In Middle School, I received a diagnosis of anxiety and ADHD. It was challenging, however with medication, therapy, and maturity, I aged into my ADHD gracefully and for over two decades, I managed. Last year, though, things changed. The bedrock of my stable mind shifted, and I started to feel…unsteady. Raising four children, managing life in a pandemic, and launching a new business all became too much and I couldn’t keep up. It took me some time to recognize the tangible ways ADHD was affecting me as an adult. Yes, my symptoms were similar, but their impact felt graver.
I started medication again, began to speak openly about my struggles and built systems to address my challenges – as an adult.
As an adult, reacquainted with my diagnosis, I have turned my past shame into healthy perspective. And though the hard work is never done, I’m not in middle school anymore and neither is my diagnosis.
Jessi Ovadia