Let’s Get Real

"Look on the bright side"

"There's always a silver lining"

"Think positive"

"Don't worry, be happy"

I'm sure you have had one of these common phrases about positivity told to you at one point or another.

How does it make you feel when you're experiencing a difficult time and someone offers you one of these easy, little sayings?

I don't know about you, but sometimes I can get a little irritated. What if I don't want to look on the bright side? Can't I just be allowed to have my feelings?

According to author, Oliver Burkeman, it's completely fine to feel this way, and it actually might be better for you in the end.

It's not all ‘sunshine and roses’

Recently, on an episode of Taking Control: The ADHD Podcast, Pete and I reviewed a book written by Oliver Burkeman entitled, The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking.

It sounds kind of silly, right? How can someone be happy if they hate to think positively?

But, in his book, Burkeman talks about how constantly trying to being positive—even when everything around you feels negative—can eventually lead you to a distorted view of reality where you end up more disappointed if things don't always turn out bright and shiny.

But it's not all doom and gloom, either

Does this mean we should all be pessimists and see everything as awful and bad? Absolutely not!

What it means, is that sometimes, it's best to view situations as they truly are instead of trying to sugarcoat them into something that is supposed to feel better.

This brings me to the topic of ADHD.

Recently, someone in our GPS community shared that they wish they could feel like their ADHD was a superpower like other people often say, but they just don't and can't feel that way about their ADHD.

You know what? That's ok! There is no reason you should feel less than because someone else doesn't feel the same way you do. You are allowed to feel and experience your ADHD—and every part of your life—in whatever way makes sense to you, and sometimes that means admitting that your ADHD feels more like an anti-superpower.

Your life with ADHD is unique and authentic to you and you should never feel like you have to deny that or how you experience it every day.

While I will never deny my love for sharing and experiencing joy and the brighter side of each day, I also know that not everything is perfect and we shouldn't feel like we have to try to fit everything into a perfect box, tied with a perfect bow.

Sometimes...life sucks and it's ok to acknowledge it. But, sometimes it gets better, and after experiencing the negative, it tends to make the good days seem just a little bit sweeter.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Nikki