ACRONYM FATIGUE

ADHD, OCD, ADD, DID, CF, PTSD and on it goes. I’m tired of being called alphabet soup! I don’t have all of those letters that describe the disorders but I do have a couple. Sometimes it can be a comfort, mentioning a label to explain my behaviour or my issue. But most of the time it just adds to my feelings of being different. Standing out. Not fitting in.

And that can take me down a path of dark and stormy nights! It affects my well-being, my relationships, my writing and making art. When I criticize myself for being a little different, or for struggling to manage life better, I get into a funk. Suddenly everything looks messy and disorganized and I can’t seem to think straight.

On the other hand, when I embrace who I am, my creativity flows freely. Not all the time, but more often than when I focus on what I can’t do and how I am different.

Simon Sinek said something that has stuck with me. He has ADHD and was undiagnosed as a kid. He said something like, “Maybe we should focus on the positive aspects of ADHD, like hyper-focus and super creativity instead of calling it a deficit and a disorder.” That got me thinking about how my brain works and how people are often surprised at how I can brainstorm several ideas at once and how I can become super focused in a room filled with noise and people. It’s like I can access one part of my brain or all the parts at once! It’s a Super Power! And I also struggle to get things done. But when I do, it’s awesome!

I want to encourage you to think about the things you do well and focus on those, especially if you have an acronym that you have to live with. The truth is we ALL have parts of ourselves that challenge us and parts that make us unique...maybe that’s where our creativity comes from. A beautiful mixture of joy and pain, love and loss, colour and monotone.

Dera creator, embrace your unique self and let the creativity flow! Be intentional about it. That way, when you sit down to create, joy will spill out of you.