I have ADHD. I was diagnosed many years ago, and through a fair amount of therapy, meds, and self-care, I learned to accept the fact that I was born with it. It explains a lot.
It is frustrating, even to this day, to know that it was always there. If I had been diagnosed when I was a kid, my life might have looked quite different. Although first gen Americans and mental health care weren't exactly a thing back in the day, so maybe it's a moot point. Definitely a conversation for another time.
Nevertheless, I have it. And without it, I wouldn't be who I am now and I wouldn't be here sharing this with you — though putting it on the internet forever is more than a bit embarrassing and absolutely nerve-wracking.
Why then?
Because I want the relief of knowing that things are in motion. That my life isn't quietly piling up while I am spinning my wheels or just stuck. I want to know that people who need me aren't left waiting. And I would like to stop beating myself up for forgetting another thing I meant to start — and then finishing only half of it once I do. And I know that there are lot of you out there that want the same.
A lot of these challenges surface while staring at a screen. Every day is full of appointments we mean to make, bills we mean to pay, messages we mean to send, things we opened three times and still don't finish, reminders we dismiss, etc. And plenty of tools promise that showing us the things we need to do in a different way is the answer.
Being shown everything all at once is what paralyzes us.
The problem isn't knowing what to do. Every tool I've tried still needs me to remember to open it and to use it. If you know anything about ADHD, you know that it's the first step that is almost always the hardest. Especially when it comes to how we interact with our digital world.
So I'm building something called Aether. I think it will meet me where my brain is at. And if it helps me, it will help you. And that possibility makes sharing all of this with you worth it.
