Newsletter #4: Leonardo da Vinci, a web comic about ADHD, and coping through creativity!

June is the month that brings us the longest day of the year. Of course, pretty much any day can feel like the longest day of the year if your ADHD symptoms are causing you problems. As usual, here’s 1 study, 1 article and 1 coping tip to hopefully help prevent that from happening!

 

Study of the Month: Did Leonardo da Vinci have ADHD?

There’s a new paper out by neuropsychologists suggesting that no less than Leonardo da Vinci may have had ADHD. Apparently, for all his brilliance, Leonardo struggled to stay focused and organized. You know, typical case of “lots of potential, but needs to apply himself.”

Leonardo was notorious for starting projects and not finishing them, which didn’t go over well with people who commissioned works from him. No less than the pope commented that Leonardo would probably never amount to anything. Despite his accomplishments, Leonardo apparently felt great guilt over not being disciplined enough and not having accomplished more. None of this is necessarily of practical use to ADHDers today, but at least we can know we’re in good company!

 

Article of the Month: A web comic about ADHD

This month, BBC ran an article about Dani Donovan, who publishes a web comic inspired by her experiences with ADHD. Many ADHDers will probably find that this comic lands perfectly in that space exactly in the middle of funny, relatable, and sad because it’s true!

 

Coping Tip of the Month: Find a creative outlet!

With the reveleation that Leonardo da Vinci is a suspected ADHDer and the web comic featured above, it seems fitting that creativity should be the theme for this month’s coping tip!

Many people with ADHD find that they come into their element in creative settings. What we call “distractibility” at other times becomes an ability to generate original ideas when you’re doing a creative task. Impulsivity is OK because it can lead you in unexpected new directions.

Having a creative outlet gives you a different way of using your brain, and it’s helpful for dealing with stress. It might even clue you into some strengths you didn’t realize you had. So here’s a challenge for this month: try taking up a new creative activity. Whether it’s learning a musical instrument, writing in your diary, or cake decorating doesn’t matter. We might not all be Leonardo, but we can all use creativity to cope with ADHD!

 

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