I don’t know what’s wrong with me of late, but I seem to have had awful brain fog. I can’t tell whether I have a sinus infection which is impacting it, but it totally sucks because clarity of thought at the moment is very few and in between. So I’m going to keep this week’s blog article as short and sweet as I possibly can…..famous last words from an ADHDer right?
What is it with the huge sense of entitlement that people have these days which makes them incredibly rude? I see it all the time, when I’m driving, when I’m shopping…one of my foster kids even held the gate open for people the other day in a national trust park and not a single person said thank you…I felt like shoving them all back through the gate and saying well never mind then.
What does this have to do with ADHD I hear you ask? Well I just feel incredibly sorry for kids with ADHD today, because everybody knows that social skills can sometimes be lacking in certain ways where ADHD is concerned. Never knowing when to enter a conversation, to stop talking, to understand double meaning or where to look, let alone keeping attention are something all ADHDers tend to struggle with to some degree. One of the key coping strategies for this is to watch what other people do and try to mimic it.
“Poor social skills are on the increase due to things like social media, an increase in additional needs and mental health conditions.”
ADHD gIRL
The big issue with that now is that there are so many people out there with poor social skills thanks to things like social media and the lack of critical thinking skills taught in the education system that most people are not exactly good role models when it comes to the art of conversation or social skills.
Hey, maybe it’s just me and we’re hanging out at the wrong sorts of places filled with rude people, but from recent studies I’ve seen not just about ADHD but about sociology in general poor social skills is an ongoing trend worldwide. Far too many people only want to talk about themselves in conversation which means they listen just to respond (as opposed to active listening with interested in what someone is saying) and don’t give others a turn to speak. This makes things even more confusing for those of us with ADHD and then we’re the ones who are suddenly rude for interrupting, getting overwhelmed or just losing focus because we’re too stressed from thinking about what we can contribute and how.
“I’m always open about my social difficulties due to ADHD so that I don’t come arcross as rude!”
ADHD gIRL
Of course, there are many contributing factors to poor social skills such as mental health and many learning difficulties, which should be considered but ultimately and generally I’m a firm believer in the fact that communication is key to solving 99% of problems. That’s why I’m very open about the fact that I have ADHD where necessary, so people are aware that I’m not just being rude.
The biggest issue in all this is…rudeness encourages rudeness because if someone isn’t nice to you, why would you be nice back? It makes for a very depressing and digressing way of life. On that note, I’ll leave it there ADHDers and allies because well I did try to keep it short and sweet!
Have a good week and try (I stress the word try cause it’s harder for those of us with ADHD) to remember your manners, even if nobody else does.
