On the Page, the ADHD Mind Unfolds into Clarity

When I moved to Boston for graduate school to study Sociology @ Boston College back in 2008, I almost dropped out my first semester.

At the time, I had decided to stop taking 2 medications for complex ADHD, which triggered bouts of amplified anxiety that haunted me in my day to day life, in my sleep, and most intensely while writing.

The anxiety inundated my mental state like a tidal wave that would paralyze me for days on end.

I invested in an array of healing methods, all of which were supportive—therapy, meditation & mindfulness, lots of exercise and nature time, and more.Yet by far the most effective medicine in my healing process was ironically, the very thing that seemed to be haunting and hurting me the most—school and writing.  

Developing a writing process forced me to face what was holding me back: a lack of an ADHD friendly structure and system (and thinking I didn’t need one) that helped me manage my time, space, and ideas both on and off the page.Working with word structures—sentences, paragraphs taught me how to create a structure that translated from paper to managing my life ADHD style.

Writing also held a mirror to the positive aspects of ADHD—brainstorming, making “big picture” connections between ideas, hyperfocusing etc.I went from nearly dropping out of school to writing a 100 page thesis on ADHD that eventually allowed me to graduate with distinction. The system and tools I developed in and through writing also helped check my anxiety. They helped me kick start an independent journalism practice post grad school, as well as teaching sociology at the college level.

I still use the same system, habits and tools I learned during this time in my current work as an ADHD Coach (both for myself and supporting others), as well as in my creative practices.