“Karen’s Noggin’ 🧠 Nuggets” #40 ~ October 23, 2022
ADHD AND SPORTS! GO, ME!!!
When growing up, I didn’t enjoy P.E. (Physical Education) classes in school. I remember the humiliating times of trying to climb a rope in the gym in front of my classmates. You’ve got to be kidding me. Who were the crazy people who thought that was an appropriate thing for education in gym classes? Just let me play kickball outside and burn off some energy. Then the whole competition thing and being chosen for sides for whatever team game we had to play. Unfortunately, that was another reminder of who isn’t good at sports and being humiliated when chosen last. Gee, if I wanted to play sports, this was not the way to get me motivated to do so.
I never played organized sports but did play some sports occasionally. I enjoyed swimming, playing tennis, pool, and ping-pong. And of course, when my brothers would let me play something with them, it was ‘monkey in the middle’, and guess who was the monkey? I guess I was better off with the low-key activities like basketball in our driveway, tetherball, hopscotch, or baseball with a clump of dirt (except for the time my neighbor friend had a rock in the middle of all that dirt and it hit me in the head and it knocked me out). We were in his driveway when it happened and the next thing I knew I was sitting at our kitchen table and my mother was tending to me. And then there was the ever-popular neighborhood, ‘kick the can’ game in our street. Those were fun times, except for the time I climbed over a chain link fence in the neighbor back yard. The wires were in a ‘V’ at the top of the fence. Somehow my jeans got caught on the ‘V’, ripped my jeans, and found their way into the back of my knee. Ouch! I hopped home for mom to tend to me again. I guess those low-key activities still had some risks to them.
During college, racquetball was a popular recreational sport and in my senior year, I learned how to Scuba Dive which was a great opportunity. Read my Scuba Diving story in “Karen’s Noggin’ 🧠 Nuggets” #39.
Fishing has always been one of my favorite sports and in 1995 I caught the largest Walleye that our family ever caught out of the lake we had gone to for years. My dad had gone to this same lake with his parents when he was a young boy. So, this was a big deal. I even have that fish mounted and hanging in our family room. In 2007, I earned an all-expense paid trip to Cabo San Lucas which included my choice of excursions. Deep-sea fishing was an option and I jumped on it. I thought to myself, when would I ever have that opportunity again? That proved to be a great decision as I and my excursion buddies were able to catch a 6ft, 110 lb Blue Marlin!!! What a dopamine rush that was as it took us 45 minutes to bring that whopper in the boat!!!
I may not have been in organized sports however I have found things that I enjoy and work for me. They are interesting enough and rewarding to keep me engaged.
Sports, activities, and exercise can help control symptoms of ADHD by raising levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Registering your child for an after-school sport can be a great idea as long as you consider your child’s unique set of ADHD symptoms. Finding what sport works best for you and/or your child may take some time trying different activities. But finding what’s interesting and rewarding can make a big difference and you might be cheering GO ME as well.
For more information on this subject and/or if you would like to work with a Life Coach to work through some struggles or have someone beside you to help navigate life, contact Karen at https://happybrainlifecoach.com/
Thank you for reading “Karen’s Noggin’ 🧠 Nuggets” #40 ~ October 23, 2022
