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At Home with ADHD
ADD MAGIC
By: Lannette Guerra | October 6, 2022
Boo! It’s October, and my daughter is excited to be a Rocker Zombie this year. She did not like my suggestion that she dress up as Wednesday Addams so that her dad and I could be Morticia and Gomez from the Addams Family. So instead, I asked her what costume she recommends for me. Her response: “Just be you mom; do the usual and go as a witch.”
My face puckered. “A witch? Do you think your mother is a witch? Why would you say that, child of mine?” However, I reserved the emotional meltdown and responded, “You’re right, kiddo; being a witch is easy for me and my favorite fallback on Halloween.” As I walked out of that conversation, I remembered that one time I was sent to the principal’s office. My group of friends were escorted to the director’s office on claims of witchcraft and a possible sun and a moon tattoo (which, in my defense, I had yet to do). I asked myself why I was so upset at my daughter for calling me a witch when I thought I was one back then.
So, why would I think I was a witch at age 13? The beauty of introspection brings much clarity into everything that makes you “you.” Thus today, with newfound clarity and in the spirit of Halloween, I’d like to address the ADHD community and inform you why you might, at times, think you have supernatural or psychic abilities.
Let’s begin by knowing that if people with ADHD lived in Salem in 1692, their intuition and “supernatural” powers would likely have been prosecuted. By now, you're wondering, what is this “magic” in an ADHD brain that could be mistaken for witchcraft?
It’s not magic but rather neuroscience and how your brain is wired; your frontal cortex, the Limbic system, the reticular activating system, and the basal ganglia (I know, quite the mouthful) are all balanced areas of the neurotypical brain. A neurodivergent person may have a bigger Basal Ganglia or a reticular activating system of the track, which hinders the production of norepinephrine (aka your dopamine building blocks). Before I bore you with a Neuroscience lesson, all of this means that your brain had to develop other ways of coping with the world.
Witchy power numero uno: while other areas of your brain were struggling, you developed a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious right hippocampus, which is where intuition lives. Most people with ADHD present heightened intuition. Have you ever found yourself saying, “Trust me, I just know,” when someone argues, “But, how can you be sure?” That’s your intuition, or in nearly scientific terms, that’s your right side of the hippocampus flexing its magic.
The above statement in Salem days could land you at the bottom of a pond. In today’s world, you’re just called an intuitive; you can recognize patterns and cycles using your senses and divergent connections. Furthermore, if you’ve found yourself meshing well in the Bay Area it may have something to do with “birds of a feather flocking together.” Somehow, during your journey, or shall we say witches’ calling, you landed here surrounded by other intuitive creatures. Was it magic or destiny? We’ll never know, but for now, let us rejoice that our brain deficiencies gave us superpowers such as creativity, intuition, and divergent thinking. We are nonconformists, rule breakers, out-of-the-box thinkers. We live for adventure and trial and error.
Sometimes our divergent thoughts might land us on a cross, burned at the stake, or otherwise persecuted for being different. However, no matter how many of us fall off the face of the earth, new generations of “intuitive” people will replace us, like my future little witch at home. She doesn’t know it yet, but one day when she’s my age, she’ll be staring down at her own little one who will call her a witch or a Bruno from Encanto—it is the circle of life.
October is for us, the witches, the warlocks, the wizards, the holistic queens and kings, and though our predictions have evolved from crystal ball prophecies to computer algorithms, we’re still here, and this month is our month. October is ADHD Awareness month. Coincidence? I think not!
P.S. The following ingredients can sometimes be found inside a witch’s kettle and home; it helps her stay focused and relaxed during her day and night rituals:
ADD Magic: Brew rare Ingredients: Lion’s Mane, Ginkgo, Rhodiola, Ashwagandha, Astragalus, and Maca.
ADD Magic: Broom Important components: Vitamin C, Omega 3’s, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, and Melatonin.
ADD Magic: Spell enhancements: Bilateral Brain Stimulation playlist & Focus playlist
Lannette Guerra has a decade of experience working for large and small high-end residential firms, throughout Northern California. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture, a Bachelor of Arts, and is a LEED accredited professional. Before moving to California, she spent 4 years as an Exhibit Designer in Kansas City, MO.
She resides and virtually works for her current employer, from her home in San Rafael, CA. When she is not hyperfocused on work she enjoys hikes in the Marin headlands and couch cuddles with her family and furry friend. She is currently staying away from engaging in any new hobbies except for being a mentor & advocate of mental and physical well-being.
She is also a strong believer that the only way to build yourself to personal fulfillment and reach your true potential is to quiet the mind, eliminate distraction, and listen to what your heart has been telling you all along. Only then will you be able to see your authentic self reflected within your home, your soul, and in the workplace.