ADHD Awareness Month 2023 logo
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I felt like a wind up toy but I never wound down…

I was diagnosed with ADHD last October on my 27th Birthday. I always felt different, although I was bright, creative, and friendly. Still, I was overwhelmed with a sense of being encapsulated in a bubble. I could see out, but I couldn’t reach out. I didn’t connect on the same level as the other kids.

I often said to my mom that I felt like a wind up toy, but I never wound down… I just kept ticking, ticking, ticking. I went through the motions, high school, college, then a job. The job was a very non-creative one. I consistently made silly errors.

I was an easy target for disciplinary measures. They were constant. I lost my confidence and my zest. I was like a caged bird. I became clinically depressed and left.

Then I came across an ADHD article and there I was, my whole being on a page. I immediately went to see a professor who diagnosed me with ADHD. I was prescribed medication and it was pretty nice to hear I, in fact, had a very high IQ. Since that day my life has changed for the better. I always did photography, but now I run my own photography business working for magazines and papers, shooting festivals, concerts and events. I even have my own office. The day I was diagnosed was the day I came alive. ADHD? I wouldn’t change you for the world.

– Nikki, Ireland