Is Adult ADHD My Superpower or My Kryptonite?
Lots of People Refer to ADHD as Their “Superpower.”
Let’s be honest, having ADHD doesn’t make you feel as strong as Superman. Sure, your hyperfocus or the rush adrenaline gives you can come in handy from time to time. But, that doesn’t diminish the other symptoms of adult ADHD that can make your life challenging at times.
Your ADHD may cause you to always run late, feel frantic, or disheveled. It may also make it hard for you to remember things that seem trivial or complete tasks that feel boring. Or, your ADHD may make you struggle with emotional regulation. Thus, causing you to often worry about or overreact when you feel slighted or rejected.
If this sounds like you and your experience with ADHD, then you may get annoyed when it’s referred to as a superpower. I mean, that’s not your experience. Actually, the more you think about it, the more invalidating it feels to hear about ADHD in this light.
Understanding the Effects of ADHD
As ADHD therapists, we have heard a lot of chatter about ADHD superpowers. Lots of adults with ADHD struggle with disorganization and executive function deficits. Perhaps you do too? These struggles make you feel hopeless. So when you read about other ADDers’ superpowers, you feel left out. Almost as if everyone else has a manual for how to use their ADHD in a productive way. But, the world forgot to let you in on this secret.
Struggles with Adult ADHD
You may have managed to be successful in the past by relying on adrenaline and hyperfocus. Yet, you’re now struggling in adulthood. You find it hard to complete mundane tasks, especially during a global pandemic. Or, meet deadlines, be on time, and communicate with those around you in effective ways. This is both frustrating and confusing. You want success so much that it upsets you when that doesn’t seem to come as easy to you as it does for others.
Medical professionals may have also offered you prescription medication. These can help you manage the ADHD symptoms you’re experiencing. Yet, while this might help, it is not a permanent fix, especially if you were not offered ADHD therapy, coaching, or access to a support group. The gold standard of ADHD treatment is a combination of medication and therapy. Medication won’t give you the tools needed to move towards meeting goals. Especially your long-term goals. It also can’t help you when you’re struggling with difficult life events and transitions.
ADHD Therapy Can Offer Support
As an ADHD therapist, I help my clients build the lives they want. I have seen firsthand how adult clients with ADHD benefit from learning executive function and emotion regulation skills. By building in support where you need it, life begins to feel more spacious. An ADHD therapist can help you install systems that work without needing to reinvent the wheel each week. Yes, some executive function skills might sound boring. But, building time awareness and improving time estimating skills are life-changing. Imagine how nice it would be to estimate how long it takes to drive, park, and show up for an interview with time to spare. Wouldn’t that be nice?
I know you may be wondering what you can do to improve executive functioning. Working with a therapist such as myself or my colleagues can help. I realize that it may not be immediately possible for many of you, so I wanted to give you some tips to help in the meantime.
Tips for Time Awareness:
Wear a watch if you can. If you have a sensory issue and cannot wear a watch, then hang wall clocks where you spend the most time.
Hang wall clocks or add desk clocks into your space. Consider a wall clock that makes a noise every hour or every 30 minutes. Hearing a chime or bird call at hourly intervals further increases time awareness. It externalizes this executive function skill by engaging two senses; sight and hearing.
Create a game by guessing how long an activity will take, write it down, and then time the activity. You will see improvement in your estimates over time!
With better time awareness and improved executive functioning, you'll reduce the chaos. Remember the image of showing up to work frenetic and disheveled? Having better time awareness will help you plan when to leave, arrive on time, or even a little early. Once the time awareness skill becomes a habit, you'll create more space for yourself. Space to relax, drink coffee, prepare or think. With better executive function skills, the daily chaos starts to fade away. Most of my clients will start to see their strengths emerge in the foreground. Even the ones who at first thought the superpower's idea was ridiculous.
Ready to Start Working with an ADHD Therapist?
Do you want to learn more and gain some insight into your unique struggles and strengths? If so, then working with an ADHD therapist can help. We understand neurodiversity and the struggles you’re having. So, we can teach tips like the ones above to help other executive functioning skills. This can reduce the burden of ADHD so you can see it in a more positive light.
When the chaos begins to clear and you strengthen your executive function skills you may begin to see your ADHD in a new light. While it may never feel right to think of it as a superpower as others do, you may not see it in such a negative light. Let your skills and your strengths give you the self-confidence to shine. This will help you as you move forward and achieve those seemingly unattainable goals.
Your ADHD symptoms are not a curse. Our team of caring therapists has supported many individuals to view their ADHD in a new, more positive light. We would be honored to support you in gaining better insight so you can own ADHD and the powers it offers. To start your therapy journey, book a free 20-minute consult call with us. We will then see if our counseling center is a good fit for you and create a plan from there.
Other Services at California Integrative Counseling Center
ADHD therapy isn’t the only service offered at our California-based counseling center. Our specialized therapists also offer individual therapy services across the state via online therapy in California. We also offer couples therapy, counseling for life transitions, and support via an ADHD support group. For more helpful information, please feel free to visit our blog.
The information contained in or made available through www.caintegrativecounseling.com cannot replace or substitute for the services of trained professionals in the medical field. We do not recommend any specific treatment, drug, food or supplement. The content on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or received from California Integrative Counseling Center. www.caintegrativecounseling.com contains links to outside websites that are not maintained by California Integrative Counseling Center, and is not responsible for the content or endorse any site.