- 0
- 0
I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a granddaughter who—bless her—shares a few of my ADHD quirks. We’ve spent a lot of time lately laughing at our mutual chaos, mostly because if we didn’t laugh, we’d both be curled up in a blanket fort, ugly-crying over a misplaced water bottle and a forgotten password.
In my never-ending quest to “hack” our way to functionality, I keep diving into research. But here’s the thing: I’m not always finding solutions. Instead, I’m finding detailed descriptions of exactly how weird we already are. It’s less “how to fix it” and more “congrats, here’s a list of all the ways your brain is running a traveling circus.”
The deeper I dig, the more I realize we may not just be navigating ADHD—we’ve got some extra spice in the family soup. Some delightful little co-morbidities tagging along for the ride. If there was a list of, say, 50 neurodivergent traits, each family member would confidently check off at least 10… before breakfast.
I saw that list the other day—the one that made me audibly gasp, clutch my pearls, and consider sending a group text to every cousin on the family tree. It included gems like:
- Intense emotions
- Insomnia
- Motion sickness
- Imaginary friends (as children. As adults… different category. Potentially medicated.)
- Collecting things we swear we’ll use “someday”
- Prolonged staring (yes, that counts as an activity now)
- Getting lost even with GPS
- Oversized vocabulary paired with undersized ability to shut up
- Intense empathy, compassion, and social justice rants
- Nail biting, skin picking, mouth chewing
- Deep spiritual connection with animals
- “Dinosaur hands” (If you know, you know)
- Oversharing to total strangers
- Constant need for visual or mental stimulation
- Choosing chaotic patterned fabrics over sensible solids
- Deep, confusing need to belong and be different, all at the same time
Now, I’m not saying how many of these apply to me. That information is classified and stored in the same mental filing cabinet where I keep birthdays, car keys, and why I walked into the kitchen.
But here’s the kicker: these aren’t just signs of ADHD. Nope. These little traits are also frequently tied to autism—and almost never talked about.
So if you’re out there wondering why you’re intensely compassionate, chronically overstimulated, and your favorite childhood memory involves organizing your rock collection by emotional vibe… you’re not alone.
And no, we don’t need fixing. We just need snacks, a weighted blanket, and maybe a support group run by a golden retriever.