On Overcoming ADHD

Being diagnosed with ADHD in my early teens was a lifesaver. It gave me insight and relief finally making sense of the many struggles I faced. I began medication and gained access to tools that made mainstream learning more accessible with tools like recording lectures and extended test time. It provided a framework to understand my brain and helped demystify ways I struggled compared to neurotypical peers.

However, the label like any also carried stigma. While certain traits like my sense of wild and marching to the beat of my own drum resonated deeply, other things I identified with left me feeling inadequate and inferior. Over time, I absorbed limiting beliefs about myself that much later in life vitally needed to be deconstructed and reworked. Medication was helpful in some settings but came with side effects that often outweighed the benefits and many of the tools granted in school didn't translate to the rest of my life. After years of trial and error, I decided to step away from medication for good to focus on the deeper, holistic work around the dis-ease.

Growing up, the education system cast ADHD as a "mental disability," failing to recognize the unique strengths and learning styles it brings. Shame became a constant companion, and struggles with focus, hyperactivity, and paralysis were often accompanied by spiraling shame and self-doubt, leaving me feeling terribly imbalanced, depressed and quite lost. And over time, I found shame to be quite the poor teacher.

After a lot of rock-bottoms and much tenacity learning to work with and understand my energy in new ways, what I’ve finally come to understand is that every so-called weakness is the flipside of a double-edged sword. Every flaw and challenge holds a potential gift and we get to choose how we wield our steel. Neurodivergent people, sensitives, those with trauma, and anyone finding themselves outside the neurotypical umbrella are not wrong. Perhaps we are rebels, change-makers, intuitives, artists, revolutionists, and seekers. Perhaps we weren’t made for the conventional because new paradigms were destined to be born by the torches we carry.

After taking full ownership, ADHD became a powerful portal of discovery and fostering my unique gifts. I have honed in energy healing and alternative tools among a vast array of studies and dabblings, embraced my sense of adventure world-traveling and collecting unbelievable stories, defied previously held beliefs of myself and embodied a holistic way of being that honors the multi-dimensional self. More and more I get to make positive impact via big life challenges I've overcome, connecting with wonderful people and being of service! -True alchemy. All the while, using my giftings of creativity and flexibility- a dream come true for this ADHD, piscean unicorn. I love the ways that I am able to connect with different people in the many things I do and I am constantly discovering and exploring.

Today, I still work hard to maintain inner and outer balance, and integrate my neurodiversity and sensitivities rather than bypass them. While moments of disconnection and paralysis still happen, I have profound understandings around them. They don't take up nearly the amount of space and do not define me or my life. Impulsivity, reliance on substances, and unhealthy coping mechanisms are no longer big obstacles that sever me from my path. My older cousin may still double-check I have my phone and purse after leaving a restaurant whenever I'm in town, but I always assure her with a chuckle, “I’ve got my shit together now.”

I’ve been consistently off medication for nearly a decade, and while the journey hasn’t been without its' challenges, the evolved perspective I carry and tools I’ve developed around this work have transformed my life. I wield my sword with pride, honor and service.

If you resonate with this aspect of my story and still find yourself searching for answers, know that you're absolutely not alone. Know that neurodiversity is not a flaw. It’s a gift, a spark, and a call to something greater. Embrace your path, and trust that your struggles, too, can be discovered and cultivated for the spiritual gifts that they truly are.

For practical tools and insights about navigating ADHD and staying organized, stay tuned for other blog entries on Navigating ADD/ADHD.

A whole lotta love-

Timolin