ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD

My almost seven-year-old son has not been officially diagnosed with ADHD, but he has a lot of indications that he might have ADHD. He, more than my other two children, has prompted me to study and learn about child development. I just haven't figured out why he struggles so much in a few key areas. When his Pre-K4/MDO teacher suggested he might have ADHD at the age of 5, I immediately rejected the idea and thought he was just being a boy and boys having trouble sitting still and such. Well, fast forward about 2 years, and I've done a good bit more research, plus had more time to observe him, and I think she might be right. So much of ADHD and what he's going through seems negative. When I came across a video by The Holderness Family about ADHD, Penn talked about the book they co-wrote called ADHD is Awesome. I immediately added it to my TBR list. I initially listened to the audiobook version of this book, but I have since purchased a kindle edition to own.I am so thankful for Penn and Kim writing this book. Penn shares his experiences of having "a raging case of ADHD" with this book. Having an adult be able to describe what happens in his own brain helps me so much to relate to my son. I've never understood why he can never remember where his shoes are or why an item ceases to exist in his brain when he puts it down. How he can not remember so much has always baffled me. And I've often thought and even accused him of lying to me. And I can easily say that doing so has damaged our relationship. Penn's candor has provided me with some relief. Similar to the relief he felt after being diagnosed. I feel relief in learning more about and understanding more about things my child struggles with or deals with and how his brain works. I cried. Multiple times. From guilt over how I've handled things in the past, sadness over the struggles he has and why everything feels harder for him, hope for the future, and fear for the same.Penn and Kim do a wonderful job of presenting ADHD as it is. They don't sugarcoat things. Penn's struggles and the negative side of having ADHD are there in all its ugliness. But there are positives to having ADHD or being close to someone who has ADHD, and those positives are essentially never pointed out. They want everyone to know that it isn't all bad. And I can so appreciate that. As someone whose child is still very young, I feel like we have an uphill battle in front of us, but there is hope. They offer coping strategies. This was one of the most practically applicable books I've ever read on a similar topic (not ADHD specifically). I appreciate that so much. And I appreciate Penn and Kim Holderness for putting this book out there. I needed it. And I'm sure so many others do too.The humor kept the topics light enough that this didn't feel like a heavy book even though I was quite emotional through portions of it. I suppose if it were heavy or dull the ADHD brain would abandon it, most likely. Penn definitely wrote with other ADHDers in mind.I also loved the discussion of the name ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The name truly doesn't describe the condition. And that contributes to the condition being so highly misunderstood. Addressing the misconceptions around ADHD was really helpful for me, and it helped me see that I had a lot of unfounded preconceived ideas of what ADHD is that are completely false.I can tell you that I would have had way too many quotes highlighted if I'd read this on my Kindle, but since I listened to the audiobook, I don't have any to share. I have purchased a digital copy of this book to have for myself to read again and probably even more than once. The audiobook version is wonderful being narrated by Penn and Kim directly. I don't know how much sidebar-type stuff they added to the physical book. It almost seemed like some things were added in their audio narration that wouldn't be in a physical copy, but I couldn't tell you that for sure without comparing the two. But their narration made the audiobook fun and easy to listen to (the goal). The only reason I wanted a physical copy for myself and not the audio version to own is that finding a passage for reference is much easier in a physical copy.If you have ADHD or have a loved one with ADHD, I think you should definitely check out ADHD is Awesome by Penn and Kim Holderness. If nothing else, you can commiserate with someone who understands your struggles. ADHD is Awesome gets 5 Stars from me. Have you read (or listened to) ADHD is Awesome? What did you think? Let me know!

I've been "a little bit" ADHD all my life, but was only diagnosed fairly recently - life changes happen, hormone changes happen, pandemics happen... and things that were mostly annoying but manageable suddenly aren't as much, and you have too many meetings and are late for half of them, and the emails you thought you sent are still sitting in your drafts folder, and you're wondering what happened. And then you fight a bit with you doctor to be referred for an evaluation, and eventually you get the diagnosis that was staring you in the face your whole life, and yet was never taken more seriously than a punchline - ADHD happened. And so, as an ADHD person sometime does, you hyperfocus on understanding why, and how, and start reading a bunch of books... because suddenly, certain things are now making so much more sense. Except, the books. The books are mostly not great. They're either dated, or they say the same things over and over, and none of it actually helps you fix the issues ADHD creates. Except this one.To be honest, I bought this book because if nothing else, Penn and Kim Holderness are entertaining. Their videos are hilarious - and smart. I wanted to support them and their work. I was, perhaps, a little biased and inclined to be cynical that a book written by "a couple of influencers" could be all that serious, or useful, or good. I'm a jerk. I forgot that the Holderness' are both hilarious and smart social media moguls AND journalists. They clearly brought their journalism brains along with their influencer-entertainer brains to this project.Not only has this book been interesting and helpful to me, I've recommended it to others - both those living with ADHD and those living with someone with ADHD (sometimes, me) - as a way to get smart on the subject, knowing that it would be both entertaining and readable, and also useful, which ... well, I've read quite a few, and I'm still looking for one that's quite this good at explaining what it is, and isn't, and how it's experienced by those who have it.I'm learning that not everything about ADHD is awesome. And a lot of it is confusing - even when you have it. Maybe especially when you have it. It's also confusing for people around you, who may or may not know you have it. In fact, there's a good chance you might have it and not even know you have it (it's tragically underdiagnosed, especially in women and those who exhibit more of the inattentive, rather than hyperactive, symptoms).If ADHD is, in fact, about as common as being left-handed, it might be good for everyone to read this book. I'd love to see managers in offices reading this book for professional development during disability awareness month. I'd love to see teachers reading it, so they can better support both their students diagnosed with ADHD and those whose symptoms are being overlooked, or attributed to other things.I don't subscribe to the notion that the ADHD brain is "broken." Like all brains, it excels at some things, and not at others. But it is idiosyncratic. It doesn't always respond well to the well-meaning advice that works for the other 90-95% of folks. And because humans are inherently social animals and it can be hard to go through life always feeling like an outsider - or at least an outlier - for any reason.I'm fortunate that I've mostly spent my adult life in careers that keeps me interested and busy, and workplaces that have been at least somewhat tolerant of my propensity for "running late," on a phone call that "just ran a little long," or at least looked the other way all the times I "got stuck in traffic."Or even worse: when I said I was in traffic but the truth is I got there early... but then decided to spend those 15 minutes checking my email on my phone in the car... and then got so absorbed responding to something in them that I temporarily forgot all about the meeting... and so I spontaneously stopped at the coffee shop next door on the way into the office for an ice coffee... thus walking into the meeting 10 minutes late, with a cup of ice coffee, filled to the brim with fresh ice cubes. Like a *jerk.* Or so the meme about it claims. Trust me, it's not F-U energy, its ADHD energy, and I'm as P-Od at me as you are. But thank you for not firing me, because there statistics that say that's a real hazard... so much so, some physicians and even psychologists won't diagnose you with ADHD unless it's happened once or twice. And that's not awesome, not in the good way anyway. Nor are dealing with the restrictions, regulations, and shortages that disrupt my life regularly to obtain medication. Nor is the mistaken belief that medication "fixes" ADHD, rather than merely tamping down a few of the more dopamine-deficiency related symptoms.And if this is exhausting to read, just imagine what it's like being inside my head with all this and ALL my other thoughts!But I love my overthinking, deep-processing, creative, problem-solving ADHD brain. If you have ADHD, maybe this book will help you learn to love yours a little bit better, too. And if you don't, perhaps this book will help you understand ADHD brains a little better... because chances are, you have one or two in your life, whether you (or they) know it or not. And they are not broken, either. They're just different. Often in weird and wonderful ways, if you can make space for them to do the things they are great at, provide the right kind of support for the things they're not as great at, and recognize that we're all awesome - ADHD brains and non-ADHD brains alike - when we're allowed to experience, share, and celebrate all the things that make us that way.

You see that section above, called “From the Publisher?” Everything is accurate – it’s the rare self-help book you’ll love reading all the way to the end, and I’ve picked it up several times over and over again AND listen on Audible too! It is upbeat, full of useful information, and darn it, I just saw that squirrel. Did you see it? Seriously, I was literally LOL that my family thought I was going legitimately bonkers! If you or someone you love has ADHD, I cannot recommend any book more highly than the one this couple wrote -- he has ADHD, she does not. "ADHD is Awesome: A Guide To (Mostly) Thriving With ADHD" by Penn and Kim Holderness. I've read the hardcover and listen on Audible for reminders (and laughs! lots of laughs!) It has what the ADHD'er and non-ADHD'er need from cover to cover. Parents, siblings, caretakers. It has you covered. I even recommended it to my psychiatrist and he is reading it.... Um... Dude! Oh, look! A Squirrel! The Holderness Family #ADHDisAwesome #pennholderness #kimholderness #OhLookASquirrel #adhdawareness #VariableAttentionStimulusTrait #vastnotadhd

This is an entertaining and informative audiobook that delves into the mystery of the condition called Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. It is narrated by a man (who has ADHD) & his wife (who does not); their stories are often funny & poingnant. They describe the disorder's characteristics, which will prompt Ah Ha! moments for family, friends & those with the condition. I wish I had heard this information when my son with ADHD was growing up. It's very helpful for all!