True to my history, it’s been almost a year since I posted here. So much has happened in the past 11 months that I don’t even know where to begin. As those of us with ADHD tend to do, I’ll make a long story longer: I was diagnosed with ADHD at 27 when my daughter was five months old. Being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult makes so many things that you wonder about yourself make sense. The more I learn about ADHD and how it can present and how many others struggle with the same things I do has given me so much relief. At the same time, it has given me a desire to push harder against the the tendencies I have that keep me from reaching my goals.
ADHD isn’t all bad. Because my brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s, I can create and problem solve in ways that others can’t. I’m colorful, interesting, smart, creative, inquisitive, and eager to learn. At the same time, I’m forgetful, easily distracted, have a short attention span, and tend to hyper-focus on things for a period and then drop them completely. I’m learning to accept these negative things about myself and find ways to combat them. One thing I am really trying to focus on is not dropping things that I enjoy and feel passionate about like this community I want to build.
As a woman, as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a mom, and now as someone who is considered “neurodivergent”, I see more and more how important community is. No matter how independent we are, finding people who we can relate to is so valuable. I have hopes for making a “Be Real Mama” community. I’m not sure right now what that might look like, but I do know that I don’t want to stick to my trend of abandoning projects when they don’t seem to be working out.
As we move through motherhood, marriage, relationships, jobs, passions, and everything else that makes a life, the people who surround us can lift us up and get us through or they can help to pull us under. Finding people to relate to is easier said than done. As an extremely introverted woman, I struggle greatly to begin relationships and to put forth the effort it takes to maintain them. Life is busy and balancing priorities can be overwhelming. Finding the bravery, room, and time to allow myself to be supported and to support others is a challenge that I am taking on and I hope you do, too.
The world today is full of separation and disagreement. We all know it’s an election year and that means that at every turn we can find an argument or an accusation. We are attacked for what we believe or what we don’t, judged for what we don’t speak on and what we do, and shunned for things so simple as the clothing we wear or saying all humans deserve rights. I want nothing more than to be part of a movement, no matter how small, of bringing love and kindness back into the forefront. I want to be a part of a community that accepts one another fully and wholeheartedly, searching for what unifies us instead of what we disagree on.
Life is complicated enough without searching for things to confront people on. Let’s join in on spreading kindness and support to those around us. We all need people to complain to, laugh with, and just exist with. Maybe it’s the ADHD talking, but let’s look at things differently. The world is reflecting hate, division, and an argumentative nature. Go against the grain and reflect light, unity, kindness, and acceptance. I’m betting we’ll all feel a little brighter about our futures.
Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but I’d love to hear from you. If you’ve ever thought about sharing an experience from womanhood or motherhood, please let me know! I’d love to share your story here. Like I said above, I want this to be a community and that includes you.
Be Real, Mama 