Adult ADD: How You Can Use ADD to Your Advantage

Do you have Adult ADD? If you do, did you know you might also possess secret superpowers that are just waiting to be released? If you are hyperactive, impulsive, and/or inattentive, you may have the condition, but read on — it may not be as bad as you think, with the help of a little coaching.

There are two main types when it comes to ADD/ADHD. One is related to symptoms that are associated with the issue of inattention. Five of nine out of the symptoms are actually required in order to conclude that you have problems with inattention.

The symptoms related to such a condition are issues like missing important details when you are writing, having a difficult time remaining focused when engaged in a long conversation, trouble meeting deadlines, having a mind that wanders even when someone is directly speaking to you, losing things frequently, being easily distracted, forgetting daily activities, and constantly being bored during tasks such as the completion of forms.

The other (second) type of hyperactivity symptoms has to do with impulsivity and hyperactivity. Worth noting is that you can have just one of these types of inattentiveness or you can have both.

The impulsive/hyperactive symptoms may include trouble sitting in one place for very long, fidgeting, movements involving high energy, and high energy that generally persists at given times, talking excessively, butting into conversations, and continual interruption of others.

Real Life Example

To give an example from real life, a client I worked with in the past had the condition of adult ADD. He assumed he was just a lazy individual who was irresponsible as well. He tended to get very caught up in television shows and often forgot important appointments.

He told me he had a huge issue with procrastination. He admitted that when there were large, imperative projects to be done, he found it more comfortable to do smaller things that weren’t so overwhelming and that held his interest longer. For that reason, he oftentimes put off larger jobs.

Ironically, his concentration level would increase and the job would become easier for him to work on as the deadline approached. Amazingly, the ADD and ADHD brain is wired to be able to come through with shining colors on this level of functioning.

With therapeutic guidance and coaching from a counselor, this person became able to zero in on the skills needed to channel his productivity into times of the day where he wouldn’t be so distracted. He found ways to improve his sleep cycles and also found more conducive times to sleep.

It is common for an ADD/ADHD individual to be practically addicted to the adrenaline that tends to flow due to sleep deprivation. Life is more pleasant when you don’t go through it exhausted and groggy, barely alert at all.

The client I mentioned experienced success partly by increasing his nightly dose of sleep. This was done by setting a specific time to go to bed and a certain time to wake up as well. He was rewarded by not feeling as if he was a zombie all day long.

A ritual or routine is beneficial for those who have ADD/ADHD. Exercise and eating healthily great too. Those things are often able to enable ADD/ADHD amazing superpowers to kick in gear.

What Superpowers Do You Have?

Instead of thinking of Adult ADD or ADHD as an infliction or dysfunction, you might try thinking of it as a great new precious and powerful treasure.

The miraculous superpowers you are able to obtain with the unique neurology function associated with the condition are simply amazing!

Here are just a couple of the superpowers you may have acquired:

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus is the unique ability to be cued into the zone. That entails experiencing a flow of ideas and thoughts that add up to quick action that can last hours and hours at a time. Which mean you can possess the ability you need to accomplish large feats in a short amount of time and most likely with rarely even require a break, or at least not many breaks.

In order to ignite this superpower, the task at hand has to be of interest to you. It has to be able to capture your energy in its channel. Many athletes have the condition working for them in the background while they go on to accomplish greatness, like Michael Phelps.

Phelps was quick to thank his ADHD. He said he had been driven by the condition as early as kindergarten when his teacher told his mother he would not be able to ever focus on anything. The formal diagnosis came at the age of 9 and he was prescribed medication but when he was 12, he requested to be taken off of it and to swim as therapy.

The routine required by swimming helped regulate his haphazard tendencies and the rest is history. The ability of Phelps’ brain to reroute when disciplined was his superpower, along with his swimming talents, of course.

Super Perception

Super Perception denotes the unique ability to correctly decipher things about people and to get those things right without having much to go on. It is a gut feeling and also the ability to notice and take in things about the person in a very short time. This is often interpreted as a gift from God which he adds spiritual discernment to.

Another ability closely associated with this power is the art of deductive reasoning. It might also be seen or thought of as reading minds. This superpower actually comes from the processing of information very quickly. It has been proven that the brain of an ADD/ADHD person is likely to hand amazing amounts of information at extremely high rates of speed.

Super Imagination

Those who have ADD/ADHD generally have a brain that loves to use its imagination. This ability leads to the person having unique solutions and contributions. This type of person doesn’t have to function on a linear level. They seem to pull ideas and thoughts out of a hat at any given time. They are known to be original, clever, resourceful, inventive, and to have vision.

Proverbs 28:18 tells us that without vision, people perish.

The above superpowers are just a smidgeon of the many miraculous things the brain of someone with ADD/ADHD is capable of accomplishing. In addition, they may also have the ability to desire to save people from experiencing a crisis at hand or rescue people from a situation that is unpredictable or negative.

They also commonly have the power to get in the middle of a situation or project without freezing up. The superpowers of imagination, magnified perception, and hyperfocus are the main ones that are the most profound.

Harnessing the Power of Adult ADD and Being Responsible With It

The most important first step once realizing you have Adult ADD or ADHD is to harness your superpowers so they can be useful to you and to others. This requires that you make a conscious decision to accept the fact that you have a neurology set up that is interest based.

It also means that the very things that you find thrilling have the power to encourage you to work faster and harder or the ability to distract and slow you down or make you become addicted. It’s vital to know yourself and understand how you think and how your brain ticks. Remember, you were made wonderfully and unique by our Father above!

Do the things that turn you on. If you love public speaking and it helps the release of the ‘feel good’ hormones and chemicals that reside within your brain, make some speaking engagements. If the thought of public speaking frightens you, don’t do it unless you have to. Learn to utilize the things you love and create situations to do so in.

If you thrive on being the planner in the background, be sure to volunteer to organize church or work activities. You may even find your skills are perfect for a business, like party planning. Maybe your imagination makes you an excellent writer. Then, by all means, write.

There are things you must do though in order to tend the garden you have been gifted. A healthy pattern of eating is imperative. You need to sleep well and exercise too. Take care of yourself and your self will take care of you.

Try to avoid sensory overload. You can be easily distracted which takes away from your superpower abilities. Get into positive habits and maximize your focus by doing away with things that can be a problem rather than a solution.

Is clutter your kryptonite?

It’s imperative to create and maintain a clean space where you can think clearly. A desk that is messy will distract your thoughts and will spur you to jump from one activity to another. You don’t have to be the inventor of the perfect storage solution although you’ll be tempted to do so. Just keep a tidy area, however you can manage to do so, and all will flow much better.

Eliminate choices

Even Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, had a good point when he talked about eliminating choices. When you have an abundance of choices, it can paralyze you into inactivity. Narrowing down or eliminating them entirely will free you up so you don’t bask in overthinking.

Those with ADD/ADHD tend to make simple things more complicated and waste time when doing so. It may take you 30 minutes each morning to decide what to wear because you are weighing out all the options. Cut to the chase and sift out this great time-waster. When you don’t have so many options, you’ll function better.

Create deadlines

With theADD/ADHD brain, deadlines are a blessing. They put a value on time and usually, someone with the condition functions well with deadlines, even if it means barely making them. Sometimes, the challenge of getting things done just in the nick of time is what the person with ADD/ADHD thrives on.

There is no harm in that as long as the end result is that it gets done and gets done by the deadline. Be sure not to squeeze yourself into a position of not allowing the time a task must take. You are fast but you cannot do what is not humanly possible so don’t set yourself up to fail as you set up your deadlines. Be realistic and get the job done.

Delegate what you can

Since it is common for those with ADD/ADHD to chase rabbits and to go on wild tangents, you may seriously want to consider delegating smaller projects and tasks so you don’t get distracted by them and therefore not get the larger, more important things accomplished.

Remember that you have superpowers and those powers can easily get wasted on common, everyday tasks that anyone can do. Save your time for using the abilities you were gifted with and let others do the smaller stuff. It may be hard for you to let go as you most likely tend to try to do it all but you’ll see better results when you can relinquish some things of less importance.

Christian Counseling for Adult ADD

If you have Adult ADD or ADHD, it’s vital to embrace being different! It is a blessing that your shortcomings are actually the largest assets you possess! Getting to know yourself in the eyes of God and His word will help you unleash your God-given superpowers. Understand these are gifts from God and are given to you for a purpose.

In order to really be all that you can be with your superpowers at hand and to reach heavenly heights, you might be wise to consider coaching from a skilled Christian counselor.

The sky is the limit when you allow God to put someone in your path to walk alongside you to help you, and your superpowers, blossom. The counselors at Irvine Christian Counseling are highly experienced and are in tune with God and His Word. Reach out today and open the gifts you’ve been given.