“How can you be ADHD? You were NEVER hyper as a kid. ”

That was the basic reaction from my family when I revealed I had been diagnosed with ADHD.

I don’t blame them actually.“Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder” conjures the image of a hyper active kid bouncing off the walls, not being able to focus on anything for more than a few seconds and going a mile a minute verbally. I never fit that picture.

So I discounted the possibility I had ADHD. In my mind, I wasn’t ADHD. I was just a product of the mobile social media age. My attention had been hacked by Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, the Internet and the tractor beam appeal of infinitely scrolling.

I mean I was mostly succeeding when you saw me from the outside. I had taken a startup from idea to exit. I had set up a successful multi-6 figure coaching business.But from the inside, I was constantly battling.

I was distracted to the point that I couldn't get anything done. Constantly procrastinating, but pulling things off at the last moment (knowing I was under achieving what I know I could deliver). Paralyzed by decisions (and putting them off). Constantly overwhelmed and unable to enjoy down time.

But I didn’t think I had ”a condition.” I was just undisciplined and unfocused and didn’t have the will power to resist or the youthful energy to grind through like I used to. ADHD or some diagnosis like that was just an excuse. In other words, I was the problem.

Last year it came to a head. I literally could not finish a sentence in an email without my mind going all directions at once flitting over to YouTube to look up some suddenly important bit of trivia. I was depressed and always overwhelmed. So I finally set up a time with my doctor.

He gave me an assessment survey, which is the first phase of the diagnosis. He looked at it and said, “yeah, you definitely have ADHD.” It turns out you don’t have to be hyper to have ADHD.

In fact, hyperactivity generally fades in adult ADHD. As I learned about the typical symptoms and expression ADHD, everything suddenly made sense. When I went public with my ADHD diagnosis, I did have a bit of fear of being called out as over diagnosing. There’s still a stigma about it.

But reactions were overwhelmingly supportive - coupled with a lot of curiosity.Once my family got over the surprise and I explained the nuances of ADHD, they could see how it all made sense and have been super supportive. I feel like I’ve put down a big weight.

I’ve been living with this my whole life and masking as if I didn’t. I didn’t realize how much energy that was costing me.

I’m sharing more about my journey with ADHD, how it especially impacts entrepreneurs, and why it often goes hand in hand with depression. I'll also be sharing what's working for me and what isn't. If you'd like to follow my journey, DM me and I'll put you my ADHD email list.

#adhd #entrepreneur #solopreneur #founder