As a young person with ADD, you have some additional responsibilities and concerns to shoulder. Here are six points to consider as you enter the next phase of your life.
1. Take responsibility for managing ADD in your life. As life becomes more complicated and responsibilities increase (college, relationships, work), the need to manage ADD effectively (including your treatment) becomes more important, not less.
2. Don't feel that you must go to college—at least not right away. If your enthusiasm about this next stage is only lukewarm, consider deferring your enrollment, or taking classes at a community college.
3. Develop life skills before you leave home. As you acquire survival skills, you won't need to depend on your parents as much, and they will certainly send you in the right direction.
4. Follow your heart to the right job or career. The right career is the one that you are passionate about. If you need help identifying your areas of interest, vocational testing and career counseling can be very helpful.
5. Take care of your brain by taking care of your body. A healthy lifestyle (exercise, sleep, and proper nutrition) makes a significant difference in attention, concentration, memory, irritability, and mood control — all of which are directly affected by ADD.
6. On the river of life, be a boat—not a log. Having a vision for the future and an understanding that your life's course is the result of your own actions is critical. As a log, all you can do is float where the current takes you. As a boat, you can drift if you want to, but you have the ability to direct your course when you know where you want to go.
For more information, see Making the Transition to Adulthood.
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