Happy Monday!
For how long can you stay still at one time?
I remember being put out in the hallway a lot in elementary school. I would practice my gymnastics and dance routines. It was a normal part of life for me. A painful one since I loved to learn and this deprived me of that. I couldn't sit still. In the 70s, in Sudbury, Ontario, I don't think anyone knew that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), existed.
No one considered that I was having an executive function malfunction. I looked great with my long blond hair and blue eyes. I was taller and developed earlier than most. I had dance class almost every day and I still had more energy than a few students put together.
To make matters worse, my grade 3 and 4 teacher thought sitting, listening and copying from the blackboard was a great teaching style.
I did my best. It was never good enough.
To make matters worse, if I couldn't move my body, the excessive energy came out as verbal diarrhea, as my dear friend Warma called it.
Being overly chatty, saying everything and anything without boundaries, often over sharing and draining people is common among some of us. We really don't have a filter. The brain is suppose to have a filter. We don't or if we do, it doesn't work. It causes other problems as well.
ADHD is neurological, not behavioural. I wasn't doing anything on purpose. That's why punishing me didn't teach me anything.
As I've gotten older, I've experienced another concussion which has intensified my hyperactivity. Even though aging can make ADHD issues more pronounced, this has been different. I've also been experiencing anxiety since the accident in Nov 2021.
Because I am relentless about having an amazing life, I wrote down my top passions a year ago, and found a way to overcome the sadness and downers that were popping in and out of my feelings, since I couldn't fully go back to how I was before the concussion.
At the end of January 2024, I let go of my permanent address and most of my possessions, and began a road trip for a year or two. I've been in Ohio so far. Today I am headed to Northern California. It will take me three days to get to where I'm going, I'll be all over CA for about 7 weeks.
This feeds my desire for movement, adventure, risky behaviour, and hearing people's stories. I am passionate about hearing people's stories. Everyone is fascinating and deserves to be heard. There are so many overcomers in the world. I want to meet as many as possible.
It's also my birthday month. Instead of my usual winter activities, I'll be doing something different.
If you aren't happy most days; if you don't wake up looking forward to a new day, being grateful to be alive, take a moment to write down what needs to change in your life.
Sometimes just a simple decision to drink more water, to exercise 10 minutes a day, to start eating less or better, even just to say nice things to yourself make a huge difference.
Those small things turned into great habits for a better life for me.
I've come such a long way and you can do it too. I'm here if you need a plan and support.
I'll keep you posted about my adventures.
I care,
Diane