October 5, 2020: October is ADHD Awareness Month. What’s it like to grieve and have ADHD? There is actually a lot of overlap in the two, and adults and children with ADHD may feel their ADHD symptoms amplified when grieving. Some of the commonalities between ADHD and grief include difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, restlessness, social withdrawal, poor academic/work performance, impulsivity, and trouble with eating and/or sleeping. For people with ADHD, they may also experience intensified and dysregulated emotions, isolation, and hyper-focus on or low awareness of their grief.
I subscribe to Jessica McCabe’s YouTube channel called How To ADHD, where she explores what it’s like to have ADHD and offers tons of information and support. Recently, Jessica’s mother died unexpectedly and she shared some of her grief experience in a two-part vlog (links below). While my heart aches for her, I appreciate Jessica’s willingness to share such a deeply personal part of her life in the hopes of helping others and also be true to herself.
In the second video, Jessica tells us 3 rules a friend gave her about grief: forgive yourself for everything, grieve on your own timeline, and ask for what you need. All of these are so true to grief, and also incredibly hard to remember. When someone you love dies, your brain and body will be thrown off, there is no time limit to processing your grief, and finding the right support can make a huge difference.
Check out Jessica’s videos to see how she experienced receiving the news of her mother’s death, some difficult moments, and what was helpful for her.
Link to part 1: https://youtu.be/jCGY9oJrSh0
Link to part 2: https://youtu.be/ItfOR-Ndyz0
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