Diagnosed at 49: I Wasn’t Lazy or Stupid—I Had ADHD
I never knew I had ADHD. I wasn’t hyper, so I figured everyone got distracted sometimes. I got by—but always felt just a little behind.
ADHD Stories
The best way to change people’s views about ADHD is to let them read stories by real people.
What is your perspective of your life with ADHD? Use the form here to tell us about it.
My ADHD
I was one of the lucky ones who got diagnosed early.
Oh my days…
This is a tale about myself. You might see me in the same classroom, chatting with you or a multitasker—a jack of all trades, creative and talented. You might think I’m smart! But your academic achivements are often much higher than mine, even in the final race in life you are successful than me and … Read more
Adult ADHD and me
One early July night in 2023, I realized something was wrong. “Do I have ADHD?” I searched the internet. The symptoms sounded like me- creativity, hyperfocus, chattiness, blurting things out, working well under deadlines, staying calm under pressure,… I always thought these were my quirks. Over the next few weeks, as I was moving into … Read more
Mid-Twenties, A Woman and Undiagnosed (And Yes, It’s Hard)
I’ve felt that I’m on the spectrum for a few years now, and growing up, I’ve always felt out of place, strange, slow, rejected or easily forgotten. Making friends always felt like rocket science, & social situations at work & school require hours of mental preparation & even more hours of recovery. One of the … Read more
Unmasking My Adult ADHD: A Journey to Awareness and Acceptance
For years, I navigated life through a fog of disorganisation – missing deadlines, juggling endless to-do lists, and constantly battling the feeling of falling short. Despite my best efforts, I could never quite keep up. It wasn’t until adulthood that I finally received an answer: ADHD @ 37. The diagnosis was a mix of relief … Read more
Accepting myself: in turn my adhd
I was diagnosed early as a child. Early on I grew up hearing the word ADHD. Even with that no one ever took the time to explain to me what that meant. I knew I was different. That I had to go to special classes. And I needed more help a lot of times than … Read more
Rediscovering Myself at 52: How ADHD Changed My Life
At 52, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and it changed my life. For decades, I masked my struggles—feeling flawed, clumsy, and out of sync with the world. But receiving the diagnosis was both a relief and a reckoning. Suddenly, I had an explanation for my lifelong challenges, but I also had to grieve the little … Read more
My shoes may never fit perfect, and that’s ok.
I am not yet whole. And I don’t fit. It’s been 43.7 years and I’m always wondering if I actually fit in the shoes Hoka made for me and my “dadbod”. When I was diagnosed, in 3rd grade, I was allowed to be fallible. In my adult life, there’s a new process for me to … Read more
Growing up with ADHD
When I was around 6-10 I never really showed any signs of ADHD except having a really bad hyperfixation to bugs. I didn’t have any real close friends so I never got invited to people’s houses. I made a few friends who also liked bugs but everyone found us weird. I used to be loud … Read more