| Attention Deficit Disorder presents different | | | | told she was lazy, but she persisted. She |
| challenges to different people. Some of us | | | | graduated high school and, even though her |
| have the most trouble focusing and | | | | parents discouraged her from going to |
| concentrating, while some of us have great | | | | college, she went anyway! She started off in |
| difficulty regulating emotion. Whatever your | | | | a community college, where she discovered |
| greatest challenge is, there is one sure-fire | | | | that when she could choose her course of |
| way to be successful in spite of it: the | | | | study, she actually did quite well. From |
| ability to be resilient. | | | | there she transferred to a very good state |
| | | | school. |
| Miriam-Webster online defines resilience as | | | | |
| "an ability to recover from or adjust easily | | | | Lilly decided that she wanted to teach high |
| to misfortune or change." Applying this to | | | | school. She wanted to be "one of those |
| adults with ADD, we might adjust the | | | | teachers who makes a difference." Her |
| definition to "an ability to recover from or | | | | college advisor told her she was crazy. She |
| adjust easily to misfortune, change, | | | | said "A woman of small stature and quiet |
| setbacks, challenges, and failure." | | | | voice, like you, can't teach high school. |
| | | | You won't be able to discipline the kids. |
| In order to be successful adults with ADD, we | | | | They'll eat you alive." |
| have to accept the undeniable fact that we | | | | |
| will have challenges, we will have failures, | | | | Lilly was crushed for two days. But in her |
| and we will have disappointments. But we | | | | heart, she knew better. She made a conscious |
| cannot let these setbacks stop us. | | | | choice not to listen to her advisor. In |
| | | | fact, she petitioned the school for a new |
| Let's take a practical look at resilience by | | | | advisor who would be more supportive, and she |
| comparing two adults with ADD, "Jane" and | | | | got one. |
| "Lilly." | | | | |
| | | | Lilly has now been teaching high school |
| Jane is an amazingly smart woman, but she | | | | history for 7 years, and was even voted |
| doesn't think so. She works in a | | | | "favorite teacher" in the yearbook |
| high-pressure office where people are | | | | superlatives! |
| frenzied. She is a general assistant to | | | | |
| several VIPs. One of her bosses frequently | | | | Jane has lost her resilience in this |
| blames his own mistakes on her, and another | | | | situation. She lets the words of others |
| boss often calls Jane stupid. | | | | shape her thoughts about herself, and she no |
| | | | longer trusts herself. |
| Jane spends her evenings worn down and upset. | | | | |
| She feels defeated. Once a very confident | | | | Lilly, on the other hand, has amazing |
| and happy woman, she has let the messages of | | | | resilience. She trusts herself, and she does |
| a few jerks bring her down. She wants to | | | | not let others negative messages bring her |
| find a new job, but she doesn't think anyone | | | | down. She allows herself to be disappointed, |
| else will hire her. In the very first week | | | | but not for too long. She gets right back on |
| of her job, Jane knew it wasn't a good fit | | | | track. And she has great successes to show |
| for her and she should quit, but she didn't | | | | for it. |
| trust her intuition and therefore stayed put. | | | | |
| | | | Resilience in adults with ADD is all about |
| Lilly is also an amazingly smart woman with | | | | moving forward. If we want to be successful |
| ADD. Lilly had a hard time in school. She | | | | adults with ADD, we simply can't let |
| didn't have very good grades, and was often | | | | disappointments hold us back. |