I can relate to this, bigtime. It wasn't until last year that I finally realized that I might have ADD or ADHD...and I'm forty-freaking-nine years old! As you say, this is just my normal. I never realized that other people didn't have all the issues I did. And I've developed SO MANY coping strategies over the years, that to the outside world I probably look pretty "normal," even if they notice my memory is pretty bad.
That said, it's expensive & time-consuming to get a diagnosis here, and all that would really give access to at my age (that I wouldn't otherwise have) is medication...most of which I can't take anyway due to conflicts with other health issues. So while it's not worth it to me to bother getting diagnosed, learning all I could about the different types of ADD/ADHD, and how they affect the brain and thus my functioning, has been invaluable. 😊
I could write a novel about all the hobbies I've picked up and put down over the years, but one nice thing about that process is that the vast majority of them have been creative/artsy - like scrapbooking, rubber stamping, designing planner layouts, etc. So a lot of the art and craft supplies I've accumulated over the years occasionally get new life when I learn of a new way to use them. Perhaps you've had some of the same experiences?
!PIZZA
!PIMP
In my research, females are often diagnosed late cos there are less studies on them than males and it is more common for females to have the inattentive type so it's not that obvious than being hyperactive. Right??? All your life you thought were normal but apparently isn't. Like, people don't really have music playing in the back of their heads 24/7?? So weird lol.
Oh no, really bad to not have these easily accessible but thankfully there are a lot of resources on the internet nowadays and even communities so you can get support. That helps a lot and good to hear you found something that helps you!
Same! Most are creative as well and they are still on the same "field" so they're not completely useless at all lol.
That's it exactly! I had no idea until my boyfriend (who was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, so he's had his whole life to study & learn about the condition) pointed out that my pinging back and forth between hyperfixation and utter distraction (along with several of my other traits) is a common thing for ADHDers. Thank goodness for him, and for all the resources available online!