ADHD is poorly named, and that's part of why we focus on helping people with distractibility rather than treating a "disorder."
Here's the thing: most people who actually have a diagnosis of ADHD don't have trouble with attention. They're capable of hyperfocus—states where even important interruptions don't get through. Physical urges like needing to use the bathroom can get ignored for hours if the current activity is really engaging.
So what's actually going on?
The real challenge is attention control.
Getting your attention to go where you want it to go, when you want it there. Pulling it away from something engaging when you need to. Directing it toward something important but unstimulating.
This reframe matters because "attention deficit" sounds like you're missing something. Like there's a hole where attention should be. That's not accurate and it's not helpful.
What you have is an attention system that responds differently to interest and stimulation. It's not broken. It's just tuned differently than what modern environments often demand.
Understanding this opens up better strategies. Instead of trying to force attention through willpower (which burns out fast), you can work with your brain's actual operating principles:
- Make important things more stimulating
- Reduce competing stimulation from distractions
- Use external structures to compensate for internal regulation challenges
- Accept that some environments will always be harder for you
You're not deficient. You're different. And different can be worked with.