The word TRY is the biggest little word in the English language. Being only three letters long one would think it to be insignificant, but it has great significance for a person with ADHD. Until that person wants to try and then begins to try, they will never begin to move forward. When we fail to try to overcome we end up being overcome. People with ADHD were never meant to hoist a white flag.
En·cour·age·ment –noun- praise, support, boost, lift. To be an encouragement to someone takes effort, especially when that someone has ADHD. It can be hard to find the positives when the negatives seem so glaring. Be deliberate and look for positives in the midst of the negatives. Be in the build-them-up business. Your effort can make a difference!
You can sit here and continue to do nothing or, together, we can overcome this thing,” my teacher said the same day she asked me to“snap out it”. It was her offer to work beside me that gave me the greatest encouragement and motivation to begin trying. I have learned a person with ADHD who is willing to try, can accomplish anything. Trying is half the battle!
As a 9th grader I was focused on being different. I came to school feeling like a mistake and so I acted like a mistake. I was “hyper-focused” on the way I felt until one day my teacher said, “Ben, SNAP OUT OF IT!” Encouragement comes in weird packages, and in a variety of ways “SNAP OUT OF IT” may seem harsh, but it was exactly what I needed to hear and was exactly what I needed to do.
When my teacher said this to me, it was not said in anger but rather it was said with hope and to get my attention. Her one desire was to see me snap out of my funk and begin to move forward. The best part was she also told me she would help me along the way. She backed up her words with actions!
A teacher once asked me, “Ben, how do I teach a student who feels like a mistake?” Only one thought came to mind: Relentless Encouragement! You cannot force a person to want to get better, but you can hope through Relentless Encouragement, your vision will become their vision, your hope will become their hope; and in time they too will see the light of possibility and potential.
The ADHD-er is a lot like a sponge, but instead of water, we need to be soaking up encouragement. When our life is saturated with encouragement we can function at a higher level, and better battle the struggles of ADHD. Without a source constant encouragement our desire to work can dry up and lead to great frustration on many levels.
The ADHD mind likes to convince us that we can accomplish the millions of ideas that come to mind everyday. The ADHD mind does not understand the concept of time. A person cannot squeeze another hour out of a 24 hour day. This sets us up for failure, disappointment and stink’in think’in. Be realistic and mindful about the goals you set everyday.
Someone once asked me, “Ben what is the most distracting thing for you as an ADHD-er? Is it the shiny stuff in the classroom or perhaps its the millions of dots on the ceiling tile?” The most distracting thing, I believe for any ADHD-er is a negative thought about ourselves.
The ADHD mind moves so fast our bodies try to keep up the point of exhaustion. ADHD-ers need to find rest to fuel up for the race of life they so love. With out rests the struggles of ADHD are heightened since there is no energy to expend on controlling some of those ADHD tendencies. Resting is hard for ADHD-ers but it it key to helping our bodies to stay as energized as our brains.
To often are time is spent combating the struggles of ADHD with out enjoying the benefits of ADHD. People with ADHD notice the “Sparkle” that shine thing in the room that grabs your attention. Work to overcome the struggle but enjoy the “Sparkle!” What are some “Sparkles” in your ADHD world?