The "gifts" and "strengths" that ADHD has given me?
I'm not sure whether I can attribute all of them to ADHD, but here goes:
I can read and research and learn at breakneck speeds, so I read a lot, and I learn a lot, I am one of the best-read people with the broadest knowledge base I know. I listen to at least a few 10-20 hour non-fiction audio books a month. This amounts to hundreds of books (ninety percent being science and history) over the years. The complete list of books that I have in my head can be found at the wonderful book record website GoodReads.com.
I need the stimulation I get from information, and this makes me always seek out new information, learn stuff, try out new experiences. I often go on Wikipedia binges where I read fifty or so wikipedia pages on one particular subject. I read so many that to keep track by bookmarking each one I read. My life goal is to read one million wikipedia pages before I die. Google Chrome keeps track of the total number, I'm currently at five thousand.
Anytime I come across a new subject, concept or idea that I'm unfamiliar with, I immediately look it up and learn everything I can about it. I want to learn about everything in the world. No topic is off limits.
I read and write compulsively. I have so many ideas to share and write about. I journal everyday. The best of the journal makes it to my blog. Out of the best of the blog, I have made over 50 websites (only a dozen are really good). I love writing, because I can take as much time as I need to say what I want to say as competently and intelligently as I can.
I have an incredible range of very different interests, that range from studying French and other obscure languages to quantum and astro physics to classical piano music theory and world history. I love working out, climbing mountains and wrestling, but I also like staying in and crocheting (kind of like knitting). People often admire me for this, sometimes I'm called a "Jack of all trades” or “a man of many hats..." or "multi-talented educated individual".
The above points make me interesting in social situations, as I can competently talk just about anything the other people are interested. It also helps to deal with awkward or boring situations. I can withdraw to a lovely world of fantasies in my head whenever reality around me is meh.
The disadvantage is that I often find other people boring. I like to be around intelligent people.
But I'm versatile and I can hang with and get along with just about anyone from any walk of life.
I'm pretty flexible and spontaneous. I do plan my day in detail, but can adjust very easily if everything goes the other way. I roll with the punches and try to make the best out of what I have available to me. I can make the best out of any situation.
I can work on several projects at one, with no problem in switching from one to another.
I can often see the "big picture" and spot connections that others miss.
I love to explore, both places as well as ideas, because I don't like to take the same routes. After living in a town for a few years I find that I know all the interesting places which the locals aren't aware of. No matter where I go or who I meet, I usually have something interesting to tell them.
I can't tolerate boredom and I must be doing something productive with my life, which means I will never chose to work in a soul-sucking job. Fuck the greedy heartless capitalists that pay their employees as little as possible. I won't ever work for you. I value my contribution too much.
I have a gracious heart, and I love my fellow people and I would always help out anyone that I can.
I like to switch up things in my life, I love trying new things, like changing my eating style or work, etc etc. I will never get stuck in a rut.
Because of my deep understand of classical and moral philosophy, sociology and world history,
I have a deep sense of morality, justice and honor. I believe in science, truth and love above all.
I can pour a lot of love, dedication and attention to something that really grabs my interest.
I devote myself to something and I don't give up until it ends in great success or total failure.
But even if I fail, I will learn from it and keep moving on.
(Side Note: I am not any of this with my stimulate ADD medication. Without it, I am a shell of the man I really am. Thank God for my vital, life saving ADHBD medication. Without it, I may not have my sanity. Or even worse, without it I may not do anything useful for society. Without my medication, I have no desire to create and learn, I don't write books or publish any webpages, and I just don't take care of myself in general.
Worst of all, without my medicine, I'm not happy in my own head because I don't do anything productive, and just to get a moment of relief, I fall back on alcohol, which is really bad for me. The point is that without my medication, I may not have anything meaningful to contribute to posterity.
To Ritalin I own my legacy.)
Worst of all, without my medicine, I'm not happy in my own head because I don't do anything productive, and just to get a moment of relief, I fall back on alcohol, which is really bad for me. The point is that without my medication, I may not have anything meaningful to contribute to posterity.
To Ritalin I own my legacy.)
Worst of all, without my medicine, I'm not happy in my own head because I don't do anything productive, and just to get a moment of relief, I fall back on alcohol, which is really bad for me. The point is that without my medication, I may not have anything meaningful to contribute to posterity.
To Ritalin I own my legacy.)
ADD Gifts blog v1.09 7/12/2014 2010 bk
One incredibly useful comment made by the ADHD community of Reddit.
Quoting: "I often go on Wikipedia binges where I read fifty or so wikipedia pages on one particular subject. I read so many that to keep track by bookmarking each one I read."
I can identify with that a whole lot. I still have plans to sort them, eventually. I've got 'ADD' as well, and am going through a similar development. I started learning autodidact-style during the last two years of highschool and have just finished studying psychology for a year on university. The school programme didn't supply me with enough learning material so I continued on my own, at home.
I started to get real interested in philosophy and have since been very motivated to get a degree in that field as well as a career.
But..
I have also experienced the downsides of methylphenidate.
Social relations got more superfluous and I partially neglected them. I relied completely on my own (and methylphenidate) how my thought would develop throughout the day. As you mentioned, reading and writing were activities I highly enjoyed.
At first this was of no problem, but slowly it builded a instability within myself and my reliance on ritalin. And pressing yourself to keep taking them day after day because without them you literally have a lesser world (like you said, no motivation to be productive, meaning in life lacking), resulted in existential depression for me.
I now am more moderate in usage and am also happy without. Perhaps that is what im trying to say; it is very important not to rely on meds to succeed living a day meaningfully without thinking "I wish I had ritalin right now.."