I swear if I read one more meme about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) being a made up condition, I will scream. If I see one more post about kids with ADHD just needing a ‘kick up the arse’, I will explode.
ADHD is not just a child being naughty. It is a documented disability. It is not a new condition. In fact it was first added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1980. At the risk of alarming anyone, that is nearly 40 years ago.
In September last year I received a letter to say that my Disability Support Pension was being reviewed. It was the day that I was dreading and it had come at an already stressful time for my family. I thought that I had missed out on being reviewed, but new measures introduced by the current government meant that I was caught in the net.Receiving this review brought up all of my familiar anxieties about whether or not I deserved the payment. Was I really sick enough? There were people worse off than me surely.
Slacktivism via social media has been a hot topic for a while now. There is always a ridiculous chain message going around that tells you to post something as your status in order to raise awareness for a cause. These messages are spread either through private message or via a ‘please repost’ status update. The worst part of these updates? Most people don’t seem to even check the details before hitting share.
One of the lovely side effects of sleep deprivation, some medications and children is that you start to forget things. For me it has gotten progressively worse over the last 2-3 years. I used to pride myself on my awesome memory. Now, I would lose my head if it wasn’t screwed on!
Almost 18 months ago I made the decision to cut back on my drinking. I didn’t want to give up completely, but I did want to cut back. Vodka and I had been best friends forever (BFF) for a long time, but it got to the point where I knew that something had to give. The relationship wasn’t working anymore, it had become toxic.