Adult ADHDParenting ADHD ChildrenADHD TreatmentADHD and Learning DisabilitiesAttention Deficit
PrintEmailDiscuss 1 COMMENTS!RSS

ADHD Skeletons in the Closet

What's life with adult ADHD like? Well for starters, my mind is like a 250-pound woman who is sluggish and needs to shed the weight.
Adult ADHD Blog | Monday September 28th - 9:57am | More September 2009 Blogs
 

At the end of the day, I feel no one would want a woman with attention deficit disorder, whose thoughts and interests drift

Jane D., adult ADHD blog

The apartment is suspended in the air on the 16th floor of one of the ritziest zip codes in Gotham. The one bedroom feels like a palace compared to the trailer park in the 'hood, spacious, with a grand view of expensive high rises. The doormen know my name and ask me if I need any help with the groceries. I shake my head "no" and wonder why they ask. What do they want from me? It is a sublet and temporary, and I fear that I will be spoiled. How does a cat go from Sheeba cat food to the generic dried sort? I don't know.

The Sensitive Guy and I spent the entire weekend together, and he observes that I am different and says it in sort of a complimentary way. He says I am funny and I make him laugh. The things that come out of my mouth--the impulsivity that is a trademark of ADHD--make him smile and I feel, for the first time, appreciated. He is referring to my thoughts and vocabulary, which run freely like wild mustangs. Within the words and thoughts there is always a spark of color. He says that I am a natural writer, talented, gifted, and that I am creative, something that he isn't. I wonder if it is possible that I've hit the love jackpot, but it seems too good to be true.

I hid the last few Adderall pills in the drawer when he arrived, and made sure that the books and magazines related to ADHD were tucked away in the closet.

The sensitive guy is a machine when it comes to rattling off numbers and dates and factoids, and I am completely lost. I hide my boredom and the seeming inability to listen. He is well read and turns to books as solace or escape, and in the meantime I struggle to read a passage in an article and understand the meaning. I do feel retarded at times, as if my mind is like a 250-pound woman who is sluggish and needs to shed the weight.

The Sensitive Guy and I did very little this weekend, and time seemed to have retreated into the sidelines. We basically nestled in the penthouse, holed in and glued to the couch. We did not leave to eat and noshed on snacks. I've noticed that he seems to lose track of time, and that he's noted several times that he feels like he's always in a rush. Could it be that he suffers the same fate as me? The truth is that I am scared shitless about someone seeing through the shield. What if they see my warts, and realize that I am really a disorganized person who is half genius and half mess?

The friend tells me that I should continue to see where things go with the suitor. There is no commitment with the Sensitive Guy, and in many ways I find myself unconsciously pushing him away because I feel I'm not worth it, I'm not good enough--that at the end of the day, no one would want a woman whose thoughts and interests drift, and who carries around a lot of piles.

1 Comments:

  • Posted by Frank South - Sep 30 2009 @ 4:28 PM
    One thought...
    Since being diagnosed ten years ago, I have had concerns about being judged and in some work or social situations keep my ADHD and comorbid everything unmentioned and out of sight as much as possible. I didn't want to be just the ADHD guy or use it as an excuse. But it's funny, for me anyway - the more I hid, the more power I gave the shame and doubt and fear. Finally I simply didn't have the psychological strength to keep it up. So I spilled to anyone in the world who cared to listen. I'm not sure if in the end it's good or bad, but - in finding a way to be open to the world, I also was able to be more open about myself with those I know and love. I feel stronger from that. But the urge to hide for self-preservation is strong and opening up is more often a case by case trust issue. Then again when I was fiorst diagnosed, I briefly considered not telling my wife, the person I trust most in the whole world, because I was afraid of what she might think of me.
Join ADDitude or log in now to add your comments.
ADDitude DirectoryFind Professionals
Find Schools and Camps
Find Products
Related Forums
Related Content
Free Newsletter
Free Gift with Sign Up
Adult ADHD
Managing your time, money, career & relationships
Success at School
Keep kids learning! Tips for parents and teachers
Parenting ADD/LD Kids
Strategies for behavior, nutrition, friends & more
 
Copyright © 1998 - 2007 New Hope Media LLC. All rights reserved. Your use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
ADDitude does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The material on this web site is provided for educational purposes only. See additional information.
New Hope Media, 39 W. 37th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10018