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Hello, robynshnobyn!
After I read your post, I registered just so I could reply.
When I was 18, ADHD was not as recognized in the medical community as it today. So I feel you are extremely lucky just knowing that what/how you are thinking is due to the way your mind is wired. I wasn’t diagnosed until 33. I’m 44 now. I spent a majority of my life wondering why I didn’t think like everyone else.
I don’t know what to tell you to do. But I can tell you that when I was 18, I felt EXACTLY how you describe feeling now. I’m pretty happy where I am now, but it took a lot of time and work to get here. And I have made A LOT of mistakes along the way. If I could go back in time and give myself advice, the highlights (in no particular order) would be as follows:
1. Don’t force yourself to go to college in the “traditional” sense if you’re not ready. Instead, try to take at least 1 class per semester (including summer) at your community college. Many benefits, little risk. Be sure to meet new friends, talk to your professors, and try to get the A.
2. Avoid the urge to self-medicate. Exercise, diet, and meditation are the key. Trust me, you will never win the caffeine/nicotine-to-work & alcohol/drugs-to-relax game. Avoid any jobs, people, and lifestyles that promote it.
3. Save 20% of whatever you make. 10% in an IRA that you forget about. 10% in a savings account. When you finally find your path (or when you stumble), you’ll be glad you did.
4. Find a therapist and medication that work for you. Then use them both regularly. Adjust both when necessary.
5. Enjoy your 20s, but do whatever it takes to learn those life habits now. A-place-for- everything, checklists, paying bills, saving, etc. Identify your weaknesses and develop methods to compensate for them. If you wait until your 30s, you’ll be playing catch-up for the rest of your life.
6. Never forget that this thing is a GIFT. It allows us to see the world in a wonderful, timeless, creative way. So celebrate that. Find your strengths and build on them. But at the same time, realize that we have to live in the real world and the “normal” people write the rules. So learn the rules of the game and play the game by their rules. If you do, the day will come when you can play your own game with your own rules.
6. Just because something comes easy to you doesn’t mean you need to do it for a living. Avoid getting stuck on a path you don’t want to take.
7. Call your parents more.
I wish you the best of luck.
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