Does this sound familiar?

When you were younger, you got in trouble for talking too much in school. You looked forward to classes with hands-on activities, like science and PE. You got good grades, but you always felt like you had to try so much harder than your classmates to get the same results. You went on to college and things didn’t get easier. You struggled without the structure of high school, often forgetting about assignments and then cramming so the assignments wouldn’t be late. You tried your best to study for tests, but it was so hard to focus! Now that you’re in the workforce and you don’t have to study, you’re more at peace. You landed a job that gives you a lot of flexibility, and you love it! Except you’re still struggling.

You often show up late to work on the days that you have to go into your office. You forget your lunch at least once per week and sometimes you forget to eat lunch entirely. You often find yourself overwhelmed, struggling to focus on tasks, and feeling like you're constantly swimming against the current. You've sat through countless meetings or classes, feeling like you're falling behind while others seem to effortlessly keep up. Maybe you’ve tried to seek support for these challenges before and you’ve even wondered if you have ADHD. Other professionals have overlooked or dismissed your symptoms, attributing them to something else entirely. They told you that you “just have anxiety” and encouraged you to practice mindfulness to manage your symptoms. You know that your experiences are much more than “just anxiety.” You also know that ADHD isn’t just about being easily distracted; it's about the daily challenges that come with ADHD. You've tried to explain these struggles to others, only to be met with skepticism or misunderstanding. People dismiss your difficulties as just "being lazy" or "not trying hard enough." The constant battle to prove that ADHD is real and that you're not just imagining things is draining.