Individuals who struggle with ADD-ADHD may present with difficulty managing simple tasks such as paying bills, remembering important dates, and procrastination. You may identify as being lazy, clumsy, a non-productive multitasker, disorganized and or acquired over organization. Sometimes you may associate these symptoms to being anxious, depressed, tired and or having mood swings.

Truth is, ADD-ADHD is not one size fits all, it presents in various forms, and it causes impairment at work. Your co-workers may find you take longer to complete a task and or you often abandon your role due to distractions and inability to concentrate. It can cause you to be absent, which is often a complaint your partner will verbalize “you are not listening” so “you must not care”. You often tune-out and wonder, which affects productivity, time management, and interpersonal relationships.

Adjusting to life changing events can be difficult and challenging regardless of its nature. Getting that promotion you’ve been waiting for can cause fear, anxiety, doubts and insecurities. Feelings of inadequacy and failure may present whether divorce was mutual and amicable. Grieving a loved one may have you on a rollercoaster of emotions.

These changes can cause you to have poor sleep, feel numb, have intrusive thoughts, racing thoughts, ruminations, low mood, fatigue, and irritability. You might find it difficult to connect with the people you love. The lack of concentration and focus will be your enemy at work.

No one tells you how difficult it is to become a new mother and the inevitable change in family dynamics. Everybody talks about how beautiful motherhood is and how much we should embrace the glow of pregnancy and the connection between you and your newborn. No one is prepared for complications during pregnancy and or labor. Recuperating from childbirth comes nothing short of a miracle.

The fatigue thereafter can make it difficult for you to connect with your baby and or rekindle your physical and emotional relationship with your partner while at the same time being expected to keep the house from catching on fire.

The baby blues may have you feeling hopeless, emotional, tired, irritable, catastrophizing, grieving the old you, confused and misunderstood. Often, symptoms are ignored by your spouse, friends, family and even you. Feelings are often dismissed with “it will pass”, “you just need some rest”, “it’s normal”, “we all get that”, “it’s easy now, wait until they are much older”. The risks of ignoring the signs and symptoms may be detrimental.

Symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, ADD-ADHD, and bipolar disorder are similar in nature. Identifying the key features is essential in formulating a treatment plan that can provide healing starting at the root of the problem. You may find yourself anxious thinking and planning your entire day and find yourself missing important details due to lack of attention and focus. Feeling empty, detached and unable to experience joy may be associated with past trauma.

Similarly to you, I underestimated how past experiences affected my life. It affected my self esteem, relationships, and my connection with people that cared for me. I started noticing a pattern in my behavior as if a switch had turned on.

We fail to recognize that we are creatures of habit, and as such, we function on autopilot.