When I was first diagnosed with ADHD, the way I understood how I learned changed. In elementary school, I could pretend to be a model student. I could read all the books and largely understand what was going on. But the things that I thought were “normal”—like my overly-perfectionistic qualities, my constant need to bounce my leg, my distractibility, and my constant state of anxiety—suddenly were validated. Suddenly, things like accommodations were accessible to me to help me actually flourish in my education.
For the first time, I no longer continued to accuse myself of being “stupid” for feeling inattentive for hours on end and then proceeding to hyperfocus into my studying with such wild abandon that I would even forget to eat. I developed ways to regulate how I learned, like strategies that would help me focus (even when I didn’t really want to). These tools helped me actually benefit from my education so I spent less time spiraling and more time actually learning things in a way that my brain could understand.
If you are feeling like my experience is relevant in any way to you and your story, I would suggest talking to a doctor or a therapist. Attempting to “YouTube diagnose” yourself is not reliable! Talking to a trained professional about your experience might also help identify if you have other underlying predispositions that could be impacting your life in ways you did not realize. If you are a student at Queen’s, you should be covered under AMS to access resources like Empower Me! and other mental health support through Student Wellness Services. Regardless of the outcome, you are not meant to walk alone.
To emphasize, there is no shame in needing accommodations or extra support. You are not a machine. Four years ago, I told my doctor I didn’t believe him when he said I have ADHD; since then, I have come a long way. I have collected resources and skills that have been useful (and sometimes not so useful). I have found these along my earnest little endeavor to try to understand myself better since these tools and strategies are not necessarily one-size-fits-all. However, if you are someone who learns differently from what we consider “typical,” or who loves someone who learns differently, I encourage you to try some of these yourself!
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At the beginning of each week, I make a list of everything that I need to get done. As I do this, I look over my calendar and look at what is due in 3 weeks, 2 weeks, and next week, respectively, and then break down tasks over time. For example, if in 3 weeks my ENGL 330 paper is due, then this week I will pick my topic, start looking at quotes and start thinking about what the crux of my thesis might be. Next week, I will start drafting and structuring my essay. By the week the paper is due, I will only need to edit my paper!
When I am making my to-do list, I like to plan based on my regular schedule each day. Let’s say Thursdays are my busy day, and I only have a one-hour window to get work done the entire day. On Thursdays, then, I am going to avoid scheduling anything from my to-do list because it is unrealistic to assume that I can magically accomplish a big task in one hour.
This is what I have heard others call “planning for procrastination.” Sometimes, I have to fight the urge all day to remind myself that I am not a machine, and it is not realistic to expect myself, for example, to understand the full extent of thirty different studies that outline the social influence of obedience while also successfully drafting an entire 1200 word paper and finishing an entire novel at the same time. Let me say it again; I am not a machine, and neither are you! If you knew everything, you wouldn’t be here, in this academic space.
On another note, sometimes, when I am starting to feel overwhelmed with piling assignments, I like to break everything up really bite-sized. Instead of trying to assume I am some superhuman who can magically absorb an entire semester of content into my brain in one day, I am trying to embrace the fact that I am literally a human being living life for the first time and implement that reality into the way I plan my life.
When I feel overwhelmed, I like to write out every stage of a project, assignment, or presentation that I need to do. Then, next to each stage, I elaborate the specific amount of time I would expect I need to get it done. I usually give myself an extra 30 minutes to be generous. It often surprises me how effective planning my study sessions can be.
I will caveat here to say that it is important to give yourself grace! Sometimes that one silly concept just doesn’t seem to want to stick in your brain, or that question just refuses to be understandable. When this happens, I encourage you to take a sip of water, walk a lap around the space that you are in, and come back five minutes later. I don’t recommend going on your phone; instead, allow yourself that space to let your creative juices simmer for a moment.
Another one of my favourite (although possibly perceived as strange) tools for studying that I love is to drink lots of water! Constantly drinking water, especially when you are studying, not only means you staying hydrated (which has oh so many benefits), but also impacts your study rhythm.
When you constantly drink water, you become a hydrated human! (Shocking, I know; haha!) But the change in mental state you feel when you are hydrated is actually life changing. When you are hydrated, you pee regularly, so your body actually is consistently reminding you to stand up and take a break. Sitting for four hours straight without water or any break of any kind is not good for your body. Sometimes, I forget this, so drinking water to make myself pee more (as strange as that sounds) is actually the most helpful hack for keeping myself more in tune with my body and less sedentary.
Learning, regardless of the context, isn’t necessarily linear. Everyone’s experience with learning continues to grow as we learn new skills and mature into our frontal lobes. I encourage you (and myself, too) to continue to let your learning be something that frees you into a fuller version of yourself, not something that limits your conception of the world. Learning how to learn in a way that is inclusive of your brain can be one of the most empowering experiences ever. Below, I have listed a few resources I know of that can help you get started if you are or love someone who is neurodivergent.
Cheers to you on your learning journey!
Until next time,
Hannah
ADHD Resources:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd
https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-and-college-survival-guide/?src=embed_link
https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-and-college-survival-guide/?src=embed_link
Scatterred Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder by Gabor Mate, MD
A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD: Embrace Neurodiversity, Live Boldly, and Break Through Barriers by Sari Solden