I Have ADHD and I Hate the Easy Life!

Written By Cynthia Hammer, MSW

Written by Cynthia Hammer, MSW

There I was—on a seven-day cruise from Vancouver, BC to Seward, Alaska. We had a spacious, as far as that goes, cabin. The Holland American ship was beautiful. The food was outstanding. There was a fully equipped exercise room with classes you could attend. There were movies shown daily in a full–size theatre or you could borrow DVDs from their well-stocked library to watch in your room. There were art auctions and classes to learn about wine. Every night there was different entertainment in the glitzy lounge, from cabaret shows to magicians to a John Denver impersonator.

What was wrong with me? I was surrounded by people enjoying themselves, and I was feeling blue. I couldn't put my finger on why and I started to wonder if I needed to take anti-depressant. Why did life feel flat when there was so much being offered?

And then it dawned on me—cruises are not for risk-takers. Everything on a cruise is arranged for you. Every detail is taken care of. There are no surprises, no adventures, no adrenalin rushes. I was feeling flat because I was a risk-taker in a non–risk-taking environment!

How much better I felt when we got off the ship and rented a car to drive around the Kenai Peninsula, making up our days as we went. We were open for surprises, adventures, chance happenings, things going right, things going wrong, exploring the unknown. The risk–taking factor increased significantly, and my mood immediately improved. On to more adventures!

Cynthia Hammer, MSW

Cynthia Hammer, MSW, was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD in 1992 when she was 49 years old. The following year she created the non-profit organization, ADD Resources, with a mission to educate adults and helping professionals about ADHD in adults. She ran the organization for 15 years before retiring.

During the Covid isolation she wrote a book about her life with inattentive ADHD which should be published by the end of this year. In writing the book, she was dismayed to learn that children with inattentive ADHD continue to be under-diagnosed and adults with inattentive ADHD often are incorrectly diagnosed with depression or anxiety.

She created a new non-profit in 2021, the Inattentive ADHD Coalition (www.iadhd.org), to create more awareness about inattentive ADHD and the need for early diagnosis and treatment.

https://www.iadhd.org
Previous

It’s Important to Change Your Self Talk When You Have ADHD
Next

Is Your Life Overloaded?