is just a made up term to explain away the common behavioral problems of school age boys. That people who presumably have this disorder are, in fact, just “lazy,” that “bad parenting” is somehow involved, that they simply “lack willpower.” This idea has been refuted time and time again and yet there are still those who resist the idea that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder has any value as an actual medical condition. If you, like me, have heard these arguments and are uncertain of what you can do to sway the minds of those who hold this opinion, then this blog post is for you. In the upcoming paragraphs, you will find statistically sound scientific evidence of the differences in the brains of people who have ADHD, both young and old, in comparison to a person without ADHD, or what would be referred to in the psychology world as a “neurotypical” brain.
Why Am I Here?
If you were expecting another blog where some woman prattles on about how to be the perfect parent under any circumstance, this blog is not for you. If you are looking for someone who has it all together, who keeps her house spotless, whose children are always well behaved, you should probably look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for someone to struggle with, someone who fails, someone who is just trying to get through her day without anyone being injured or going hungry, then you have come to the right place.