CHARITY
HOW KIWL HELPED BEAT MY DEMONS Cyclist reveals how he manages ADHD BY ANDREW EDSALL
O
ne of my favourite sayings, borrowed from the Chinese, has always been: “A journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step”. Many of those kilometres, for me, were on a bicycle. I still remember the feeling of utter joy the first time I learned how to ride my first bike. It is more than a bunch of metal, plastic, and rubber. It is a happiness machine and how I dealt with undiagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for nearly 30 years. Getting diagnosed ADHD is a condition that can cause persistent behavioural problems such as hyperactivity, impulsivity and difficulty paying attention. The signs were always there. When my symptoms started to show, a teacher decided that the best way to deal with them was by repeating the school year. Thankfully, other teachers saw potential in me and enrolled me in Gifted and Talented school programmes, where I was able to use my creative energies towards problemsolving projects. After completing a high school exchange pro gramme in Tokyo via the non-profit organisation AFS Intercultural Programs, I attended university in the United States. I returned to Tokyo in 2002, and for the 10 years that followed, I felt like something
was off. I often struggled to complete executive tasks, as well as the myriad of complex processes that occupy adult life. In 2019, a friend sensed I was having some difficulties focusing. The reality is that those challenges were always present and had followed me my entire life. Many people would say, “You have so much potential, if only you applied yourself”. They saw the symptoms but did not question or understand the cause. After researching ADHD— particularly how it manifests in adults—the pieces of the complex puzzle that is life started to fall into place. While many people experience symptoms of ADHD from time to time, there are varying degrees, symptoms, and other possibilities to examine before reaching an official diagnosis. I was diagnosed at 40 years old, and since then I have taken an incremental approach to managing my ADHD. There are different ways to cope with the symptoms including a combination of exercise, routine, diet, sleep and medication. While awareness of ADHD in Japan is increasing, there is a negative stigma surrounding mental
health. If not cared for, ADHD can be a monster with tentacles that eventually choke and destroy everything—work, education, family and friends, finances, income, and all the things you hold most dear. In addition to the other methods, cycling has helped me to keep that monster at bay. Research suggests that ADHD is related to the production and regulation of the neurotransmitter dopamine. As I started cycling more, I noticed that I had more motivation and could focus better, making it easier to get work done. Biking benefits In 2013, a good friend invited me to join Tokyo Cranks, a group that meets early on Sunday mornings for a bike ride and coffee. The weekly ride gradually developed a life of its own—especially after I moved from a big, heavy mountain bike to a fast and light carbon road bike. This quickly became part of my weekly routine and had a positive impact on my ADHD, which was still undiagnosed. I first read about Knights in White Lycra (KIWL)— the charity cycling team made up of amateur cyclists
If not cared for, ADHD can be a monster with tentacles that eventually choke and destroy everything…you hold most dear.
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