My journey to diagnosis

It's been a year now since my ADHD diagnosis; this is how I got there 👇

I wasn't really aware of ADHD when I was younger. I did well in school and was generally thought of as one of the "good" kids. Yeah, I did some questionable things in primary school - like following a boy up a drainpipe - and my reports often spoke about my daydreaming but, to my mind at least, this was all normal kid stuff.

My 20s were fraught with some really terrible, impulsive decisions, but let's be honest, that sounds like the most normal thing in the world! I still had a job, I still had friends and I was still doing all the things you're "supposed" to do. Behind the scenes, however, it all felt so exhausting.

Then in my mid-30s I saw a post on FB listing common ADHD symptoms and I thought, “nah, that can’t be right, because I struggle with ALL of these things. That’s just normal isn’t it?...Isn't it??!!" 😳

So, I did some research (a lot!), and found out the way I'd been feeling and functioning for 30+ years of my life wasn’t just the "the norm". Not wanting to bother a doctor, however, I STILL didn't go for diagnosis 🙈

Then I learnt that women with undiagnosed ADHD are often treated for anxiety and depression, as the way ADHD presents in women shares some commonalties with these conditions. I'd been on and off anti-depressants since I was 18, so I wondered if I'd been treated for the wrong thing all this time 🤔

My doctor agreed that it was worth exploring and referred me for an assessment - which I initially forgot to attend! Despite having seen the reminder pop up, I got caught up in something else 🤦‍♀️ (tell me you have ADHD without telling me you have ADHD 🙄).

After a lifetime of feeling like I wasn’t good enough, or capable enough, it was such a relief when I finally got my diagnosis. I didn't really feel the grief that a lot of people talk about with a later life diagnosis; I was just so happy to finally understand who I was.

Starting medication was a gamechanger for me and taking time to understand my triggers and devise coping strategies has been a massive help! I'm now working as an ADHD coach, so that I can help others to start working with their brain instead of fighting against it!