Here are 32 very important things that I, a person with ADHD, want the world to know.

1. The way your mind works: Point A —> Point B—> Point C

2. The way my ADHD mind works: Point A—> Ooh, what’s that mark on the table? I’m gonna clean it —> I should probably clean my room soon, too—> Do I have Clorox wipes—> I like the lemon-scented ones —> Lemonade. I like that shit.—> You can’t swear in your articles. Professor Kafentzis would kill you—> Did I turn in that article that I wrote for him? Shit—> ANNIE! God, AGAIN WITH THE SWEARING—>Wait, what was I originally thinking about? Dammit. Backtrack…

3. I make lists and color coordinate everything because, God help me, I have no idea what would happen otherwise.

4. ADHD isn’t just the guy in your English class who is fidgeting throughout the lecture. It’s also the girl who is sitting in the corner of the study room at 2:30 a.m. tearing out her hair because she can’t remember what she was going to write for a composition because she just changed computer tabs.

5. No, I’m not ignoring your texts. I just forgot to respond. Sorry, Mom.

6. The person who invented spinny chairs is the best person ever, only behind the guys who invented ice cream and coffee.

7. With my meds in full gear, as an auditory learner, I can listen to a lecture, then recite the entire thing. Without my meds, you can tell me a story, I can appear fully engaged, but won’t pick up a single word.

8. No, I cannot study in a group. I know, being a homework loner kinda sucks, but it’s better to actually get some stuff done.

9. No, you’re not “feeling ADHD today” because you “just don’t want to do homework.” It doesn’t really work that way.

10. ADHD is when your roommate walks into your room and finds you, watching a Packer game, while ultimately failing a tree pose on top of your dresser. “Annie, what the hell?” “Um, well. Yes. This is happening.” (Yes, this has actually happened. S/o to JJ. You’ve seen some weird stuff from me.)

11. I can zone out for a solid five minutes without realizing it.

12. ADHD isn’t just the six-year-old who couldn’t wait for PE or recess because she can run arounds. It’s also the girl who almost faints in class because her meds are appetite suppressants and she forgot to eat all day.

13. I am so sorry for some of the things I have blurted out.

14. My internet search history is weird and hilarious. Wikipedia is the best/worst thing ever. I can learn so much random information, but the links never end and it is literal hell. I started looking for the year Queen Elizabeth II was coronated, but now an hour has passed and I’m reading about proxy homicide rates in the United States. Will I ever need this information? Probably not. But is it interesting? Oh, yes.

15. Your ADHD roommate may get in bed at 10 p.m., but they may not fall asleep until 1:45 a.m. because their mind will not stop racing from ideas.

16. ADHD is writing this article at 2:30 a.m. instead writing an essay.

17. ADHD is explaining to people that, yes, it is a real thing and that there is no way to control your lack of focus. Do you think that I really want to spend five hours on this Spanish composition that took my classmates one hour?

18. “I hate you during the summer because you don't take your meds as often and you say stupid stuff.” -my brother

19. I’m not going to sell you my meds. People like you are why it’s so hard to get them in the first place.

20. The most ADHD thing ever is forgetting your meds. Just think about the irony.

21. When my meds kick in, I’m sorry that I can’t have a casual conversation with you while trying to do work. It’s either one or the other. Sorry.

22. ADHD is getting bored when you were writing a college essay, deciding to see if you can put your foot behind your head, but your hip flexor cramps, you scream, and your dad finds you with your foot stuck behind your head while sitting at the computer. (Yes, that did happen... He also totally laughed.)

23. “I wonder about you some times.” -everybody. To be completely honest, yeah, me too.

24. I forgot what I was going to say here. It was gonna be something really good.

25. ADHD is asking your friends to repeat what they just said because you just became highly interested in that man’s fantastic bowtie.

26. Picture my thoughts as the scribbles from a two-year-old. Yes. That’s a snapshot into my brain.

27. For those of you who have seen me on a day that I didn’t take my meds, I’m sorry. But, I hope that I entertained you. I think I’m hilarious.

28. Yes, I do need my meds. Class is a nightmare without it.

29. “I feel like people with ADHD are too reliant on their meds.” Well, I like to explain it like this: 1.) Mind your own business. You don’t understand how my brain works. 2.) Imagine if one day, your sight was randomly taken away, but you are still expected to class and perform at the same level as everyone else. Meds are a learning tool and they provide me with structure.

30. Classes that last for longer than forty-five minutes might be the worst thing in the world.

31. I. HAVE. A. LEARNING. DISABILITY. It is an actual disability and it actually really upsets me when you make comments about it not being "fair" that I have learning accommodations or how you don't think that ADHD is real.

32. I’m trapped in my own mind.