Patrick and his struggles in daily life with ADD
Social activities, studies and relationships with ADD
Bye dear people,
My name is Patrick, 21 years old and I was diagnosed with ADD about six months ago.
I wrote this piece about myself because I run into a lot of issues in daily life and would like to hear stories from ?fellow sufferers? and how you deal with it and I would also like to help people.
I am currently studying and furthermore, I enjoy sports and like many, I do like a nice conversation and social activities. What I am struggling with is the following: I find it very difficult to focus on doing my studies, have frequent headaches and am often tired and need a lot of sleep.
I am totally uncomfortable in a large group and with making presentations for my studies. And notice to myself that I often withdraw and really need to be alone for a while.
In terms of relationships, I'm not a hero either, never been in a long relationship and since I found out I was ADD I do have a better understanding and can now better understand why I sometimes have no feelings.
The medications I used were Methylphenidate and Dexamphetamine, but I did not like these 2 and suffered a lot of side effects. I just started Clonidine and need to see if this will work, apart from that I do take fish oil capsules.
Greetings Patrick
You can comment on this life story below.
Dear ADDs, ADHDs and HSPs,
I am Jochem and have been diagnosed with ADD and am a high-sensitive (HSP). Over the past few years, I have done an enormous amount in the field of self-awareness exercises and self-healing. Partly because in 2011 I suddenly found myself dealing with CFS/ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome, overnight. This was really a big turning point in my life which meant I really had to start working on myself from now on.
To recover, I did have to learn a lot about myself. So I pretty much went to every therapist, coach but also alternative healer you can think of.
During my search for the right help, I gained a lot of valuable knowledge that gave me very good insights and caused me to heal more and more. Now I actually see my ADD more as a strength and can live with it much better.
A book that really opened my eyes is "The Davinci Method" by John Loporto. He approaches all our traits in such a beautiful way. This is really a eye-opener For all people diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. This book was one of the biggest inspirations for me to start this website in late 2011. You can find more about John Loporto's inspiring book here. You can also see his inspiring video there in which he shares his message as an introduction to his book.
I hope this website will inspire you to look at the beautiful and powerful sides of ADD and ADHD, but of course also high sensitivity. Through all the information and tips and advice I give you the tools to be stronger with ADD, ADHD and HSP.
When you feel that spirit in yourself and are confident, you can be a person who can be very inspiring to 'normal' people. A person with a close connection to life, a rich emotional life, full of creativity, a broad thinking mind, a social being, reliable, humorous and with a very good intuition. The roles of feeling different will then reverse. But if you keep getting stuck and often think negatively about yourself, you will become more and more negatively laden and tired and the above beautiful qualities will mostly remain in the background.
On my website, I share with you all the knowledge I have. The knowledge that can give you as an ADD, ADHD and HSP person a positive spin on your life. In doing so, I share all the information I have learned from coaches and therapists and from books, documentaries and interviews.
You can read more about me on the about me page.
Happy reading ADDcharacteristics.net
Greetings, Jochem.
Dear
I have been living with ADD and highly sensitive for 53 years.
Now to share my experience something is to stay with yourself as much as possible and not try to step into the perception of others and certainly not society,for me that was a work in itself.
Medication am I took for a while relatine and stratera , I was a different person strange to myself .
Short it comes down to finding balance what you don't find in shops.
Everything comes to you , if not you don't need it .
I always say just DO IT....my ADD is just
Grts j
Dear Patrick,
I also recognise myself very much in this. Moreover, I am having a lot of trouble completing my education(s) and am now sitting at home overworked. School knows this and for this reason I also get more psychological help. So my advice is to explain your problem well to your teachers and tell them how you feel and that you would like to solve it.
People with ADD need more sleep than others and are also poor sleepers. So it is wise to agree on a time when you go to sleep and, for example, write in a notebook how you are doing, whether you managed etc. That way, you can find out what works best for you.
My best sleep tips are: don't eat after ten o'clock, turn off the bright light of your mobile before you go to sleep and make sure you have done everything so your head is clear, bineraul beats (with headphones) can also help well. And no caffeine before you go to sleep. Melatonin gives me a lot of rest. I take this when I really can't manage to sleep.
Remember that it is always good to ask for help. In fact, I myself find that I am slow to ask for help and then it is soon too late.
Good luck!
Hello Patrick,
I am facing the same thing I also have ADD and we found out when I was about 16 years old. i have had a very difficult period because of it and sometimes still do. I read your story and I can very much relate to this bit. "I am totally uncomfortable in a large group and with making presentations for my education. And notice to myself that I often withdraw and really need to be alone for a while." Large groups I don't feel comfortable at all either it was even so bad that I didn't even dare to enter the AlbertHeijnXL. With time, I grew over that a bit and I do go into the shop by myself. When I was still at school, I had exactly the same thing as you, often withdrawing and feeling the need to be alone. I haven't found the solution yet and I'm afraid I won't find it either, so I hope that as I get older, things will change. I take the medication Concerta and Citolapram (antidepressants), which is what I wanted to say.
Greetings Stephanie