ADHD or just struggling?

[TheNewFinch]

Hi all,
Quick question… how do you tell if it’s ADHD or just stress/anxiety?
I’m constantly disorganised, struggle to focus, and feel overwhelmed by basic tasks, but I can’t tell if it’s ADHD or just life getting on top of me.
Has anyone been through this and figured it out? Worth speaking to a GP?
Would really appreciate any thoughts ❤️

Have you always been like this? Or is it more recent?

Adhd symptoms are usually present from early childhood. But can worsen later in life. It can also be both. Having an adhd diagnosis doesn't cure you of susceptibility to stress etc. Usual stuff like nutrition, sleep, routines, exercise all help. But if you've got adhd we can offen be In crisis mode.

The only way to know would be to get assessed which is a lot of effort. Then putting in place better structures is also a massive effort. Meds can help but its defo 50% meds and 50% strategies. If you're struggling to get by its a lot to do. But question is whether long term your current stress is sustainable? Or needs to change? And how you do that.

it is recent.

If recent I’d go and see gp and check you don’t have any deficiencies or anything else going on.

In strongly suspect I’m in the the adhd realm and have always been, however I’ve always been hypothyroid in my adult life and the symptoms can be very similar. I was worse with low folate too. Much worse in menopause and on tamoxifen for breast cancer.

I have however found many many strategies to help me and my life. Partly as my profession is working with children with send / adhd and asd. (Ooh I’ll try that, every cpd!)

Not everyone gets on with meds, there are many strategies that help manage everything though. Jessica McCabe has a good website.

This was a good listen and describes my struggles to a tea. I’ll write 3 essays in my head before breakfast but struggle to do the dishes. I’m not currently seeking diagnosis as I don’t really know what else I can adjust in my life. I am extremely creative and have very strong associative thinking and enjoy many things in life. I do bite off more than I can chew and then burn out, but I’ve spent a long time working on that. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n76ykh?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

Exercise definitely also helps me.

How old are you? Could be ADHD could be perimenopause or something else? Has anything changed in your life recently?

If it’s recent and you’ve not had these issues before then it’s likely not ADHD. Life events and things like menopause can heighten ADHD traits, but traits will have been there since childhood, it’s something you are born with. To get diagnosed you will have to show traits and being impacted in childhood too.

Stop guessing and start looking at patterns over time. Stress and anxiety usually come and go with situations, when things calm down, your focus improves. ADHD is more constant and shows up across your whole life, like long-term disorganisation, unfinished tasks, and distraction even when you’re trying to focus. Anxiety feels like overthinking and fear, while ADHD feels like mental chaos and poor control over attention. It can also be both, so guessing won’t give you a clear answer. Speak to a GP and explain your daily patterns, especially if these issues go back to childhood. At the same time, fix your routine and environment. If structure helps a lot, stress is likely the main issue. If you still struggle, ADHD becomes more likely. Get a proper assessment through adhd certify (Adhdcertify.co.uk) and focus on what actually improves your day-to-day life.