30/10/2025
If I have ADHD, will you still admire me?
Will you still see the woman who leads, writes, creates, and inspires,
or will you only see the flaws behind my fire?
I have never been diagnosed. In the Philippines, Mental health evaluations take time, and I have only started to wonder lately if maybe, just maybe, I have high-functioning ADHD. It’s not a certainty, just a quiet hunch, one that made me look back and ask if the way my mind works has always been both my challenge and my gift.
They say people with ADHD are restless, impulsive, and easily distracted. They say they forget things, lose focus, and can’t sit still. Their minds never stop, bodies can’t rest, and hearts feel too much all at once. And maybe, sometimes, that’s true.
But what if there’s another side to it?
What if behind the restlessness lies creativity?
Behind the chaos, there’s clarity?
Behind the constant motion, there’s a mission?
That’s where high-functioning ADHD comes in, a kind of mind that thrives in fast-paced, creative, and dynamic environments.
Their brains work differently, not less effectively.
They often excel in problem-solving, innovation, leadership, and multitasking when their energy is channeled right.
It’s not about being less focused, it’s about focusing passionately on what gives life meaning.
And maybe… that’s me.
Because when I look at my life, I see patterns that make me wonder if what others call “too much” is simply my version of enough.
I was a math quiz bee champion in grade school and high school (MTAP Math challenge). I won several writing competitions in Press Conferences from elementary to college. I was an Editor-in-Chief in high school, college (I’m journalism scholar), and even in the academy. While others in PMA were focused on academics, I was busy writing for the publication, inspiring resigning cadets, and sharing words of hope that helped some stay when they wanted to quit.
I joined at least three other organizations, while serving as acting Company Commander of Delta Company. I competed and won in judo, marathon and throwing events, and represented PMA in inter-college competitions. I trained in silent drill, soccer, and became the first female team captain of softball at PMA. While doing all of those, I still managed to be part of the Dean’s and Commandant’s Lists.
Later, when I became an officer, I became Command Chief of Financial Management at CRSAFP, handling figures, reports, and systems while functioning as Secretary of Command staff, and at the same time, heading technical working groups for mental wellness and the AFP Magazine. I also write speeches for top leaders of the Armed Forces. And now, as I join the Logistics department at DND, I still do my duties as Head Admin at the Golf Course.
I can fly aircraft, drive a car, draw, paint, cook, bake, craft bracelets and beads, build things, and write speeches, programs and policies. I can shift from the cockpit to the computer, from budgeting spreadsheets to poetic sentences, and from leading people to creating art. Somehow, it all feels natural.
Sometimes, I wonder if this is the beauty of a high-functioning mind.
Maybe this is not a flaw, but a flame.
Maybe this is not confusion, but capacity.
Maybe this is how God designed me, not to stay still, but to keep moving, creating, and inspiring.
ADHD can be both a struggle and a superpower.
It can make focus fleeting, but imagination boundless.
It can make routines difficult, but passion unstoppable.
The same fire that makes someone restless also fuels their brilliance.
So yes, medically, ADHD is a disability.
But in the heart of a dreamer who learns how to turn chaos into creativity, it becomes a unique ability, a different kind of strength.
If I have ADHD, then I am grateful.
Because it has never stopped me from being a mother, pilot, writer, leader, artist, and achiever.
It has given me empathy, depth, and a drive that never dies.
I choose to break the stigma.
Because not all disabilities are dis-abilities.
Some are just different ways of being extraordinary.
And if this is ADHD, then it’s not my weakness.
It’s the reason I shine. 💛💛💛☀️☀️☀️🌅🌅🌅
