Travel & ADHD (the astonishing effects of Freedom)

“Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.”

- Benjamin Disraeli

ADHD or Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder is abysmally named as many other, much smarter People than me have already pointed out on several occasions.

It is, in fact, not a deficit of attention at all but a difficulty in regulating our attention. So, we either are unable to focus or are hyper-focused on one thing, (often the wrong one).

Having to focus on something we are not interested in is often a thing of impossibility and feels, as Jessica McCabe puts it, like trying to hammer jelly to the wall.

It just isn’t happening.

This difficulty in attention regulation makes functioning as an “adult”, in a world that is simply not built for our brains exceptionally hard sometimes.

On the other hand if we are interested and enthusiastic about something we can accomplish amazing things, usually in a very short amount of time.

People with ADHD are more likely to start their own business seeing as we are usually creative and are willing to take risks.

We are spontaneous and impulsive, hence really good at making quick decisions (be it not always the most well thought out ones).

If that is coupled, as it is in my case, with determination or as some might call it, stubbornness this can lead to an exciting life.

I was always the kind of person to come up with crazy schemes and colourful ideas and if I decide to do something I will find a way to do it.

When I was 21 I went on a spontaneous trip to London and 2 days after coming back I had bought a one way ticket and started putting things in order for my move abroad.

A year and a half later I decided to go to university and promptly signed up and moved to Vienna to study. I then moved back to London and after 3 ½ years of loving life there I made the snap decision to go traveling. I started working 60-80 hours a week to save money, planned my trip and boarded a plane in October 2019 to fly to Bangkok.

It is hard to put into words how much I enjoyed the freedom of traveling, the daily excitement, the people, the sights, just the entire experience was unparalleled in my life and has changed me forever.

One thing I noticed in my 5 ½ months in South East Asia was that the things I struggled most with in my day to day life were nonexistent.

My impulsivity and snap decision making, which often makes me look flaky.

My absolute inability to actually know how long something will take.

My getting distracted while on my way to somewhere and getting tragically lost,

All this didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter that I changed my mind on a whim cause the only person I had to justify my decision to was myself.

It didn’t matter that I couldn’t keep track of time and constantly got lost cause that was all part of the adventure.

I felt free and excited and don’t remember getting bored, which is a daily occurrence in “real life”.

In short I was happy, I was free to be myself.

Obviously things weren’t all sunshine and daisies. I was still awkward. I was still too loud. I still talked too much. Or at least that’s what I was worried about.

I was always the weird kid, the annoying one. I was constantly told to sit still, be more quiet, just focus, don’t make a fuss. These thoughts stay with you and are hard to let go.

I remember when I first met this girl, now a dear friend, in Chiang Mai. We got chatting in the hostel and decided to go into town together to visit a festival and eat all the food. We talked and talked and talked and between the two of us there wasn’t a quiet second.

We were sitting in a square eating some delicious Roti when she dropped into the conversation that she loves meeting other people with ADHD because she just clicks with them on a different level.

I was a bit confused when she said this - at that point I had had my diagnosis for a few years but never really took it seriously. Among the litany of other diagnoses I had received I just didn’t "believe" in it.

I was, as many still are, of the opinion that ADHD didn't exist, that it was some made up thing not to be considered.

Since then I started to educate myself on the topic and read up on it and as it turns out - it fits better thank any of my other diagnoses. It explains most of my symptoms and struggles but also accounts for some of my best character traits.

The joy of travel and adventure is a blessing for everyone who has the opportunity to do it, but especially for those of us with ADHD. It helps us get comfortable with our true self which can help us even when we’re back in “real life”.

Traveling builds confidence, within oneself and towards the kindness of others.

It helps us grow into our truest authentic self, which can be a significant step if you have faced criticism for things out of your control your entire life.

I know not everyone has the opportunity to up and leave to another country for months at a time but if you do - do it!

Don’t hesitate and let your fear keep you, I promise it will change your life for the better.

And if you don’t - take every opportunity for adventure even if it’s just a weekend trip to another city close by. Allow yourself the freedom to get lost and practice being yourself without fear of what others might think!