What my neurodivergent mind has taught me
All my life, I have felt like my brain worked differently from everyone around me. When others think about ADHD, they think of a frantic person who can’t sit still or keep a steady conversation. For myself, ADHD allows me to open my mind to new ideas, have multiple hobbies, and learn a whole new side to creativity. For me, ADHD has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I often felt like I was working twice as hard to accomplish the same things as everyone else. Assignments took longer, studying felt overwhelming, and simple tasks could turn into hours of frustration. What many people didn’t see were the constant mental battles happening behind the scenes.
My ADHD has shown me how to evolve my sporadic ideas into full plans and actions. But it is never easy for me to complete a project, with a constant flow of new thoughts, there is always something in the back of my mind, sometimes leaving me feeling limited and frustrated. At the same time, ADHD has also shaped some of my greatest strengths. It has taught me resilience, creativity, adaptability, and how to think outside the box. The same brain that struggles with organization can also generate countless ideas and see connections that others might miss.
The more I share my experience with ADHD, the more I realise all that it has pushed me to accomplish. Without my constant strain of thoughts, I would have never pushed myself to grow in my pageant journey, move to new states and bigger cities, and put myself out there in my career goals. My ADHD has gone from feeling like one of my biggest weaknesses to being my largest success story. As I grow in my career and do more outreach for neurodivergence awareness, I have taught others about the importance of an ADHD mind, how to use it to your advantage, and why neurodivergent people bring creativity to our world. Most importantly, I have shown myself that something that I used to be ashamed of is the reason I am able to dream big and achieve the dreams I have worked towards my whole life.
