adhd fact friday

Week Four Fact

Sensory Processing Disorder and ADHD often coexist, but sensory issues are in themselves common for people with ADHD.

I always just presumed I was right when I said I was secretly seven or twelve or whatever in relation to my reluctance to eat tons of foods for whatever reason—often texture. In fact, it can be an ADHD thing. While I worked in daycare for years with no issue, I’ve always had issues with places like bars or restaurant lounges with loud music and people trying to talk over it at the same time, combinations of dim and neon lighting. I can do concerts, but I think that’s because there’s no other place my attention is shifting between—I’m not trying to converse or anything. Face paint? Nope, nope, nope (and I don’t wear make-up and I wonder if it’s also related? Or also that I cannot be bothered). I’m fortunate that my life uniform can be hoodies, t-shirts, jeans and shorts. And runners—sandals aren’t even a thing I own, save for a few pairs of flip flops I attempt to tolerate going from hotel rooms to hotel pools (sand at beaches? Ick.). Foods? Yep, I’m secretly seven. Salsa, oatmeal and certain pasta sauces even fall into the category of things that I can’t tolerate texture wise. The smells of other foods will do it, or the taste—anything vinegar-y falls into both of these categories. I could list all the foods I can think of that I dislike but we’d be here awhile ;). (I just bought noise cancelling earphones which should actually help with some of the sound sensitivity issues.)

I haven’t been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder, but I wouldn’t be surprised. However, at this point in my life I’m not sure knowing would solve a whole lot. The link to ADHD has been made pretty clear, and that’s good enough for me. Learn more here. 

Oh, and I should add that the weighted blanket thing has been great for me. Although my current rice-ziplocs-and-tape blanket has sprung a leak so I haven’t been able to use it for lack of remembering to fix it during the day. Put it on the to-do list!

Week Three Fact:
adhd fact fridayADHD sometimes comes with the opposite of being unable or having difficulty focusing. Hyperfocus is just what it sounds like: intense periods of focus, which make attention deficit disorder all the more confusing.

Yes, it seems paradoxical. Yet hyperfocus is very real to many ADHDers, myself included—ADHD is an “attention regulation disorder”—as difficult as it can be for us to focus on tasks that are boring or not mentally stimulating, it can be equally difficult for us to redirect our attention from something that is fun or interesting.

Hyperfocus can be the saving grace of people with ADHD with a deadline ahead of them, or a massive obstacle when we find something fun or enjoyable… and should be doing other things. However, sometimes we get so sucked in that it can be extremely hard to break our focus. Even people talking directly to us might not be enough to interrupt us—the polar opposite of what people perceive as our attention deficit selves.

For myself, I think hyperfocus is the reason I could read book after book when I was younger, especially when I had nothing else mentally interesting to do: if the book was interesting, that was the only place my attention went.

Day 21 Challenge Update

Plank: 155 seconds while on FaceTime with Kat. Which made it easier, actually.

Meditation: I completed the Bite Size Meditation series on Smiling Mind.

adhd fact friday

Week Two Fact:
It’s said that ADHD occurs 3 times more often in boys/men than girls/women. 
However, the symptoms girls exhibit are more likely to be overlooked.
Where boys seem more prone to the hyperactive/impulsive(/inattentive) form of ADHD—including moving around a lot, aggression, running/climbing, etc., girls are more likely to have the quiet sort of inattentive symptoms—daydreaminess, being “withdrawn”, low self-esteem or anxiety, and if ‘aggressive’, symptoms are verbal—not physical. [1]

Inattentive ADHD—in girls or boys—is a lot easier to miss, because while it’s all “behavioural”, the behaviours are not of the same magnitude.

 

Challenge Update Day 13/14:
Yes, I was too ranty last night to get the challenge update in.
 Hello there.

Meditation: Mindful vs. Mindless meditation last night, 3 minutes. The night prior was a bit of a shorter one but, yep, if it exists I can’t find where the history bit of Smiling Mind went off to.

Plank: This app is killing me (in a good way? Sort of?) Yesterday was 105 seconds… Then boom, 115—a whole minute longer than when I started. (I am sort of awestruck, if you haven’t figured that out.) The 105 was terrible because I didn’t put music on. 115 was surprisingly better (but then, I was listening to Fireworks by The Tragically Hip. Soooo.)
Tomorrow is 125—crossing the 2 minute mark.


adhd fact friday

Week One Fact:

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder. ADHD is caused by genetic and biological factors that affect how the brain develops. Like most neurodevelopmental disorders, it can be mild, moderate or severe, and affects each person differently.

Challenge Update Day 7:

Meditation: Body Scan meditation last night, 8 minutes.

Plank: 85 seconds down—think my form was better than yesterday but it was hard. I get two more 85 second days so that should be doable.