Let me just say it: ADHD is not my superpower. Itâs not a quirky personality trait or some âproductivity hackâ I whip out when I need a creative edge. Itâs not a fast pass to brilliance or innovation.
Itâs a real, often misunderstood neurodevelopmental condition that makes everyday life feel like a high-stakes balancing act â where Iâm dropping balls even when Iâm trying my absolute best, especially when I am.
I know people mean well when using words like âgiftedâ or âneurodivergent advantage.â But letâs be honest â most of the time, those words feel more like a performance requirement than a reflection of what living with ADHD is really like. They donât hold space for the mess, the chaos, or the crash that often comes right after the burst of energy.
Much of that language feels more about other peopleâs comfort than my truth.
đĽ Why the âSuperpowerâ Narrative Wears Me Out
I get why people want to put a positive spin on ADHD. But calling it a âsuperpowerâ skips over so much. It turns something that can be incredibly disabling into something thatâs supposed to be inspiring, which comes with a ton of pressure.
Suddenly, Iâm only allowed to take up space if Iâm exceptional. If Iâm productive. If my hyperfocus creates something worth sharing.
This unspoken agreement becomes: âWeâll accept your ADHD â as long as you turn it into a talent show.â
But if ADHD were just a superpower, I wouldnât be constantly teetering on the edge of burnout after doing basic life stuff. I wouldnât feel like I barely keep up while everyone else runs laps. I wouldnât be cycling through guilt over the emails I havenât answered, the appointments I forgot, or the days I just⌠couldnât.
âď¸ Itâs Not About Distraction â Itâs Also About Dysfunction
ADHD isnât a short attention span or a quirky tendency to daydream. Itâs executive dysfunction. My brain glitches when I need it to show up the most.
For me, it often looks like:
Knowing exactly what I need to do â and still being unable to start
Losing time or completely zoning out, then scrambling to catch up
Feeling overstimulated by noise, lights, decisions, or just people
Having emotions hit me like tidal waves, with no warning and no off-switch
Explaining, over and over again, why âjust try harderâ doesnât work
Thatâs not charming. Thatâs not a cute inconvenience. Itâs a neurological difference that impacts how I function at home, at work, and in relationships â and itâs draining, especially in a world that demands conformity over compassion (Barkley, 2015; Ramsay & Rostain, 2015).
đ¤ Iâm Not Here to Be Exceptional
The hardest part about the âsuperpowerâ label is how it erases people like me â the ones who are just trying to get through the day.
Iâm not launching a startup. Iâm not monetizing my hyperfocus. Some days, Iâm just trying to keep my apartment semi-clean and respond to a text without spiraling.
ADHD doesnât need to look impressive for it to be real. It still matters when it looks like chaos and clutter. I still matter when Iâm just surviving.
We donât owe anyone a genius narrative. My value isnât tied to how well I can mask or how much I can produce.
đ ď¸ I Donât Need Toxic Positivity. I Need Support.
This isnât about being negative â itâs about telling the truth.
Yes, there are moments when my ADHD helps me connect dots no one else sees. When I get into the flow, something beautiful or unexpected happens. But that brilliance is never free. It comes with emotional hangovers, sleep deprivation, sensory overload, and moments of crushing self-doubt.
We donât need more feel-good slogans. We need real, tangible support:
Flexible workplaces that understand adaptability are not coddling
Systems that donât punish our brains for showing up differently
Supports that meet us where we are â not where weâre âsupposedâ to be
Conversations that make room for both resilience and reality
So, no â ADHD is not my superpower.
Itâs not my brand. Itâs not a vibe. And itâs definitely not something you can dress up in glitter and call a gift.
Itâs real. Itâs frustrating. Itâs often invisible.
And if youâre just trying to get through the day without falling apart â I see you. Youâre not weak. Youâre not broken. Youâre doing your best in a world that keeps asking you to pretend.
And that? Thatâs strength.
But even though itâs not a superpower, I still get to choose how I define it. Iâm not here to sugarcoat it or spin it into something itâs not â but I can find meaning in how my brain works. I can acknowledge the mess and still honor the moments of clarity, intuition, creativity, and depth that sometimes come with it. I can name the struggle without erasing my strength. ADHD doesnât need to be a superpower to be mine â to be something I learn to live with, work with, and even sometimes find a strange kind of beauty in. Not because itâs easy or magical, but because Iâve made space for my truth â and thatâs powerful in its own right.
đ References (APA 7th Edition)
Barkley, R. A. (2015). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (4th ed.). Guilford Press.
Ramsay, J. R., & Rostain, A. L. (2015). The adult ADHD tool kit: Using CBT to facilitate coping inside and out. Routledge.
Sedgwick, J. A., Merwood, A., & Asherson, P. (2019). The positive aspects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A qualitative investigation of successful adults with ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 11(3), 241â253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-018-0277-6
Weyandt, L. L., & DuPaul, G. J. (2013). College students with ADHD: Current issues and future directions. Springer.
We really need to become aware of our ableist hustle mindset where we devalue the ordinary and uphold eugenics.
Acceptance is the key! Not acceptance on someone elseâs scale, but our own.