Looking back over your school days, were there times a teacher would tell you how smart you were or how creative you are, “you just need to try harder,” or “you just need to focus more”?
Did you spend more days doodling or daydreaming when you “should” have been paying more attention to the teacher?
Were diagnosed late in life with ADHD?
Then you may have unresolved trauma from school.
You Are More Than What You Think
ADHD is often misunderstood and stigmatized even though ADHD is a legitimate medical condition.
Many teachers still view it as a mere excuse for poor behavior or lack of focus in kids, especially girls.
This harmful stigma can devastate those with ADHD, leading to feelings of shame and inadequacy well into adulthood that no one is really talking about. We spend years and years being stuck in the continual social construct of our world of what we should be doing.
Where everything is 121 steps process, and if you don’t do the steps right and exactly in the right order, you are a bad mother or a bad wife, daughter, or worker.
If your house isn’t clean, if your kids aren’t dressed perfectly, then you are lazy.
The thing is, you were ‘born to be creative and lead and do things on your terms of being a creator or an artist like I am. It’s just that implementing all those ‘shoulds’ won’t work.
We are truly not meant to live our life like that.
And we go years and years of not fully healing ourselves from years of “should be doing”; we can feel like we are crazy or lazy and unable to find our place in the world.
Even if you followed every last step, the result would be a slow death of who we really are.
One of the biggest barriers to achieving our dreams is walking around with what people say to us about who and what we should be doing or who we should be.
Many of us still view ADHD as something that only affects children, when in reality, we don’t outgrow ADHD. We just find ways to try ways to cope during the day. We find things that help us and are pretty creative at coming up with ideas to make things work for us.
However, there can still feel like something is holding us back, something we can’t figure out.
We are constantly bombarded with negative thoughts all day, which cause more trauma in our brains.
It really is the silent sabotage that robs us of living the life we want to live.
If you have ever felt any of these symptoms
unexplainable anger
- flashbacks or reoccurring memories
- sleeplessness
- irritability
- nightmares or night sweats
- anxiety/panic attacks
- a constant state of high alert, feeling jumpy or in danger
- inability to focus
- isolation
- withdraw from others or activities you usually enjoy
- mood swings
You probably have some level of trauma.
Full disclosure: I am not a mental health provider and cannot give any medical advice. I can just comment on my experiences and guide them in the right direction. If you feel you need professional and more help with the trauma, you need to contact your own doctor.
Here are some things that have worked for me to help me get through my days easier.
- Yoga. Studies show yoga can reduce symptoms of trauma.
- Meditation and mindfulness. Being able to quiet your mind and let thoughts come and go without judgment can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Likewise, both can help with emotional regulation.
- Exercise. There are many health benefits of exercise, and reducing symptoms of PTSD can be one of them.
- Journal. Writing your emotions and thoughts down can be therapeutic. Likewise, it can help you release built-up energy. Furthermore, it helps you keep track of your symptoms and helps you identify triggers or patterns.
- Reach out. Many people find many benefits to discussing your experience rather than shoving it down. As an extra benefit, you could join a friend on a walk outside and talk while maintaining a six-foot distance between you.
You can feel safe to ask and then BE.
The world is waiting on you.
You have big things to share with the world
It is time to heal the wounds of the past and step into your own power.
Terra
