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Does My ADHD Annoy You?

I tend to be very self-conscience about my ADHD behavior.
ADHD College Blog | Thursday July 17th - 7:03am | More July 2008 Blogs
 
The ADDitude college blogger writes about surviving college and succeeding in school with ADHD

I know that I have ADHD. I know that I can get really hyper, and silly, and basically act like a four-year-old who just downed a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew. I realize that this may be slightly annoying to some people (OK, MOST people). I am aware that I sometimes get on people’s nerves, so I always get self-conscious when I feel myself getting hyper.

If I’m around my family or close friends and I notice myself getting silly or talking at the speed of light without so much as pausing for a breath--standard ADHD behavior. I feel like I’m driving everyone crazy.

I don’t want people to roll their eyes and ask, "Is that annoying, hyper girl going to be there?" So I am constantly asking my friends if I’m annoying them, just as a self-check on other people’s feelings.

I feel comfortable with my family and friends, and I want them to tell me if I’m being annoying, so I can calm down as best as I can, and train myself to not act silly around people I don’t know as well. So every time I feel annoying I ask if I’m being annoying. The only problem is that every time I ask, they say "no." This leads me to believe that they’re just being nice, and not telling the truth. Usually I end up asking, "Are you SURE I’m not annoying you?" and "Just tell me if I’m driving you nuts," until eventually they reply: "The only thing that’s annoying me is you repeatedly asking if you’re annoying!" By then, they’re officially annoyed.

I guess I should just stop asking if I’m annoying, because apparently, the incessant questions are actually more irritating than the speed-talking, giggling and bouncing around like I have ants in my pants.

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2 Comments:

  • Posted by Bekah - Jul 19 2008 @ 6:28 PM
    annoying my friends
    I hate that 'here she goes again...' look so much! It's frustrating, because I know I'm annoying people, but at the same time, I really want to finish what I'm saying. The same thing happens to me with not finishing my thoughts, or sometimes, if I'm in a group and I feel like I'm saying too much I end up not saying anything, until I've totally lost the conversation and I'm just standing there, looking dumb. If I don't let myself say what I want, I lose intrest. If I don't control what I say, I end up dominating the conversation. It's hard for us ADHD-ers to regulate ourselves and what we let escape from our mouths!!
  • Posted by kathyph - Jul 17 2008 @ 1:27 PM
    Annoying
    I know the feeling. It's sometimes embarrasing, even with my close friends, to get the look that I'm getting a little out of hand or too loud. The thing is "they know me here" and it doesn't really embarrass me that they do it... but that I have let myself get into that position. The other thing is that I know I tend to talk alot. I remember one time when a friend was dying, someone told me that I shouldn't go visit because I was too much of a brass band. I didn't. Over the years (I am in my fifties), I have become so ultra-cognizant of it, that when it dawns on me, I just quit and don't finish sentences or thoughts. A couple of friends tell me that they can tell when I have taken my meds because that's when I usually finish my sentences. I finally took a "test" in my 40's, and found out that I was ADHD. I guess everybody knew but me. (That's actually pretty embarrassing, too.)
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