Olive Gray
Actor and Musician
Olive Gray
Actor and Musician
We need to think more broadly when we consider ADHD, especially in adults and particularly women. To most people ADHD means a wilful child (usually a boy), moving and fidgeting uncontrollably against any surface, drawing attention to themselves with absolutely no ability to concentrate. That’s not me. The chaos is often going on in my head, I find it hard to concentrate a lot of the time but I also can have hyper-concentration on things I have an interest in.
No one really talks about the anxiety that can go along with ADHD and this is sometimes my greatest challenge. I’m really passionate about enabling other people with ADHD with the tools to better understand and explain themselves.
Getting a diagnosis can be tough but I believe that it is only the first step on a longer journey to understanding yourself and honing a language to communicate your specific needs to those around you. ADHD can be such a gift, so many of the creatives in my life have ADHD and I get to see first-hand in others as well as myself, what amazing art can be born from our unique minds.
We should be mindful not to think that ADHD is the sum total of a person; I can be impulsive, creative and deeply empathic, each of us are unique and though there are challenges there are also beautiful gifts.
