I was diagnosed with ADHD over ten years ago when I was 29. I was so excited about the meds maybe helping me lose some weight that I didn’t take my diagnosis seriously at all.

That’s insanely embarrassing to admit, but it’s the truth.

After I lost some weight and then gained it back I just went on with my life. I think a part of me was just thinking, “I’ve lived 29 years without this diagnosis and I’m doing ok, so whatevs.”

Since joining TikTok and seeing mostly this woman’s account. I’m realizing that maybe it plays a bigger part in my life than I thought.

In this episode I dive into three things I didn’t realize were totally related to my ADHD.

1. OBJECT PERMANENCE

I learned that the struggle is real when it comes to the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” for people with ADHD.

I never put things in the bottom drawer of the fridge because once they’re in there, they basically don’t exist anymore. The next time I think about them, it’s time for them to jump straight to the trashcan.

2. REJECTION-SENSITIVE DYSPHORIA

I’ve been told, and have felt like, I was just too emotional or I was overreacting more times than I can count.

Lightbulb moment: turns out it’s a real struggle for people with ADHD. Catieosaurus on TikTOk made a video with fabrics. It’s a great visual to explain exactly how my brain can sometimes jump to conclusions.

Neurotypical brains can stitch two like pieces of information together in a way that “makes sense”. For example: my friend didn’t text me back, they must be busy. But a neurodivergent brain can weave a story where there might not be one. For Example: my friend didn’t text me back. They’re probably mad at me, they never wanted to be my friend, and they’re probably hanging out with everyone without me.

Lots of fabrics, lots of pattens, and lots of information that may or may not be true. I didn’t know why my brain sometimes does this to me. And now I do.

3. THE CHALLENGES + THE STRENGTHS

People with ADHD can struggle with things like time management, staying on topic, concentration, rationality, articulation, and even perfectionism.

Things I definitely struggle with in one way or another. But here’s the thing, we’re also super creative, enthusiastic, innovative, and great at being hyper-focused when we’re excited about something.

So now I’m just going to start chipping away at the ADHD gremlin in my brain. The jerk making me think things like, “I know I sound crazy,” or “I know it’s dumb but…”

So the lettuce goes bad if I put it in the crisper and forget about it. A small price to pay for having the amount of creativity I have in my brain. Ya know?

CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE

I’m adding Ah-ha’s “Take On Me” to The Imperfect Party Playlist this week. It’s a great party song, and I almost feel like it’s a little fight song for me vs. my ADHD. Check out the entire playlist on Spotify or Amazon Music.

If you wanna follow me on TikTok, DO IT! I’m totally obsessed. For now. Turns out that’s an ADHD thing too I didn’t know about until now.