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Post by hanonymouse on Jan 9, 2017 22:55:58 GMT
The most difficult thing with ADHD has to be trying to describe what it's like to a 'normie'. I tried some videos, but at last I found a couple that make great sense!
What really gets my goat is when people say "oh yea, I can't concentrate sometimes, maybe I have ADHD" ... or "yeah, I get a lot of those things but I'm alright" .... trying to explain to them that we squirrels get most of the problems, ALL of the time and it is how it effects our lives that really makes the diagnosis. No wonder most of the time I just don't bother saying anything.
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Post by vagueandrandom on Jan 10, 2017 0:13:08 GMT
This is also good
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sasquatch
Member's not posted much yet
Posts: 19
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Post by sasquatch on May 18, 2017 16:34:50 GMT
I describe fighting the impulses as it's like someone sat on my chest and pulling my arms. Sometimes not acting out these impulses is physically painful
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Post by anopheles on May 23, 2017 15:24:36 GMT
I describe it in a few ways using metaphors (it's how my mind works).
One: medical - Colour Blindness and Cerebral Palsy anologues.
Like Colourblindness, ADHD makes the world a bit more tricky to navigate. Instead of a lack of colour, a lack of time awareness and impulse controls (verbal, mental, emotional) and other symptoms make day to day living challenging and, like colour blindness, it's invisible to an observer.
Cerebral Palsy is a condition were neurons misfire and signals prevent the person from moving their muscles as they wish. ADHD is like that but instead of muscles, we struggle to control our 'excutive' brain fuctions like concentration, control and memory. We have no real say over where our thoughts land, what interests us or what level of interest we will show or what we remember. Unlike Cerebral Palsy, because people (both sufferer and observer) tend to link thought to personality or character we tend to not realise that although we may really, really, really want to concentrate on what you are saying we can't if it isn't interesting us or if it is sparking impulsive thoughts about connected (but temporarily irrelevant) things. Similarly, some ADHD people, although mechanically able to read, cannot read more than a few lines of text before impulsive and intrusive thoughts have taken over and they lose time or give up on the text.
Some of us will seem intense as we speak quickly about a subject, or unstable as our Emotional control can be difficult to use. Our emotions can fill a room. Some of us cannot be a little bit sad, a little bit angry or a little bit happy. This can make us seem (and think we are) unstable or trigger happy.
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Two: Other Metaphors
We have a Ferrari brain but shopping trolley steering.
We are the passengers in a car driven by a driver who insists on taking you on the scenic route even on simple A to B journeys. He will not listen even if you beg him to be direct.
We have Olympic Sprinter brains that will travel the 100m quicker than most other people but it's just that we may find ourselves, at the end of the sprint, in Row Z of the Stadium or half way across the javelin field....
We are like people who are trying to watch an exciting tv program in the lounge and making a meal for the family in the kitchen at the same time. We are in the doorway, not really doing either task particularly well.
We are bonfires who dream of being lasers or even candles. Some of us fear to leave the fire pit.
We are kites that require someone else to hold the string.
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jamesjay
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Posts: 34
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Post by jamesjay on Aug 13, 2017 0:26:48 GMT
I feel like I've got two minds, one that wants to slow down and the other that is going so fast nothing can keep up with it
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Post by onecrazylife on Oct 23, 2017 9:58:54 GMT
I feel really drained of the fight, i feel like i have the most information and ideas in my head but there stored in billions of messed up fileing cabinets.i live for the moment and dont really care to much about anything until it slams me in the face ! I am always looking for something ( proberly dopamine) i am a thousand mph and the world are riding snails,
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whatsnext
Member's posted somewhat
SHUDDUP AND GIMME ALL THE SHINY THINGS
Posts: 77
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Post by whatsnext on Nov 2, 2017 0:42:51 GMT
I'm finding it increasingly frustrating explaining to others what ADHD is - at least, such that it doesn't generate a response of "but everyone experiences that" or well-meaning-but-futile suggestions on fixing symptoms.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2017 8:22:14 GMT
Impossible to relate to, really, for either of us but perhaps...
Life with ADHD is like walking around Tesco with a tenner.
You're only allowed one transaction. You're not allowed to keep the change.
This video can be handy too:
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Post by jp on Jun 29, 2018 8:01:06 GMT
We are bonfires who dream of being lasers ... Love that! There’s two types of explanation I seem to need to use: 1. When people say “Oh, we are all a bit ADHD aren’t we?” Can’t see any of the video links above, so maybe this one is in there: ”We all have height. But if you are 7 feet tall you bang your head a lot.” Or simply “You lost your keys? I have to find them EVERY FUNKING TIME that I need them.” 2. To my partner, who can’t quite get her head around the fact that I don’t have much choice in this. I’m not morally decrepit, lazy, narcissistic, sociopathic, or wilfully forgetful! But even I have to remind myself of that. And I haven’t found a metaphor that works. I’ve even explained the science as best I can. She still can’t belive that there’s no choice. It seems unfair to her that I should receive a get out of jail card for free when everyone else has to be a responsible adult! It does seem unfair. I don’t have a good metaphor that works but: “Tricky to pull your socks up and get your skates on when you have no legs.” Edit - links are visible now 🤩
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