Answers to my question about the positives of ADHD, compiled from replies on Twitter (other social media to follow).
My question: ‘ADHDers: What are the positives for you, about your ADHD? No, not the textbook answers, the neurodiversity industry spin, or Chat GPT. I want to know some positive things you think and feel about your ADHD. Please only answer if you have ADHD yourself, whether diagnosed or self-identified’ Ausome Charlie, 1 December 2023
‘Insight.. I can see what others can’t and solve it in seconds’ Luke Tsekouras
‘Original ideas’ Lucy Hobbs
‘I also love that I need no external stimulus to keep myself entertained all day. I love that I’m not normal and boring. And I also love that I get to meet other people with ADHD, who are always awesome’. Ant Jackson
‘Only positives I can think of… are work related. I’m an industrial electrician and my subconscious “Somethin’ ain’t right” senses when ANY Movement / sound / vibration / timing are even minutely off; Even from far away The irk doesn’t go away until everything is 100% right.’ RoboSitter
‘I find i make tough decisions easier than most….impulsive nature helps and I don’t back down once i make up my mind’ Kakarot
‘I’m always thinking about the next thing so come to me if you want ideas for what to do next or what our big ambitions should be!’ Ian Timbrell
‘Being able to identify my hyper focus and then harness it is a positive, although sometimes it just runs away with me :)’ Paul Stevenson
‘I absolutely love my impulsivity in many respects. Don’t get me wrong, it can be unhelpful and disabling on many an occasion, and I know MANY struggle with it. But it has its uses. My impulsivity took me to Mount Fuji, the foot of mount Everest, led me to set up my own coaching practice, and is marvellous for my research because I smoosh ideas together that other brains would automatically reject. I can’t help but come up with new ideas because my brain just makes the leap.’ The Quirky Brain Coach
‘I’m a better children’s book maker because of ADHD! It makes me a great creator. Because of the amount of ideas that I get, how they flow and connect freely to others, the way I’m happily connected with my inner child, and the dopamine I get from the creative challenges I face.’ Tita Berredo
‘I probably have the job today because I was good at hyperfocusing on computer stuff. It’s probably also how I was able to do pretty well in high school with bad time management and organizational skills. I was good at hyperfocusing while reading too.’ Jordan Reiter
‘I never have a lack of commitment. If I say I’ll do it, I absolutely will, unless there’s a really good reason. Let me see enough of the moving parts and I’ll zoom in on what the problem is immediately. The time I spend on deliveries is trying to persuade stakeholders’ Dropped Packet @MachineDidact
‘I’m really good in a crisis – calm and able to think clearly. Good at problem solving/thinking about things a different way’. Jane @HalfIronMum
‘Whilst I can get very emotionally affected by things in the moment I don’t think things affect me moving forward to much. I get distracted and so forget about it and move on. When bad/sad memories recur they’re replaced by one of my 101 other thoughts very quickly. I think that a lot of my best ideas come from the fact that my mind races a lot of the time and it helps me to make links and connections between things. And my wife always says if you want to find the quickest way of doing something make me do it because I will find the quickest and most efficient way of doing it because there is nothing that quite distresses me like lost time’ Sam Porter
‘The tendency to make impulsive decisions can pay off. Risk taking can and often does, lead to financial success.’ Jenny Hurley
‘Dog with a bone when passionate about something so won’t give up. overexaggerated sense of fairness and justice makes me stand up for things, including other people who get bullied etc. and a where there’s a will there’s way attitude, which makes me really good at solving problems’ Diana Foster
‘Positives of ADHD: I don’t hold grudges very often because I forget to be mad. By the same token, I didn’t notice some of the bullying I received in school because I was oblivious. I know lots of random stuff about lots of random stuff, because hyperfocus.’ Janna
‘Being able to see the POTENTIAL in things.. because my brain is always wondering how something could be better, more interesting, more satisfying.. and it gives me an eye for that potential and an imagination around how to bring it about. I think its why ADHDers are so creative!’ Kay @Player_Kay
‘ADHD people are often a lot of fun aren’t they. When you get a gaggle of ADHDers together… Fun’ 147 thoughts per minute @bathams_drinker
‘My tenacity to keep going and problem solve are a positive of my ADHD.’ Darren Hiscutt
‘I love having ramble chats where conversations go off in unpredictable directions, part of a bigger thing where I like being able to make leaps of logic – most of the time it just leads to random thought bombardment, but it also allows me to make connections I otherwise wouldn’t! Being happy and excited about stuff in general is a positive I personally experience… I tend to be able to see the fun and enjoyment in things, including the relatively mundane sometimes, and I will usually see positives in things while others may be distracted by negatives. I think I am extremely accepting of others and accept their truth at face value, and I now attribute that to my ADHD, personally. I think this is because I project my rejection sensitivity onto others so it makes it easy to put myself in their shoes. Generally I do like the fact my mind is a galaxy of ideas. Comes with challenges of course, particularly if I want to focus, but I enjoy feeling like I’m always in a room of like-minded voices saying “wow, this thing is so cool”, and I find it helps with creative problem solving.’ Matt Deacon
‘As an AuDHDer, my ADHD can help me appear more outgoing and less aloof. For me and my son who is only ADHD, he is a warrior for fairness and funniest person I know.’ Kira Young
‘Creativity, ideas, quick thinking, quick sense of humour, fun’ Catherine Mosey
‘Entrepreneurs (partly cos we have to be). Selfless helpers.’ Morwenna Stewart
‘In some ways, I can still think circles around others, at nearly 70.’ Pattern Chaser
‘I have a voracious appetite for information and worked out how to uptake, condense and then report back in a couple of days.’ Kris Erskine
‘Flexible, motivated, driven, enthusiastic, energetic and hyper focussed at times. Empathic by nature, genuine and loyal’ @RainbowGirl1982
‘Hyperfocus is a double edged sword. It can be a superpower when I’m stressed and I need to make a logical decision. The apperception is a valuable asset. Helps me work things out quickly’ Ian Morris
‘I can always come up with a fun thing to do or make up a novel game of some sort. You’ll never be bored in my presence’ Lacar Musgrove (Rabbit)
‘If you choose a profession that you have high interest in, then there is not a person better suited to do the job, than you! Dedicated and loyal in ensuring a good job, is done good :-)) Dxx’ @DawnFxx
‘Great at thinking of things from a different perspective. Problem solvers Can learn vast amounts about a topic in a short period of time if hyper focussed’ JoSoHappy
‘People comment on – my enthusiasm for things – how creative I am – my conversational versatility I often make connections others don’t, and this can be great for exploring new ideas or interesting/ unexpected subject matter. I was once described as a “conversational acrobat” ‘ Louise Ting
‘Passion’ Paivi Butcher
‘I love to cook and ADHD desires novelty so I’m always coming up with something new. Though maybe autistic me prefers a variation on a theme’ Steve McWeeve
‘I think it makes me more interesting. Because I crave newness, I’m curious and unafraid of new info. I like new perspectives and stories. I like sharing stuff. And I think that the way ADHD impacts my thinking helps me have fresher perspectives on things.’ Mr Maggie-Michael
‘Thanks to being able to find connections between just about anything – In the classroom I could weave back in just about any idea or contribution from the students and use it towards what we were supposed to be doing.’ Dr Steph Driver
‘Creativity/ ideas/ initial enthusiasm for new projects’ Jane Cross
‘I am wildly creative. I think I INVENTED thinking outside the box! I have a very agile mind that can dart about quickly.’ Bipolar on Fire
‘ADHDERS say it like it is. I was always the one at staff meetings who raised the elephant in the room topic. Never reached the dizzy heights of SLT but my colleagues loved me for raising the issues we most needed to address’ Jean Ramsey
‘Using my hyperfocus to climb hills all over NW Ireland. Pic from top of Mount Errigal yesterday near sunset’ Mairtin @gaeilge2036
‘Incredible non judgemental empathy’ Gemma Astley
‘Straight talkers, risk takers, problem solvers, lateral thinkers.’ Andy Diggle
‘Ability to operate in chaotic situations. Those of us working on the UK COVID-19 app who were ADHD seemed more able to cope with the minute by minute changing information and priorities than our NT brethren. (I even give a talk on the subject ‘ADHD and Autism under pressure’).’ Adam Fowler
‘Being able to work on numerous projects simultaneously. Being able to learn something new (if I’m interested in it) in record time.’ Richard O’Neill
‘When the energy is ‘fizzy’ good, bubbling over’ Lelly Nature
‘For me it’s creativity, empathy, being young at heart, bubbliness. Ability to knock work out quickly – I once did a whole module of essays in a week (which I’d had two years to do). Got B+’ @ShabbyChicSarah
‘Being a polymath. Collecting hobbies is maybe one of the most valuable traits for my job. I can turn my hand to most things to engage and make relationships with kids based around their many and varied interests’ George Bream
‘Have a character, loving, and say it like it is’ Sue @Ballater6
‘My intuition is usually spot on! I’m creative and as much as I leave stuff to the last minute I always manage to create great things! I’m also straight up and say things as I see them!’ TKellyD
‘Quick in crisis/ emergency situations as I can think of LOTS of ideas very quickly’ Aimee Francesca Page
‘Late to the party, but… Intensity of emotion – when it’s good it’s very very good! Impulsivity harnessed in the service of blasting through rubbish social conventions.’ GrokNRobin
‘Having a bullshit detector and being able to completely stop it in its tracks when it tries to rear its ugly head. Billie
‘Finding creative solutions. Combining 2 problems form a solution. Ingenuity in fixing broken things. Thinking outside conventional methods and practice. Questioning and reassessing all beliefs.’ Joanna Gibbings
‘Being the first be in a crisis who can immediately see a way to proceed whilst others are still wondering about booking a meeting about a meeting…’ The Tired Lecturer
‘The good feelings are bigger for us.’ Garrett Mannchen
‘I’m able to multi task as long as one of the things is interesting. Extra good at being/living in the moment and not worrying about things that aren’t right in front of me.’ Daniel Bakker
‘The layers of thinking going on at all times. While it can be exhausting, I’ve come to appreciate identifying a complex problem, playing with it a while then letting it simmer. It usually ends with what feel like epiphanies but are products of the background processing.’ Andy’s head is in the clouds again
‘The world needs people who start things’ Carmel Capewell
Ausome Charlie 