United States – Paris Hilton has a lot behind her iconic name: socialite, model, singer, actress, media personality, businesswoman, the CEO of her modern media company called 11:11 Media, and the founder of a nonprofit company called 11:11 Media Impact.
In recent years, she’s added another title to that list that’s especially close to her heart: ADHD advocate.
Hilton, diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, shares about her Trials and tribulations of life with a neurodiverse brain across platforms, in interviews, and even while performing. Her latest album includes a song titled, “ADHD,” with the following lyrics:
Now look at me; I’m the best I can be
I was so down, thought I’d never be free
My superpower was right inside, see?
It was ADHD.
To help raise awareness even more, Hilton recently collaborated with Understood.org to offer resources on how women and children with ADHD can maneuver through life, work, and health. During the upcoming ADHD Awareness Month, Hilton’s social media accounts will feature content produced by the nonprofit confirming tips and experts’ research, as reported by Healthline.
Hilton told Healthline, “While I have the platform to shine a light on living with ADHD, they’re creating communities and resources for people to feel supported, especially women and children.” “I like that the core of their aim is to enable individuals to recognize and value their own abilities. Together, we’re trying to eliminate the stigma associated with ADHD and ensure that no one experiences their journey alone.
What was the road taken to the ADHD diagnosis?
Hilton: I was diagnosed much later though that must have had a lot to do with some of the things I underwent as a child and teenager. When I was at school, I used to be feeble-minded and could not sit like other normal children in the classroom. It made me feel lonely, as if there was something wrong with me when it was just that my brain was wired differently. After finally getting that I had diabetes, life was so much easier because I was able to use tools that assisted me in living!
Techniques that are useful in handling ADHD?
Another of the tools turned into audio – I love it as it makes me focused without boring me with the text. I also try to subdivide the tasks so that it looks like I am not facing multiple challenges at the same time. It has also been helpful to have a good supporting cast who knows how I operate as a writer. Extremely importantly, as far as I am concerned, the individual who is living with ADHD and the surrounding people should also, to a huge extent, come with the necessary information. There is self-care, or, in my case, a strict skincare routine before bed, which really soothes my brain. This is why routines are great for the end of my day; they really help calm the mind.
How is ADHD your superpower?
This is why I call ADHD my superpower because it forms who I am as a person. Therefore, my brain isn’t linear; it’s fractal, and in a way, that has helped me build viewpoints that no one else might. That’s why I’ve been able to identify trends, innovate, and develop my career in quite unconventional manners. If I have an interest in something, I can completely immerse myself in it, which is how I get most of my accomplishments. The advantages of having ADHD are creativity, focus, and the ability to solve problems that nobody else can do – that is why I find these three skills to be my main strengths.
Do you think the public has a misunderstanding about people with ADHD?
One of the issues I believe people with ADHD have is that it is generally associated with being distracted or looked in the eyes as being lazy where which could not be further from the truth on most occasions. ADHD is not lazy or uninterested; in fact, it is in moments where we are motivated to do something. Most times, the general public has no idea of the amount of work and strength that goes into the supervision of the noise and energy that people with ADHD endure daily. That’s super tiring sometimes, but it doesn’t deny our competence in any way.
How much do people know about living with ADHD?
I think people do not understand that we with ADHD do not focus on our failures but rather on the fact that it gives us special abilities. Yes, there are humbling issues, such as the inability to focus, information overload, or even occasional burnout, but there are bonuses such as innovation, social sensitivity, and different thinking. I want them to know that they don’t have to try to change something about themselves because you don’t have ADHD: you are ADHD. I wish everyone understood that having any neurological difference is a plus not something to be shunned.
Do you want to join in breaking the stigma and supporting other individuals?
Absolutely! One of the things I wanted to do most is share my experience of struggling with ADHD, and while I didn’t discuss it before due to social prejudice, I now understand how crucial it is for somebody to understand he or she is not the only one. So many people — especially women — are undiagnosed or misunderstood, and I want to help change that narrative, so I wrote my song “ADHD” on my new album INFINITE ICON. If only one reader could look at life a little more positively because of me, then it would all be worth it. Stepping into the light — for myself, and anyone who ever felt like being different is being a bore. That is why I thought of calling it “ADHD”: being different is good, it’s great, and those differences will make you unstoppable, as reported by Healthline.
Do you have anything else you’d like to share?
Always strive to learn or seek assistance when you need it rather than follow specific procedures. We’re all in this together. Keep “living!”