MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS SERIES
Awareness is the Path to Change — Your Mind, Mental Health, and ADHD
8th day of May — Who can know the mind of any other person since we don’t even know our own minds
May 8, 2022, Mother’s Day. Reflections of being a mom, having a mom, and family relationships. I sincerely hope that all moms and grandmas out there have a special day today. 💕
Greetings aside, what I’d really like to focus on today is increasing our awareness of mental health. After all, it’s National Mental Health Awareness month. So let’s talk about your mind, your mental health, and ADHD, shall we?
What do you see when you look into your mind? ➡️ Pictures or Words — ➡️ Negative or Positive — ➡️ Fogginess or Clarity — ➡️ Something or Nothing —
Well, just so you know, I don’t see a lot when I look into my mind. Sometimes I can see words, but usually, there’s nothing there or it’s foggy. What’s going on there? Why can’t I see as other people see? I think it has to do with how aware I am at any given moment.
AWARENESS IS THE PATH TO CHANGE
How aware are you? If you ask me that question, I’d have to admit that I’m not very aware of my surroundings or myself. Always been that way and probably always will be. Sometimes my awareness will awaken and I’ll have an ‘aha’ moment, but I can count on one foot how many times that’s happened to me in my life.
I’ve tried a lot of different things to wake it up, my awareness, that is. I’ve studied self-help books, gone to classes, meditated, and even prayed. But I’m still unaware of what’s going on around and in me, nothing seems to be able to kick my awareness in the pants and wake it up.
So maybe there’s a reason for my inability to wake up. I mean, I’ve gotten along in life all right, after all, I’m still in relatively good health and retired from a lifetime of employment. Normal, right? Maybe, maybe not.
Take a look at this mental health issue. I think this may be the mental illness that causes my chronic lack of awareness.
ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).
An estimated 8.4% of children and 2.5% of adults have ADHD. ADHD is often first identified in school-aged children when it leads to disruption in the classroom or problems with schoolwork. It is more common among boys than girls.
The symptom that I experience is a LACK OF AWARENESS. Maybe the root cause of that symptom is the inability to PAY ATTENTION.
I’ve been like this all my life. I thought it was normal to be me. Turns out it’s not so normal and that it’s treatable. And I have not ever been diagnosed or treated for ADHD.
Treatment — American Psychiatric Association
Behavioral therapy and medication can improve the symptoms of ADHD. Studies have found that a combination of behavioral therapy and medication works best for most people, particularly those with moderate to severe ADHD.
I suppose it’s never too late to ‘fix’ a lifetime of mental health issues, known or unknown. If I can become more aware of the problem, I figure it’s time to take action and try to improve upon it. What do you think?
I appreciate that you took a moment to read this story. I hope to see you tomorrow for another May mental awareness article.
In case you missed yesterday’s article in my Mental Health Awareness Series, you can find it in this list.
Micheal Woodruff wrote an excellent article about ADHD that motivated me to think about my own life. He’s an excellent writer on mental health, knowledgeable and prolific. His content is worth reading and pondering.
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