Take the First Step and Remove Your ADHD Mask

Written By Cynthia Hammer, MSW

The journey to unmasking starts with yourself.  A foundational first step can be writing your personal essay. Reflecting on your life and the trials, tribulations and successes that brought you where you are today can be a way to ground yourself in authenticity.  I wrote my life story, Living with Inattentive ADHD, during Covid’s isolation. It was published on August 29, 2023 and is available wherever you buy books. or on Amazon.

Even though I wrote numerous articles about my ADHD life shortly after my diagnosis in 1992, I didn’t share everything.  I wrote the book when I was 78 years old and  felt I had nothing to lose by being very vulnerable.  I, so wrote about even the most painful parts. 

In writing your personal story you can decide what to include and whether to share it with anyone else.  I found watching these two, 20 minute, videos helpful in preparing to write personal stories.

The first one by Brene Brown talks about the value of being authentic and vulnerable; the second, by Mitch Walllis, founder of the non-profit, Heart on My Sleeve, provides detailed information on how to write a personal story that meaningful and helpful to others and why there is value in sharing your story.

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
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