It can be difficult growing up with attention deficit disorder. Many of us feel like we have let the whole world down; friends, family, teachers, significant others, and most importantly, ourselves. In school we were given assignments; we would try our best to accomplish them and usually found something more exciting that got our attention. When it came time to hand in the work, it was not done. Once again, we see the disappointed look on the teachers face we came to know so well. In class, we were either, bouncing off the walls, bugging kids, or being the class clown. Sometimes, depending on what type of attention deficit disorder we had, we were sitting quietly in a corner, staring out the window, mentally disappearing without anyone noticing. Then came test time. If we could manage to sit still long enough and focus on the dry material, we studied twice as hard as a lot of our class mates only to end up barely passing, or failing the test. This was the same routine over and over again. This became all that we knew. The thoughts of being a failure, a disappointment, grew and grew. The self esteem was now, at an all time low.

As we grow older, it did not get much easier. Sure, a few management tips were developed along the way, but the underlying effects ADD played on us were still there. Now, work and relationships begin to develop. We were learning new management skills to handle those situations. In the work place we could not figure out why we kept fighting and disagreeing with the boss. Why we seemed to go from job, to job, to job. Meanwhile we get into relationships that seem to end before they start. Its not that we dont care about the person, its just we have problems listening, focusing and communicating.

Does this sound familiar? Have you, or do you experience a lot of the same things. This can be so common for people with ADD and ADHD. It may not all be the same but a lot of the basics are true for us all. You feel like a failure, stupid, or insignificant.

There are so many gifts that come with being an individual with attention deficit disorder. Sometimes we are so stuck judging and questioning ourselves that it is hard to see past the failures that we believe we have become. If you have ADD or ADHD you were gifted with creativity. It may be hard to acknowledge because we have fought so hard to suppress it all these years, but it is there. When some people are thinking one way, do you ever notice you are thinking the other way? When a problem arises, do you have a gift for solving it? We are able to see beyond what is, and create what could be. We just may need a little help to do it.

There are many ways to bring out the gift inside you. It can be important to get help controlling your disorder, seeing as there is no cure for AD/HD. There are doctors and specialists that focus on treating the individual with attention deficit disorder as a whole. They address not only the symptoms but the underlying cause of them. The Mind, Body, and Spirit.