I feel like everybody’s probably asked themselves this question at some point. And it’s easy to see why. Our generation’s attention spans are shorter than ever. Apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat dominate our phone screens and with a few clicks we are able to satisfy our dopamine cravings. 

But having a short attention span should not be confused with having ADHD. 

ADHD can manifest itself differently in people, but something that is quite uniform is the inability or extreme difficulty to regulate attention when needed. Now, I know what I just said might seem contradictory but the key words here are inability and extreme difficulty to regulate attention. 

In my opinion, the word “deficit” doesn’t do the diagnosis justice. Instead, “regulation” would be more apt at describing the disorder. I definitely do have the ability to concentrate, but I have difficulties controlling what I want to concentrate on. There are times when I can get extremely hyper fixated on things and they take up all of my attention. Now, these things don’t necessarily have to be perceived as “bad”. Sometimes I get hyper fixated on an academic subject like biology or philosophy and spend the majority of my time in a flow-like state where that is all I want to do. When I need to stop, there is this compulsion that guides me to keep doing the task at hand. I can’t give the other important things in my life the proper attention. Family and friends take a backseat on this journey and no matter how much I want to give them the attention they deserve, the compulsion to do a certain task just takes over. 

This lack of attention to relationships and people is perceived as a lack of caring, but in reality it’s nothing of the sort.  It is just extraordinarily difficult for me to “act normal”. 

Now, I know that this can seem quite daunting, but the first step in any ADHDers journey is recognizing that there is a problem at hand. When I got the diagnosis, it was an extremely emotional day. Everything started to make sense. My problem wasn’t one that I was purposely causing but because of a disorder in my brain that causes me to not properly prioritize. 

This might seem daunting, but recognizing there is a problem is essential to take the proper steps to increase things like mindfulness and recognizing when a compulsive or inattentive behavior is starting to take over.

So, do you have ADHD? If you feel like the problems I mentioned are debilitating and causing undue stress in your life, I would definitely talk to a doctor about this. It’s really easy to go online and convince yourself that you have ADHD as the symptoms described could potentially apply to anybody. The problem is that with ADHD there is a large overlap in symptoms with things like anxiety, mild depression, etc. That is why talking to a professional is essential to know how to best handle your particular problem even if it isn’t ADHD.

Finally, if you are diagnosed with ADHD. Take a few deep breaths and just reflect on your past. See how it impacted your life: positively or negatively. See what you want to change and try taking some steps to minimize its negative impacts on your life.

Thank y’all for taking the time to read my post. I hope it was helpful.