I discovered my ADHD after my son was diagnosed. I saw so much of myself in the information I was reading, and I began looking back on my life from a new perspective.
The perfectionism and pressure I put on myself to be a high achiever, while always struggling with organization, procrastination, and motivation. Being known as messy, flighty, forgetful, the one who starts new things but doesn’t finish them. Always feeling attacked or critiqued. I know now there are names for all those things. Poor executive function. Dopamine deficiency. Hyper focus. Impulsivity. Rejection sensitivity.
Knowing the names doesn’t “cure” anything, but it has helped me understand myself and my son better and begin to give myself some grace for things I thought were flaws or bad choices but were symptoms of an undiagnosed condition. I’m still on the path to find the right medications and therapies, but I am better informed and continuing to learn how to manage my ADHD and live life to the fullest.
Callie