When I was in the first grade, I was put into the “slow reading group.” All the way through school I panicked when the teacher would tell the class to read a chapter and then we would have to answer questions about what we had read. I would start reading the first second that
I could, knowing that I would not be able to finish the reading when everyone else did.
Because my grades were not good, my parents kept telling me to “try harder.” I didn't know
what that meant. I was trying as hard as I knew how to. How could I try harder? I knew my
family thought that I was just lazy.
As an adult, I never understood why other people were able to get so much more done in a
day than I could. I was always loosing grocery lists and other paper work. I created stacks of magazines and mail that I never knew how to eliminate and could never find the ones I wanted when I needed them. I could never get out of the house on time, because something unexpected would always happen to slow me down. My mind always wandered when I lost interest in what someone was saying.
All of these problems with daily living made me feel stupid, incompetent, and constantly damaged my self-esteem. I never gave myself credit for the things I did do well because they always seemed small compared to what others did.
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My diagnosis of ADD was a great relief. It provided a reason for the confusion that plagued my daily life. But it was coaching that provided the answers for dealing with my individual challenges . Through coaching I learned to slow down, accept myself, develop coping skills, advocate for myself and learn to create my own standards for living my life (instead of other peoples standards). You can too!
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