Adulting with full blown ADHD.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder wha….???

A while ago I reposted a video about what it was like living with ADHD and got a few comments, so I thought I’d write a post about what it’s actually like living with the condition.

I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 21 and……

Oh hey! Look a stripey cat is in our yard! Aw….

Where was I? Oh yeah.

So I got diagnosed at the age of 21, I won’t go into detail as to how and why, let’s just say it’s wasn’t pretty. I would definitely class myself as extremely high functioning. I use my condition to multitask life, like running a business, being a mom, staying fit, having a social life, and trying to act normal.

I start projects, literally NEVER complete them.

This would explain why I have had a million jobs. My kids are dangerously becoming more organised than me. My husband literally keeps the whole family together while I spend hours remembering where I left my keys, phone, when I booked that meeting, and where I left my right slipper.

Its basically a mad house everyday.

I need structure like you would not believe which is why I can also be a little OCD with some things, because otherwise I forget to do them.

Having structure keeps my life in order but it also makes me so incredibly bored I could cry, so every once in a while I have to do something reckless and spontaneous to feel alive, like walk into a tattoo parlour and ask him to just write something random on me in Sanskrit (yes this really did happen).

I thrive in chaotic conditions.

But I also get extremely anxious under pressure. So I love it but I complain about it too. Fun!

They say ADHD gets better with age.

I’m literally just sat here waiting to feel like an adult because everyday I feel like a lost kid. I could literally drive to the same place every single day and still get lost and want to cry.

My ability to remember things is so poor even my 7 year old daughter has to remind me of where I leave my things.

Here are a few things I do to help keep me on track:

• Keep a journal and start the day with a To-do list Every. Single. Day.

• Work with headphones because the slightest noise can throw my concentration.

• Eat, sleep, work and train the same time every single day. Routines turn my daily activities into automations so I don’t have to think about it.

• Have an accountability buddy - For me, this is my husband and a business coaching group I am a part of.

Now for the fun part, if I lived like that everyday I would fall into a deep and dark hole, so here are a few things I do to survive the monotony of day to day life:

• Exercise. If you follow my blogs you’ll know I do this daily to help me cope with built up energy.

• Eat a balanced diet - I eat a lot of fun stuff too but surround my fun foods with whole foods.

• Dance in the kitchen.

• Sing in the shower.

• Play with fidget cubes. I bought them for my son, but I have hijacked his and use it to give me something to do besides bite my nails.

• Draw and sketch. Creative work keeps my anxiety under control.

Are you an adult trying to navigate life with ADHD? What do you do to cope with every day life? Lets be friends.