It is my opinion that working at a fast food restaurant is not a ADHD friendly place to work. Here's my experience from having worked at a fast food restaurant.
Shift Work
Us ADHDer's need consistency and routine. A job that involves working various shift hours makes it difficult to maintain any kind of consistency and routine. The restaurant I used to work at, the hours of operation are from 7 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. I've worked every type of shift when employed there.
Scheduling
Inconsistency with the scheduling made it hard to maintain consistency. Never had the same schedule every week. Not knowing how many hours you would be getting each week made it difficult to work out a budget. Hard to make any type of plans with my family. No quality of life to be able to spend time with my family. Boss not having a set rotating schedule for employees to have weekends off. Boss changing shift on short notice is very inconsistent for someone with ADHD. Having to ask to have a weekend off.
There's more I could write about how fast food restaurants not being ADHD friendly places to work, however, these were my two biggest dislikes.
Despite the inconsistent scheduling and working various shifts, it was a good learning experience because I learned skills that I had never learned before and enjoyed being around most of the people that I worked with. I have since moved on to a more suitable job of working in retail. It's more relaxing, not as fast paced as fast food. The hours are better in the fact that it is daytime hours, only exception is that I'll have to work a 1-9 pm shift on Friday's once every 2 weeks which isn't too bad. The other days my hours are 10 am - 5 pm. Store isn't open on Sunday's my favourite of all. Also, there is a rotating schedule where employees have a Saturday and Sunday off.
So far I'm enjoying my employment at the retail store and not really missing the fast food restaurant. Well, I'll be honest in saying that I do miss some co-workers from the restaurant, most definitely don't miss the hours.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Learning to live with ADHD
Oh my, I've just realized how it has been since my last blog. Which is why my topic for this blog is learning to live and cope with ADHD. My biggest struggle is maintaining a consistency, focus and overall organization. If I do not write in my daily journal of all the things that I have to accomplish then I'm totally lost and constantly going around in circles. Having a list helps me to stay on track. In writing daily lists for myself, I also have to write a list for my son to help him keep on track.
Being an adult with ADHD and a parent with a child who also has ADHD is one of the hardest challenges I've ever been faced with. Accepting the fact of having this disorder and teaching my son to do the same isn't easy. As an adult, family and friends have been accepting, understanding, and willing to help. As a parent, it's letting my son's school know of his condition, and how they should be helping him. To my surprise, I've come to learn that my son's school principal has an ADHD child himself, so he more than anyone there knows the struggles my son faces. My son accepts that he has ADHD but being 12 and in Grade 6, he's embarrassed for his peers to find out. My partner, mother and I have explained to him that the principals and teachers need to know so that they can do their job to help him with his education.
Medication while helpful in managing the symptoms has side effects. The side effect I like the least is weight loss, maintaining weight is another one of the struggles both my son and I face.
Being an adult with ADHD and a parent with a child who also has ADHD is one of the hardest challenges I've ever been faced with. Accepting the fact of having this disorder and teaching my son to do the same isn't easy. As an adult, family and friends have been accepting, understanding, and willing to help. As a parent, it's letting my son's school know of his condition, and how they should be helping him. To my surprise, I've come to learn that my son's school principal has an ADHD child himself, so he more than anyone there knows the struggles my son faces. My son accepts that he has ADHD but being 12 and in Grade 6, he's embarrassed for his peers to find out. My partner, mother and I have explained to him that the principals and teachers need to know so that they can do their job to help him with his education.
Medication while helpful in managing the symptoms has side effects. The side effect I like the least is weight loss, maintaining weight is another one of the struggles both my son and I face.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Many Challenges of ADHD.
Challenges
Life since being diagnosed with ADHD hasn't been without challenges. First challenge has been to accept and deal with the fact that I have ADHD. I've always been the type of person who doesn't like to admit to having a problem or needing help of any kind. Especially, after spending most of my life not knowing I had this condition.
Other challenges have been harbouring feelings of anger and resentment towards the school system for letting me "fall through the cracks". Of course, the thought of of girls having ADHD never crossed their minds because girls like me were the quiet ones who sat in the back of the class twirling their hair, chewing gum (allowed in High School) and staring out the window.
I also had feelings of resentment towards my mother because I felt she had failed me as a parent for not pursuing the school system to have me assessed.
Lessons Learned
My having ADHD is no one's fault. I have learned to let go of the feelings of anger and resentment because it is unhealthy to have so much negativity. All of my life my mother has always had my best interests at heart. She went above and beyond to raise me the best way she knew how. I know for a fact that if the information about ADHD was available then like it is now, she would have gotten me the help. For her to raise an ADHD child in an era when ADHD wasn't well known, well she had her challenges and needless to say she was relieved when I was finally diagnosed.
Life since being diagnosed with ADHD hasn't been without challenges. First challenge has been to accept and deal with the fact that I have ADHD. I've always been the type of person who doesn't like to admit to having a problem or needing help of any kind. Especially, after spending most of my life not knowing I had this condition.
Other challenges have been harbouring feelings of anger and resentment towards the school system for letting me "fall through the cracks". Of course, the thought of of girls having ADHD never crossed their minds because girls like me were the quiet ones who sat in the back of the class twirling their hair, chewing gum (allowed in High School) and staring out the window.
I also had feelings of resentment towards my mother because I felt she had failed me as a parent for not pursuing the school system to have me assessed.
Lessons Learned
My having ADHD is no one's fault. I have learned to let go of the feelings of anger and resentment because it is unhealthy to have so much negativity. All of my life my mother has always had my best interests at heart. She went above and beyond to raise me the best way she knew how. I know for a fact that if the information about ADHD was available then like it is now, she would have gotten me the help. For her to raise an ADHD child in an era when ADHD wasn't well known, well she had her challenges and needless to say she was relieved when I was finally diagnosed.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
I'm new to the blogging world.
Life with ADHD
Challenges in School:
Elementary
• Low attention span
• Easily distracted
• Didn’t demonstrate full potential
• Teachers always telling my mother “She’s capable of doing really well if only she focused more.”
High School
• Low self-esteem
• Easily bored in class
• Struggled to fit in
• Knew I had a different way of learning than everyone else
• Day dreamed, twirled my hair in the back of the class, most of the time it was out of boredom
• Math, Biology, and Chemistry were my struggle subjects
• Language Arts, Literature, French were subjects I maintained average marks in
• Didn’t demonstrate my full capabilities
• Again, Teachers would repeatedly make the same comment of my being able to do so much better if only I focus more.
• Without my mother’s encouragement and support I probably would not have graduated from High School. She kept giving me the push of encouragement to succeed.
Post – Secondary
• Not knowing what I wanted to do right out of High School.
• Attended University for one semester and failed out.
• Tried Business Administration and didn’t complete. Had difficulty with Accounting courses because of low math grade from High School.
• Completed Travel and Tourism Diploma but never worked in the industry.
• Applied for Nursing School to do Licensed Practical Nursing and was advised to upgrade high school math, biology and chemistry. Applied for X-Ray technology program as a back up plan in the event of not getting accepted into Nursing School.
• Successfully completed the high school upgrade. Didn’t get accepted into Nursing School but X-Ray technology Program instead.
• Attended first year of X-Ray Technology program and failed out. Math, Biology, and Chemistry proved to be more difficult at a college level compared to high school level.
• Physiotherapy Assistant Program, didn’t require math, biology or chemistry but did require theory and hands on practical. My shortfall here was my inability to apply what I learned in theory in a hands on approach. Not because I’m not smart, because having unknown ADHD and not understanding how ADHD affects certain parts of the brain.
Having a son who was hyper-active from ages 2-9 years old. About three months after starting the third grade at age 8, I took him to a pediatrician to be assessed for ADHD. After assessment he began treatment before his ninth birthday.
In the process of my son being diagnosed, sitting in the pediatrician’s office filling out the questionnaire I couldn’t get over the fact that the questions I was answering about my son also related to me. It was a huge relief even though at the time I wanted to deny the fact that I could possibly have ADHD. Pediatrician confirmed that ADHD is hereditary.
Six months after my son was diagnosed and seeing how treatment was helping him, I went to a Psychiatrist and finally got diagnosed at the age of 31.
Challenges in School:
Elementary
• Low attention span
• Easily distracted
• Didn’t demonstrate full potential
• Teachers always telling my mother “She’s capable of doing really well if only she focused more.”
High School
• Low self-esteem
• Easily bored in class
• Struggled to fit in
• Knew I had a different way of learning than everyone else
• Day dreamed, twirled my hair in the back of the class, most of the time it was out of boredom
• Math, Biology, and Chemistry were my struggle subjects
• Language Arts, Literature, French were subjects I maintained average marks in
• Didn’t demonstrate my full capabilities
• Again, Teachers would repeatedly make the same comment of my being able to do so much better if only I focus more.
• Without my mother’s encouragement and support I probably would not have graduated from High School. She kept giving me the push of encouragement to succeed.
Post – Secondary
• Not knowing what I wanted to do right out of High School.
• Attended University for one semester and failed out.
• Tried Business Administration and didn’t complete. Had difficulty with Accounting courses because of low math grade from High School.
• Completed Travel and Tourism Diploma but never worked in the industry.
• Applied for Nursing School to do Licensed Practical Nursing and was advised to upgrade high school math, biology and chemistry. Applied for X-Ray technology program as a back up plan in the event of not getting accepted into Nursing School.
• Successfully completed the high school upgrade. Didn’t get accepted into Nursing School but X-Ray technology Program instead.
• Attended first year of X-Ray Technology program and failed out. Math, Biology, and Chemistry proved to be more difficult at a college level compared to high school level.
• Physiotherapy Assistant Program, didn’t require math, biology or chemistry but did require theory and hands on practical. My shortfall here was my inability to apply what I learned in theory in a hands on approach. Not because I’m not smart, because having unknown ADHD and not understanding how ADHD affects certain parts of the brain.
Having a son who was hyper-active from ages 2-9 years old. About three months after starting the third grade at age 8, I took him to a pediatrician to be assessed for ADHD. After assessment he began treatment before his ninth birthday.
In the process of my son being diagnosed, sitting in the pediatrician’s office filling out the questionnaire I couldn’t get over the fact that the questions I was answering about my son also related to me. It was a huge relief even though at the time I wanted to deny the fact that I could possibly have ADHD. Pediatrician confirmed that ADHD is hereditary.
Six months after my son was diagnosed and seeing how treatment was helping him, I went to a Psychiatrist and finally got diagnosed at the age of 31.
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