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Thursday, February 11, 2016

Concentration is a gift

I was diagnosed with ADHD last year January. I have been on 54mg Concerta ever since. I am now 27 years old. I can't believe I spent nearly my whole life undiagnosed. Ever since the diagnosis and medication my life has changed drastically.

 I was one to have many projects underway but never ever have any of them complete. I could not concentrate, I was extremely impulsive with my decision making and it often landed me into some serious trouble. I was in addiction for 10 years. Depressed because I just "couldn't do anything right" or would "always give up". Having people tell me that I had so much potential but could never ever see anything through. I felt like a failure and turned to drugs to hide my shame.

 I have been clean since September 2014. I have been on Concerta for just over a year and everything has changed. From being someone who sat at home and did nothing to being a financial adviser for a financial services company. I can work full days and even put in the extra work, not because I am forced to but because I want to. I sit down and study because I want to absorb and learn. 

Concentration is a gift that is just over a year old for me and I am so fascinated with it. I can read books and no forget the story as I go. I can sit down and watch a movie and not get distracted. I love learning new things and am amazed at how smart I am. It is really awesome. I am so glad I have been diagnosed and have appropriate treatment. I don't just rely on Concerta. I have put in a lot of effort on my part, cognitive behavioral therapy as they say. I wake up and am excited. 

Concentration is incredible. I have found God with concentration because I can think and dwell on something instead of there being a million thoughts overpowering other thoughts. From sitting in church and listening, I became interested and came to believe in God and Jesus. Pretty cool. And I like having ADHD. I like being different.

-Steffin Theo Greyling

2 comments:

  1. I really get the whole "can't do anything right" thing. I feel like this all the time. I was diagnosed at about 10 or 11, and was put on Ritalin for a while and then when I was 13 I was put on Concerta, but that gave me migraines so I stopped and have been off the medication ever since. I'm 22 now and in my second year at university. I've never wanted anything more than I want to get this degree, and I know if I just put in the hard work, I can do it. My ADHD has been an obstacle in almost every aspect of my life, but my university has a great support system in place and it's helped me a lot. I'm still impulsive, and I still have difficulty concentrating, but it's not going to stop me. :P

    Well done on being clean. It couldn't have been easy, but you should be proud of yourself. :)

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  2. Thank you for your response to their story! I am also working to get my degree but I have two math classes standing in my way. I have not tried them with the help of my medication so I hope I can try it again and get my degree! We will get this done! :)

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