If you ask a doctor or read a medical book, it will define ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by traits of impulsivity, forgetfulness, and disorganisation. But it’s so much more than that.
ADHD is a lifetime of being told you’re too sensitive and too moody. It’s the experience of oversharing at parties, only to lie awake for weeks afterward, convinced that everyone thought you were too much and now secretly hates you – even you’re best friends.
ADHD is an internalised hyperactivity that builds to the point where you feel so overwhelmed you physically can’t move. Yet, instead of understanding, people label you as lazy. It’s constantly shifting your personality to be more likable for the person standing in front of you, a chameleon act performed out of habit rather than choice.
It’s a lifetime of feeling misunderstood. But then, one day, you realise you have ADHD. Slowly, you begin to peel back the mask – layer by layer – distinguishing between what is truly you and what has been a coping mechanism all along.
After all this time, you finally allow yourself to grieve for the younger version of you. You wish you could go back and tell them:
You’re not broken. You’re just different. Everything will be okay. You are enough.
Taken from a video by Alex Partridge and his podcast ADHD Chatter
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