WHAT MONKEY MIND CHALLENGE TAUGHT ME ABOUT ADHD

When I created the Monkey Mind challenge, I had a pretty simple idea in mind. 

It has to be a focus activity. The idea was to spend a few minutes noticing 

1. Where your mind is currently wandering and taking you 
2. How easily your mind gets distracted
3. How long you can stay with one thing
4. How long can you keep your mind blank

And honestly, a few minutes of doing one thing, without jumping between ten other things, can feel surprisingly meditative and relaxing. 

There’s so much to the Monkey Mind Challenge, and it deserves a separate blog post. But for now, it’s important to talk about something even more interesting.

The comment section of my Instagram reel sent me down a rabbit hole. The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) community chimed in right away. Some insisted, “I’ll never nail this,” others mistook the prompt for a clinical test, and hundreds admitted, “My page will just be covered in circles because my brain never sits still.”

And I thought- “wait, is having ADHD just about not being able to focus or being distracted?’
Honestly, I refused to believe that and yes, I went in a research mode to make a little sense of it all. 

But,  before that, let me address a question that made me go on research mode 

But people often become distracted, don’t they?

That’s exactly what my mind told me.

We lose our train of thoughts, we procrastinate , we keep checking our phones while doing something else, we walk into a room and forget why we went there, we forget to respond to people and yes, we all have a phase where our brains simply won’t cooperate. 

And sometimes, we can sit with every intention of finishing a task , and twenty minutes later find ourselves doing something completely unrelated. (Honestly, I’ve been trying to finish this little article for over 15 days now !) 

So what exactly are we talking about when we say ADHD? 

Because modern life isn’t exactly helping our attention spans either. We have 

So many things compete for our attention at the same time. Boredom has practically become an endangered species. We are constantly switching. And when you live with so much stimulation, being distracted can start feeling normal. 

Which made me wonder…

Have we become so accustomed to distraction that we have started confusing it with something much bigger, like ADHD?
But, there’s another side of this question too.

Have we become so accustomed to saying ‘I’m distracted’ that we sometimes dismiss people who genuinely live with ADHD?

Both are worth thinking about. 

Aren’t we all a little ADHD then? 

In terms of daily life experiences? Sometimes, yes.

In terms of actually having ADHD? That’s a different story. 

We all experience things that sometimes overlap with ADHD, like distraction, procrastination, forgetfulness, restlessness,  difficulty getting started, losing track of time and so much more.

But experiencing some of these doesn’t necessarily mean you have ADHD. And this is where our casual use of clinical terms gets interesting. We say, 

‘Oh! I’m so ADHD’

‘I can’t concentrate. I think I have ADHD’

‘I won’t be able to do this. I have ADHD’ 

And I am not saying that people who say this don’t have ADHD. Plenty of people  genuinely struggle with these experiences every single day , and some do have ADHD. Some are clinically diagnosed, while others are still trying to figure out what’s causing their concerns.  But, we have started using ADHD as a shorthand for some of these experiences. And that can make the line between ‘I have ADHD’ and ‘I am distracted’ surprisingly blurry. 

So what makes ADHD different?

ADHD is not simply  about  distractability and hyperactivity. 

Clinically , it’s described as a biological, sometimes genetically transmitted neurological condition involving a broader pattern of difficulties around attention, impulsivity, distractibility, restless energy and overall executive functioning. And more importantly it is not moral failing , character flaw, or simply a lack of discipline. 

That broader picture started making more sense when I came across everyday descriptions of what it can actually look like. For some adults, the struggle can look like 

‘I know I should be doing it, but I cannot just start.’

‘I must just be lazy, like people have been telling me.’

‘I am just a disorganized person, that’s just the way I am.’

‘I can’t remember what my point was!’

Not one isolated inability to concentrate, but a repeated pattern that can spill into work, studies, relationships, and everyday life. And suddenly, ‘I can’t focus,’ felt like a ridiculously small description of something bigger. 

But here’s where it gets interesting. 

People with ADHD CAN FOCUS. A LOT 

This was probably the thing that surprised me the most because it sounds almost contradictory. 

One of the most outstanding abilities people with ADHD possess is the ability to HYPER-FOCUS. This happens when they become intensely absorbed in something that is engaging, stimulating or interesting to them. It could be playing a video game, reading books or even painting. 

So the question now becomes – ‘How consistently can you direct and regulate your attention?’

You can have someone who can spend hours completely absorbed in something they love and still struggle terribly to start a routine task, remember an appointment, organize a project or follow through on something they intended to do. 

And they don’t always look hyperactive either !

As the name suggests, we often think that having ADHD is about constantly moving, interrupting, fidgeting, and bouncing off the walls. 

But, most of the time, a person with ADHD may appear dreamy, spaced out or mentally elsewhere. 

So:

ADHD ≠ simply being distracted.

ADHD ≠ simply being hyperactive.

And this is where it can Hurt

I think this is the part which people fail to talk about or discuss. 

Because someone can repeatedly struggle with things that other people seem to do effortlessly, while being repeatedly told: 

you’re just lazy and avoiding the task.’

you’re careless!’

‘You just don’t try hard enough !!’

‘You need more discipline.’

And when such words are said countless times, one starts seeing themselves in a different light. The emotional consequences that can develop when the ADHD remains unrecognized is intense. 

They can develop low self-esteem, feelings of defectiveness, frustration , hopelessness, and might even face failed relationships. 

And that can be a particularly painful cycle here –

You struggle → one criticizes you → you start blaming yourself → your confidence takes a hit → the next struggle feels heavier. 

Eventually, you start asking yourself – ‘What’s wrong with me?’ And trust me, that’s a different kind of weight to live around with. 

So, if I experience all of these, am I diagnosed with ADHD?

Absolutely not! 

ADHD should absolutely not be self-diagnosed,especially in this age of information overload on the internet. 

Not through this article

Not through Instagram Reels 

Not through any ADHD checklist

And definitely not through the 12 ADHD memes you related to 

ADHD diagnosis is not based on one simple test. There isn’t a blood-test, scan or X-ray that can tell you if you have ADHD or not. A proper assessment by a professional involves looking at a much broader history and considering other conditions that can produce similar symptoms 

So, if you genuinely recognize yourself in what you’ve read, the next step isn’t to declare ‘I have ADHD.’ 

At times, what looks like ADHD can overlap with things such as anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties, personality disorders, other medical conditions , or simply a life that has become chronically overloaded.  

So the correct next step would be to consult a qualified psychologist or a psychiatrist. 

And meanwhile, while you are still figuring it all out, here are a few tips that can come in handy:

1. GET THINGS OUT OF YOUR HEAD

Don’t rely on your brain to remember it all. I’m not saying it’s incapable of doing so. But organizing life through lists, calendars, reminders, alarms, notepads , color-coding can make life so much simpler. It provides an external structure that your brain would absolutely love. 

2. BREAK GIANT THINGS INTO TINY ONES 

finish the project’ can seem to be quite intimidating. But, 

1. Open your email , hit reply
2. Attach the document
3. Hit send 

While this may look pretty simple and almost naive, breaking a big task into smaller tasks can help you actually start. 

3. GIVE THINGS A DEADLINE

Sometimes, you may conveniently say ‘I’ll do this later’ and that later could be a very, very long time or perhaps never. 

A clear deadline can help you create a  structure that an open-ended task doesn’t have. So instead mark the task as Tuesday, 6PM’ Or Saturday, 11AM. 

4. FIGURE OUT WHERE YOUR BRAIN WORKS THE BEST

Now, this task may seem daunting, and well it could be, because one productivity environment cannot work for everyone. Some people may need silence, some might work the best in loud background music . Some might be their best productive selves in cafes and some might just need a library. 

So start paying attention to what you like, where you like to work and start noting down the patterns. You may be surprised at what you discover.

And coming back to the MONKEY MIND CHALLENGE 

I started this whole research mode just because a few people gave up on the challenge before even trying, simply saying ‘ Oh! I have ADHD’ and my heart just wasn’t ready to accept that. 

And yes, I still maintain that some of the people who commented “I have ADHD, I’ll never be able to nail this” might surprise themselves. 

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Give it a go and make sure you tell me about your experience this time around. 

Recommended read : Driven To Distraction by Edward M. Hallowell, John J. Ratey

Also read : Rediscovering Childlike Wonder: Why Grown-Ups Need It Most