Sitting in my 10:30 Civil War senior seminar class, the first day back after Spring Break, I heard my professor ask the class to do something… what did she just say? Pull out what? From where?
Suddenly, my heart started racing, my hands went slightly numb, my head was spinning, and I began to panic. It was at that moment that I realized I missed something big.
While most students envision Spring Break as a time for relaxation and stepping away from the rigors of academics, for individuals like myself with ADHD, it's anything but. I've come to dub it "Spring Mid-Semester Reassessment and Planning Time." During this supposed break, I find myself:
Tying up loose ends from before the break.
Reading ahead to stave off the looming threat of falling behind.
Tackling assignments for the week ahead.
Completing projects ahead of schedule whenever possible.
I work, study and read. Not to get straight A’s. Not to impress my professors. I do it all just to survive.
This spring break was especially difficult. On top of the usual work I do to try to get ahead, I had a ton of homework that was assigned over break as well. So this time I didn’t have a chance to get ahead in school, but I actually struggled to keep up. So when I realized I had overlooked something crucial upon returning to class, it hit me like a ton of bricks—I was devastated, embarrassed, and overwhelmed with stress.
Thankfully my professor, who knows me well, granted me an extension on the peer review work due that day. Yet, the process of recovering from the setback proved more time-consuming than the task itself. In fact, I am still not quite over the whole thing.
I am sharing this because I have learned that no matter how much I plan, advocate, or prepare– with ADHD– I will miss things. And, that’s ok. Life goes on.
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