Writing With ADHD - Introduction
In February of 2025 I was clinically diagnosed with ADHD Inattentive Presentation, Anxiety Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. While I don’t let these diagnoses define me, and I am not building my platform on it, the reality is, my neurodivergence has an impact on my creative and business life. I am learning to lean into my tendencies rather than fight against them.
I’ve always kept a journal of some kind, and I’m discovering just how much writing has helped me process my feelings, struggles, and lessons. I believe sharing those feelings, struggles, and lessons might help someone else.
Ever since childhood, I’ve struggled to thrive in school or work. I was repeatedly told I was smarter than I behaved, that I was being lazy, that I was hyper, unfocused, or undisciplined. Several years ago in counseling, she and I were discussing the ongoing difficulties I have with focus, emotional control, time blindness, and most strongly working memory. We had a good laugh, then she suggested they were all ADHD symptoms.
At first, I resisted the idea because I had been in several friendships, work environments, and church groups where someone used ADHD as a excuse to behave anyway they wanted to without consequences. It had been my experience that the diagnosis was abused, and the individuals expected those around them to make far more accommodations than are reasonable, and refused accountability or assistance toward better management of their difficulties. The responsibility was on US to adjust to THEM.
I refused to be that person, and instead, I slowly began the process of understanding what ADHD actually is and how to manage it. I sought out and attained a clinical diagnosis, and while getting the diagnosis didn’t solve the struggles, it helped me understand that I am not lazy, disorganized, emotionally unstable, or forgetful. My brain simply processes data differently than the way most school and workplace systems are designed for.
Once I was able to label and sort where my biggest struggles are, I have been able to adjust my expectations, structure my schedule, and organize my task lists to make them manageable and obtainable for me. I did a lot of reading, a lot of praying, and a lot of deep trauma healing in order to move forward into discovering ME.
The trauma and healing needed to be worked through first because one of the consequence of all the masking and hiding and pretending to be someone I am not for decades, was that I had completely given up on my creative side. Like many, I was convinced that art and writing were not viable or efficient uses for my talents or time. I learned to conform to what was expected of me — until I couldn’t anymore.
It explained why I changed jobs and relationships so often, and why maintaining deep connections with people is difficult for me. My emotions get huge sometimes, and when I am locked in on a topic or hobby, nothing else exists. That is hard for most people to understand, and when emotions get high, anger is often my first response, even if it is irrational.
In a work environment, overwhelem came often, and the big emotions caused explosions. There were only so many times I could apologize before it came time to move on. Coming home to write full time has freed me to focus on who I am, rather than spending all my energy trying to fit in.
Another benefit of understanding the diagnosis, is an increased ability to connect with God on a level I never dreamed possible. Not in some hyper spiritual, paranormal way, but by discovering the joy of letting God define who I am and what I am supposed to be doing instead of listening to and believing what the world tells me I should be.
I am beyond thankful to have a husband who is the most supporting and encouraging man on the planet, and together we worked hard to reach a place where I could retire from working outside the home to do what I love most: Create, write, and build my own business from scratch.
However, being home as my own boss and accountable only to myself comes with it’s own challenges. With the inattentive presentation of ADHD, I can get distracted or locked in on a hyper focus that takes time and energy away from the most important things I should be doing. With the help of a business coach (cleverly disguised as a branding and identity coach), I am slowly discovering the systems and rhythms of daily, weekly, and monthly productivity that will bring me closer to my goals.
In this series, WRITING WITH ADHD, I will share some of the processes and coping strategies that keep me productive and focused.
In each of the articles, I will endeavor to show specific ways I use my ADHD tendencies to my advantage. I will talk about things like:
Hyper Focus - An ADHD Superpower
Task Management - Rhythms and Systems
Avoiding Project Burn Out - Strategic Manuscript Hopping
Momentum - Keeping the Words Flowing
The ideas and suggestions this series will present are my personal observations. I’m sharing what I’ve discovered it in the hopes it might help someone else.
Please do not take my observations as a diagnosis, and while I am happy to offer general suggestions or ideas, I cannot diagnose or treat any mental illness. I am here to offer encouragement and real stories about my own struggles. If you believe you may have ADHD, please consult your doctor or a licensed therapist for personal assistance.
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