Burnout, ADHD or something else? Feel like I’m going mad

[Youngatheart00]

Recently I’ve been finding I have two very distinct modes. I’m either “on” and highly productive, can put on an excellent performance on zoom meeting after zoom meeting, get work done, and then get laundry done, food cooked, exercise etc

Other days (like today) it’s like I am totally broken. WFH but can’t even be bothered to turn my camera on in meetings, looking for excuses to skip as my head just feels like cotton wool and I have zero energy or brainpower.

I don’t seem to be able to influence when these crashes happen but they are happening more. I’ve been WFH in the main since the start of the pandemic and workloads have been full on.

I’m not sure whether this is a problem with me or the situation. But I’m full of self loathing at the moment and wish I could just pull myself together.

Read up on peri-menopause as dropping Oestrogen definately has an impact. And autism/ ADHD. Plus the stress of the last year. Build in re-charge self care time yoga, swimming, walking, running ways to re-balance you, healthy eating. There’s no quick fix but a drop in Oestrogen levels makes everything harder to deal with.

I feel so low and useless today. And then a pounding racing heart due to work stress. But I’m still paralysed to actually doing anything about it

Try and do something totally unrelated but which you can complete easily. Like loading the dishwasher, bleaching the toilet or booking a dentist appointment. Ideally do a few small tasks which lead to that feeling of accomplishment and you sort of trick yourself into thinking you're the kind of person who can accomplish things. Even if you know you're tricking yourself it still works!

You’re me - pls get an adhd assessment!

Am one of you too.

How do I get an ADHD assessment? Will that happen under the NHS or would I need to go private?

What benefits are there to a diagnosis?

Sorry if these are daft questions

It might be a food sensitivity - gluten and dairy are the most common I think. Also, if your gut health is mildly out of sync it can cause a lot of different symptoms - a good probiotic could give you a boost.

I have ADHD and you've just described me.

I find the self-awareness helps me to manage things. I know I can only do one thing after work and only once a week. I take pre-emptive naps when I know I'm going to crash after doing too much.

I take fresh air and exercise like other people take medicine. It's exhausting.

Although I'm currently on long term sick due to a comorbid disability so maybe I'm not managing things that well!

I think burnout. I was a bit like this last winter and I really think it was burnout from wfh. It got a lot worse and I was signed off with stress/anxiety for a month. After returning, work put things in place to help and more importantly I was able to go back to the office 2 days a week which has made a huge difference.

You sound v much like me and I’ve been considering getting assessed for ADHD. Been pretty chaotic my whole life but masked a bunch of stuff quite effectively. Now I find it really hard to get anything done. But sometimes I’ll have periods of hyper focus / efficiency’ but have no idea why I can’t maintain it. It is v dispiriting.

This is such a helpful thread! I’ve struggled to put into words how I feel but I’ve just looked at burnout and that’s it! My job is relentless thankless and chaotic. Every part of my life is now impacted by my low mood and constant exhaustion. I’m job hunting but my confidence is so effected I can’t put on a good show in interviews. How do I escape this!

I have adhd and am unmedicated. I can't write a long post as I have to work this evening!

Citalopram is a good antidepresant if you have Adhd as it helps with focus and motivation at a low dose e.g. 10mg. However you feel very tired for 6 weeks when starting and its hard to come off.

Pschiatry UK do assessments. Your GP can refer you through Right to Choose. The benefit is self affirmation and support via Acceas to Work e.g. 1.1 coaching.

To be honest....boring I know but the simple things work best.

Exercise before work everyday.
Avoid too much sugar.
Find an outlet for stress.
Capitalise when you know you will be good. For me its very related to days 1-17 of my cycle - I can do everything then (so need to ensure I focus).

I also found minor benefit when taking Vitabiotics Neurozan.
Caffeine first thing.
Plan things to look forward to.
Lists and goals.
Try not to faff on phone as this is low dopamine food and major waster of time.
Self esteem and beating yourself up- we all do it when tired ,but more common with ADHD. I think this lockdown has affected us a lot and we have to give ourselves space and time to resume normality. Routine routine routine.

This is me to a tee. I've wondered if I had ADHD for a while or if life has just become a bit too much.

I have no advice but it's quite reassuring to know there are others in the same boat

Hi OP,
You sound very similar to me. I am a little older, with a history of MH issues. I saw a private psychiatrist expecting to be diagnosed with ADHD, but the eventual diagnosis was bipolar 2 and C-PTSD. I’m now on meds which have helped.
I suppose it depends on how you feel your quality of life is? I sought help at a crisis point but in hindsight I should have acted earlier.
Although the diagnosis was a shock, it makes total sense and there is a sense of relief which is reassuring.
Best of luck.

I was assessed for ADHD earlier this year, privately. It was diagnosed as ADD (I don't even get the compensatory hyperactive periods!).

It can be medicated. That would even out your ups and downs. Help you concentrate. Your GP is your first port of call. Whatever it is, you need to speak to your GP.

I am peri menopausal and I've just started HRT so I'm hoping this helps. I don't want the ADD medication personally.

But it really helps to know it's not me failing, it's a condition and I can put strategies in place to work round it.

This all sounds very familiar. I've always been a bit like it but it has intensified during the pandemic. I also properly went into peri menopause around the same time so I'd been putting it down to that.

What are the symptoms of adhd? I have alternating productive days and crashed out days low mood and exhaustion but never thought of adhd

@Stopsnowing

What are the symptoms of adhd? I have alternating productive days and crashed out days low mood and exhaustion but never thought of adhd

It's not quite that.

The attention deficit means you can't focus, get distracted all the time, can only do small tasks, work close to deadlines, find it hard to plan.

The hyperactivity bit means you have manic phases. Not productive phases really. Neither phase is very productive.

But loads of conditions have low periods - menopause, depression, CFS/ME, ASD, bi-polar, various mental health conditions, possibly some vitamin deficiencies. It's impossible to know without a variety of tests.