“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” 

- Dr. Suess

* * *

Heroes come in many different shapes, colors, talents, and powers. But when we think of a hero, what comes to mind? Maybe it’s an image of someone who has their life together and can manage two different worlds while simultaneously saving the world. It’s a lot to juggle. After all, superheroes have to hide their private lives while handling their superhero side, being responsible, and accomplishing impossible feats.

If you think about it, people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are very much like these super-heroes, hiding their “true selves” under a mask they show the world, masking who they are. You might think the similarities end there. In reality, many symptoms of ADHD can be reframed to become something empowering. Dare I say it; they may even become superpowers.

As an adult, I suspected that I had attention deficit disorder. I called it my ‘AADD’- adult attention deficit disorder. Like many people with ADHD, I turned to sports as an outlet for my energy and extreme enthusiasm. I had the great fortune to grow up in the mountains of Utah, which led me to find running, biking, and skiing as a way to channel my abundant energy. Sports, undoubtedly, set me on a positive path in life.

Later in life, I joked about my AADD, trying to cover for my constant interruptions in conversations. People would point it out, calling me rude, and I would get my feelings hurt. Hey, I thought, wasn’t I just adding witty banter to a laborious conversation!?!? The bubble over my cartoon head would read– “Let’’s move this conversation along. Don’t you see, I need to get going?!”

Despite my impatience, I genuinely worked on controlling my squirrel impulses to blurt out snazzy antidotes and advice to friends. I used to beat myself up over it, going over conversations in my mind at night. 

Ultimately, after years of living in my head— I realize that I am a loving, energetic, compassionate, humorous extrovert who happens to talk too much, interrupt, bounce around and lose my phone–A LOT. Squirrel is my power animal, and I’m proud to have so much energy in this life that propels me to adventure. If you get to choose the Pooh character you are most like, I am 70% Tigger. I also have the compassion, happiness and worry of Kanga, Pooh and Rabbit. 

With the help of this book, you can learn to take control of your ADHD symptoms and how to use the better parts of ADHD to your advantage. Do you desire to edit videos and create art? Do you need to be outside? Think about guiding people on hiking tours or fly fishing. Alternatively, you could teach music in your community. These are some of the many superpower careers where people with ADHD can contribute fabulously!

In the past few decades, ADHD has become less of a disorder that requires fixing or curing. It’s become more of a personal characteristic that can be a curse if left to its own device or a gift if managed and harnessed.

Adult ADHD essentially goes unnoticed. As many as 75 % of adults that may have ADHD don’t know it, according to New York University psychiatrist Len Adler.1 

A child may be assessed for ADHD but may not meet the threshold and get sidelined. Individuals who can get by without a diagnosis in childhood may later develop into unseen adult ADHD and wonder the entire time, “What is wrong with me?”

While hyperactivity is a common ADHD symptom seen outwardly in children, adults tend to appear more inattentive. Adult hyperactivity may manifest internally through stress and anxiety. You might always feel restless, unable to sit still, struggle with avoiding interrupting others, and feel like your brain is never-ending chatter. Inattentiveness can show up in work and home life, with a pattern of losing everyday items, being incredibly forgetful, not keeping up with the details, and feeling disorganized and all over the place. 

Do you ever find yourself doing lots of tasks simultaneously to feel productive before realizing you haven’t done much of anything? Well, that may be an ADHD symptom.

Mild adult ADHD can display as impulsivity, leading to risky behavior and overspending — acts that adults often write off as bad habits. However, this behavior can be compulsive and hard to dismantle if you don’t know the root cause. 

Even worse, overlooking your ADHD long enough can lead to low self-esteem, feeling like you are always behind or that you are a failure. It can cause issues in your career, preventing you from meeting your long-term goals. Both platonic and romantic relationships may suffer due to forgetfulness and concentration issues. You may be at higher risk for mood disorders, anxiety, depression, losing your drive and joy in life, and even substance abuse.

People with ADHD are great at “masking,” just like our comic book superheroes. “Masking” describes behaving “normally” by adopting the traits of people around you who seem to know what they’re doing. We’re good at acting focused and on track, even when our brain feels like it's going on a rollercoaster. Unfortunately, masking can only go so far. Eventually, you might find yourself stuck, burnt out, and lacking motivation. Jobs and relationships may suffer due to a lack of concentration, mood swings, boredom, and sudden irritability. All of this, without explanation, can push your self-concept and confidence downhill.

I was undiagnosed for a long time and suffered until I faced it in my fifties. I realized how little I knew about ADHD except for common knowledge that tended to be oversimplified.

Our daughter suffered from ADHD in grade school. In college, it developed into anxiety and stress. Noting our similarities, I got my own diagnosis, which was mostly ADD. I wondered how my milder symptoms compared to hers and how I could help her? As a result, I went into the hyper-focus mode, researching ADHD, and examined how the three main pillars of health; body, mind, and spirit are connected. I wanted to examine how a healthy lifestyle has helped me to control my ADHD, resulting in milder symptoms.

This book is the result and outlines holistic lifestyle changes that can greatly help improve ADHD symptoms. We can all agree there is no cure for ADHD, but healthy lifestyle changes can greatly improve the quality of life. You may also find that some of your symptoms can be reframed and become your superpower, like energy for sports and creativity for amazing artistic endeavors.

I look to the people in my life that have harnessed their ADHD superpowers for a positive outcome. ADHD friends with phenomenal creative skills and athletes that have accomplished far-out goals and adventures, have all been my heroes and inspiration.

Earlier in life, I struggled with harnessing my ADD superpowers. Being an extrovert, I was often distracted by shiny object syndrome and a ‘fear of missing out’ (FOMO). I was constantly chasing my tail all over town, searching for dopamine highs from socialization, shopping, or exercise (luckily). I now understand how to harness my energy for the better. In fact, I learned many lessons from the period of the Covid lockdown, where I was forced to stay put, and be more reflexive and productive on my own terms.

If you’re like me, you may go through life unaware you have a problem. Maybe you thought you were the problem. No matter the case, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. Whether you are just dipping your toes into the subject, you are suspicious that you may have ADHD or were recently diagnosed, the strategies in this book can help you. You want to understand yourself and use tools to help you become more successful and productive. The good news is that ADHD can give you that energy.

Most people think of ADHD on a binary scale. Either you have it, or you don’t. Think of it as more of a spectrum that us ADHD folk all fall somewhere on. Some may especially struggle with impulsivity, and others with emotional regulation. ADHD has several subtypes that can appear differently depending on age, gender, and context: inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type, and a combination of both. ADHD is far from our preconceptions, making it harder to detect earlier.

The good news? Having ADHD isn’t a death sentence. It doesn’t make you less capable than anyone else of living to the fullest. By understanding your individual needs, you can address them adequately. If you are unsure if you have ADHD, get a concrete diagnosis with a professional evaluation. From there, you can make more informed decisions.

This book is not meant to replace professional medical advice. Still, it can help as some advice to push you towards improving your life if you think you may have undiagnosed ADHD or identify with any significant ADHD symptoms. I wanted to make an accessible guide that could resonate with people who deal with these symptoms, regardless of being diagnosed or not. I bet nearly everyone suffers from one of these things or another, and many of the tips I will give you are things that can change your life for the better. A holistic lifestyle is the foundation for health and can maximize your talents regardless of your place on the ADHD spectrum.

You’ll find many tips here: lifestyle shifts that seem simple to implement. You’ll find yourself saying at times: “What? That’s it? That’s all I need to do?” And yes, sometimes, it is! Some of the best hacks are straightforward, but when done consistently, they can lead to amazing long-term benefits to your concentration and productivity. It can take discipline, self-love, and patience, but implementing a few of these habits every week can lead you on the path to becoming your own superhero.

It is a matter of taking personal responsibility for your well-being. By implementing holistic management, you can harness ADHD just like the many people who have been able to achieve success despite it. Famous people like Olympian Michael Phelps, singer Justin Timberlake, and notable actors Emma Watson and Johnny Depp all have ADHD. Their achievement is proof that this condition does not have to limit us. ADHD may be a deficit of attention, but some of the most creative, intelligent, and productive people overcome it. We can do remarkable feats when our energy is channeled in the right direction.

ADHD CAN MAKE US...

Hyper-Focused: When it comes to our passions, we can have intense periods of concentration (“the zone”) in which the world around us disappears until the task is complete.

Highly energized: We can have exhilarating bursts of energy that we can direct into life, art, work, or athletics.

Spontaneous: Impulsivity isn’t always negative. It can allow us to be open to new adventures, experiences, and excitement in life.

Creative: Our overstimulated brains can make non-linear connections others can’t. It can give us a fresh outlook, an inventive method for a task, or allow us to tap into our right brains to create beautiful things.

Humorous: We are wired for quirky, witty and hilarious —who doesn’t need more laughter in their life?!

How we frame situations is so powerful. Two people with the same problem can travel along very different trajectories. One might see the struggle as a burden, while another might see it as an opportunity for growth. It’s all about reframing, a concept used in some of the most successful psychotherapeutic treatments.

All the “NEGATIVE” aspects of ADHD are only limiting when considered through a neurotypical context. By “neurotypical,” I mean the state of having a brain and neurological anatomy that is developed and operating as functionally as possible, as is the average. When you look past this neurotypical lens, you can have an open-minded and positive understanding of ADHD. 

The way you look at something always affects how you approach it. If you want to manage ADHD and use it to your advantage, you must see it in as positive of a light as possible to open your mind to your hidden gifts.

Medication can definitely be a helpful solution. Ideally, though, you want to use it as a way to tame more severe symptoms, freeing you to focus on improving some of your self-destructive habits. Clinicians will recommend meds alongside behavioral-based treatment because certain lifestyles can exacerbate ADHD symptoms. A healthy mind, a healthy body, and a healthy soul are the keys to gaining mastery over your ADHD.

Managing ADHD holistically means taking all facets of life and health into account. In this book, we are going to tackle ADHD through three essential facets –Body, Mind, and Spirit.

1. Body: Physical health impacts both brain and mental health. A healthy diet, exercise, and sleep habits create a stronger foundation to manage the more problematic ADHD symptoms

2. Mind: ADHD starts in the brain. You can utilize behavioral habits to manage the neurotransmitters involved in ADHD symptoms, like goal setting, time management, and organization.

3. Spirit: Last but not least, your soul also needs nourishment. Fight against mental health concerns with techniques like deep breathing, mindfulness, self-hypnosis, journaling, self-love, and compassion.

To be clear, I am not a medical professional, and this book does not serve to diagnose or treat. I am just a simple gal with ADHD, with other members of my family also facing degrees of ADHD. I have been where you are, feeling confused and hopeless at times. Realizing I had ADHD freed me because I could pinpoint areas of my life that needed improvement and how to target them. I want to help you do the same.

Having an official ADHD diagnosis is not a requirement to benefit from the holistic techniques in this guide. If you identify any challenging signs and symptoms we’ll discuss, these strategies can help turn your life around.

A NOTE ON HOW TO USE THIS BOOK: 

You may want to read sections of the book that interest you first. Not a problem, skip around— pick and choose what resonates with you. Make small changes in your life and build as you feel inspired. Don’t try to make massive changes all at once, only to become overwhelmed and frustrated. Love yourself by making slow and steady progress to improve your health and well-being. 

Become your own hero! You can do it—let’s dive in!