But throughout my academic years, I struggled to get through each assignment and exam. I was frustrated, I cried, and I wasn’t sure what to do. The help my parents could give was limited because they faced a language barrier that made it difficult. So, I fought hard for the grades that got me labeled as the “smart one.”

While I was in college, I studied long and hard for exams. I needed to. And I thought everyone else did, too. So, it drove me insane to hear other students talk about how little they would study, and how unprepared they felt the day of an exam — only to find out they aced it. They always aced it. Not me.

My constant state? Tired. I can sleep through the night, drink coffee in the morning, and sit in the sun for optimal vitamin D absorption. But even after my midday coffee and my prescribed stimulant medication that helps me focus, I’m still tired.

When I first received my ADHD diagnosis—and started treatment — I thought life would begin to work out the way I thought it was supposed to. But I quickly learned that wasn’t going to be the case.

Imagine someone has invited you for tea and they keep filling your cup until it is overflowing. You are surprised, and cry out them, “Watch what you’re doing! Can’t you see that the cup can’t hold any more.? It’s overflowing.”

As you look at each item, ask yourself:

· What are my reasons for keeping this? Are they valid reasons?

Today, I realized that ADHD is no longer a big issue in my life. Initially, I couldn't put my finger on when it became a nothing burger for me, but it has. Perhaps learning how I journeyed to wholeness will benefit you.

The journey to unmasking starts with yourself. A foundational first step can be writing your personal essay. Reflecting on your life and the trials, tribulations and successes that brought you where you are today can be a way to ground yourself in authenticity.

  Is it good if a vacuum really sucks?

"It all works…until it doesn't," in a recent article about ADHD in women made me see red. I wanted to shout at the author, "Your life wasn't working! It never worked for you, for any of us, until after our ADHD diagnosis and treatment!”

I want to spread the word to women ADHD-ers in particular that the worst possible thing you can do is try to be like everyone else. Why fit in when you can stand out?

Bite your tongue when others are talking. Let them finish, and don't try to finish what they are saying because you think you know what's coming next.

Immediately put upcoming obligations on your phone calendar

My brain is either a sampler platter of all my responsibilities and interests that I will think about in random 5-second bursts or a dinner table-size steak of a new niche that I will DEVOUR non-stop for a week straight and then lose all interest in. The problem with both of those scenarios is that I ordered the salad.

*I remember very little of my childhood and only remember my kids' childhood with the help of photos.

*I have so much I do not remember, even when reminded. It is frustrating.

Here are some of the highlights from a recent conference about adult ADHD.

I thought being left-handed in a right-handed dominated world was the perfect metaphor for being ADHD in a majority non-ADHD world. I wanted to demonstrate how, over time, the world accepted and accommodated left-handed people.

Getting an ADHD diagnosis can be a life-altering event, especially if it is an adult diagnosis. You have learned something new about yourself and how your brain is wired. Things are the same as they have always been, but now, you have a name for your struggles and unique traits. While it is a good thing to have answers, it can be hard to handle. 

Living with ADHD can impact a person’s mental health to the extent that they develop additional disorders alongside their ADHD. Often, co-occurring mental health disorders have a more debilitating impact on the person’s well-being than ADHD symptoms.

Neurodiversity means everyone's minds and variability we have in our brain connections.

Our brains change throughout our lives and can be impacted and change with the environment we are in (now and in the past).

Since it is unrealistic to expect the world will change to accommodate a person's lack of social skills, the wise choice is to make an extra effort to learn to do things that come naturally to others.