Whether you are newly diagnosed, a well seasoned veteran or new to ADHD here are some common terminologies used in the ADHD world that could help you better understand and communicate your symptoms.
The first term is time blindness. A common viewpoint is that people with ADHD are chronicaly late. You may have noticed that no matter how important or valued being punctual may be to a person with ADHD doesn’t change that we genuinely don’t feel it the same way other people do. Ten minutes can feel like two seconds, or two hours can pass in what feels like five minutes. ADHD brains don’t have an internal clock and that’s not something that we can change. Time blindness makes things like scheduling, getting ready, or leaving the house on time feel like a guessing game. While we cannot shame ourselves into having a sense of time we can utilize external tools like alarms, visual timers, and calendar reminders to make time something we can visibly see and respond accordingly. Now creating a plan for addressing time blindness can be overwhelming when you struggle with executive dysfunction. “ADHD is not a disorder of knowing what to do but of doing it”. It’s that invisible wall between intention and action. You might stare at a messy room for hours, fully aware it needs cleaning, but your brain just won’t give the “go” signal. Laziness is not the issue, it’s a neurological block in the brain’s executive function system, which manages planning, prioritizing, and motivation. Understanding that helped me trade shame for strategy. Breaking big tasks into smaller steps, rewarding myself for progress, and using body doubling have all been game-changers. Body doubling is a favorite ADHD strategy of mine. It means working alongside another person either in person or virtually to help stay focused and accountable. Somehow, just having someone exist near me makes my brain stay on task. It’s like the presence of another human flips the “this is real” switch. Even if the other person is quietly doing their own thing, the shared focus creates enough structure as well as a visible cue for my brain to follow through. Another term that changed my perspective was task paralysis. This is when everything feels urgent, so nothing gets done. My brain wants to do all the things, gets overwhelmed, and ends up doing none of them. Learning to lower the pressure and just start somewhere (even if it’s tiny) helps break that freeze. Sometimes I’ll trick my brain by saying, “I’m just going to do this for five minutes.” Half the time, five minutes turns into finishing the whole thing.Of course, ADHD isn’t just about distractions or struggles there’s also hyperfocus. When something truly grabs our attention, we can lock in with laser precision for hours. Now this may sound like a gift but when I can’t remember or will myself to eat while fully immersed in a task or hobby it often causes more harm than good. Particularly because it’s not an increase in focus, it’s a depletion of it. Often leading to burn out and lowered capacity that makes brushing your teeth feel like running a marathon. And finally, there’s Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, or RSD. This one isn’t officially in diagnostic manuals, but most ADHDers know the feeling. It’s that deep, intense emotional pain that comes from rejection, criticism, or even perceived disapproval. A single comment can feel like a punch to the chest. Understanding RSD helped me recognize that my reactions weren’t “too much” they were part of how my brain processes emotional stimuli.
Learning this ADHD vocabulary didn’t just provide language but understanding. These words have helped me explain myself to others, build systems that actually work for my brain, and, most importantly, show myself compassion. If you recognize yourself in any of this, know that you’re not lazy, broken, or unmotivated. Your brain just works differently and once you understand its language, you can finally start working with it instead of against it.