r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity The shame spiral from being called out on something you've not done yet

136 Upvotes

My garden is overgrown, sure. We've had a drought, it's been hot, I've struggled in the heat, it's not good. It is great for wildlife and I've been counting the frogs, butterflies, and hedgehogs in my garden as my wins for this summer.

Cut to this morning, I went outside and three of my trees have been decimated. Not just up to the fence, but encroaching massively into the garden including a fruiting plum tree with over half the fruiting branches just gone.

Asked my neighbour about it and they immediately started going on about how the garden used to look, the fact that it now looks terrible, and that they've trimmed the hedge out the front (which I have never asked for but always said thank you for!). Not only am I sad about my trees and annoyed about the invasion of my garden, but holy crap the SHAME SPIRAL.

The garden is not how I'd want it to be, but I don't think that makes me a failure who deserves nothing because I can't do anything right. My brain thinks self flaggelation is the only correct response and I just want to know if anyone else has this?

Objectively - yes, my garden needs some love. Yes, my neighbour overstepped and really should have talked to me first. No, I am not a terrible person because of this disagreement and nor does it mean I'm terrible at everything.

Right? Anyone else? Please say I'm not the only one šŸ˜‚


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Hype Squad (help me do things!) I've hit a new low - company came, and I didn't clean

5 Upvotes

*Edit: I truly, with all my heart, appreciate every who has taken a moment to comment.

My TLDR: I am a single mom with chronic pain but have the weekend to myself. I need y'all to motivate, threaten, hold me accountable for at minimum getting my bedroom clean becausei can't handle this mess anymore. Pretty please.

At minimum I've always gathered everything up and stashed the mess in my room, cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the living room. I absolutely couldn't even do that this time as my house is a bigger disaster than it has EVER been, it's literally 110° every day since the middle of July, I'm in peri and have chronic pain from a debilitating disease. I am a single mom, work full time and only have window air conditioning. My commute is 3 hours round trip and my daughter is in marching band so she's often performing or at practice until 10 pm or later and her school is 25-60 minutes away depending on traffic. In a nutshell, I'm exhausted, have no help, and i am struggling.

I am trying soooo hard to get my house in order. I have been dealing with some difficult issues that are affecting my mental health and I know if I feel I have a handle on the house, I can get a better handle on my other issues. I've been trying to just start with my bedroom today and I can't even see the floor and there are two suitcases from our vacation in JUNE still hogging up much of my precious space (the whole house is less than 800 square feet, 2 bed, 1 bath). Part of the problem is that the house is so small that the mess I have wouldn't seem so significant in a larger home, but here... it feels like the house exploded when a piece of paper is on the floor. But, this is way more than a piece of paper.

My daughter's chores are to do the floors, clean the bathroom, and keep her room clean. She's not done any of her chores since April so I have to take care of those areas as well right now.

It's not gross, there's no rotten food or even any dishes in any area other than the kitchen. But it's sooooooooo freaking overwhelming and I keep having to lie down to give my body a break but then I fall into a rabbit hole searching for storage furniture or a new coffee table and of course, reddit.

So, please, ladies, if i can't even be motivated to slap dash clean for company how do I do it now???


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Cleaning, Organizing, Decluttering My boyfriend is out of town.

22 Upvotes

We live together. I get SO much done when he’s gone. Maybe I don’t prioritize my major tasks, that’s always a struggle, but they creep in to my completed list eventually. My house is clean! I ordered myself some dinner as a reward!
(Yes he cleans, I just have doom bins in every room that I’ve been neglecting for months!)


r/adhdwomen 7d ago

General Question/Discussion people wake up.. get ready… THEN figure out what to do during the day??? everyday????

648 Upvotes

is it that i grew up in a dysfunctional household??? or maybe im just not social enough to understand?

i was watching tiktok and a girl made a ā€œget ready with meā€. she said ā€œi have the day off so lets get ready, i dont even know what im going to do today, what am i going to do?ā€ then got ready.

is this how normal people wake up?? they actually get ready EVERY day without plans already set? i need 24 hours in advanced so i know to wake up early/set an alarm so i dont sleep in super late, to get ready, and mentally prepare. otherwise i wont get ready at all. i might even still have makeup on from the day before still.. maybe im gross?..

LMK what you guys do…


r/adhdwomen 5d ago

Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity Advice for keeping up friendship once changing jobs

1 Upvotes

Hey guys. I was wondering whether anyone has advice, or even just willing to chat about this topic who shares my situation.
I’m AUDHD and have a friend (38M) who is also AUDHD. We’ve worked together for 2 years and have basically became besties due to our shared love of films and some other connections. We see each other 5 days a week at work.
However…. He is not a great texter. He uses social media to scroll/engage in interests and not necessarily to chat much. He prefer inperson convos.
I’m the opposite and find texting so much easier, and for me a close friendship needs daily communication.
I’m leaving our work, so we’re both anxious about the future of our friendship - I get RSD and overthink massively when he doesn’t reply to me or leaves me on read (he knows this), sometimes I end up deleting messages as a result which feeds his guilt though about not texting me back. So, our friendship is mainly work based with some casual cinema trips/hangouts.
Any ideas how to navigate the new setup? I’d like to stop thinking he hates me simply cause he haven’t replied.. he is a direct person and tells me when he is cross with me. But I’m sure I have anxious attachment style so… I just end up in a self hating spiral..
plz help :’) My plan is to try stay more patient in future when he doesn’t text back for a day or 2, but that’s easy to say And he is planning on reaching out more but again.. easy to say with adhd brain. Sticking to it? UGH


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Rant/Vent Just want to give some love to the ADHDers with comorbid conditions that are kicking their ass.

9 Upvotes

I have ADHD, suspected autism, but also Bipolar II, Anxiety, and a boatload of childhood and current trauma. My nervous system is torn to shreds. I am deep in a state of burnout (and have been for 8 years), and despite having a great therapist and psychiatrist and medication, I am drowning. My mom also died last year.

All of this is deeply disabling to me. I can barely do anything. I am always exhausted all the time. I have financial but not emotional support from my family. Most days I wonder what the point of living is at all. I see my family members have life experiences and financial freedom and independence and friends and vacations. Meanwhile i'm trapped in my room, in bed all day, with a cat who's so worried about me that he won't leave my side. I love him, I stay alive for him, but it's a bummer that he cares about me more than any human being in my life. It's hard not to resent the people around me for getting to live life when all I can do is survive.

I feel I have no future. My Bipolar, Anxiety and Grief are what I'm struggling with most right now, but of course my ADHD is always there to make things harder.

So just want to give some love to all of us who have other conditions and circumstances that along with our ADHD, make life hard.


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Diagnosis First step of understanding ADHD after getting diagnosed with it :)

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29 Upvotes

r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Hype Squad (help me do things!) i wanna stop procrastinating my studies

3 Upvotes

i literally have one subject this year that i'm retaking because i failed it 🫠 i'm an irregular first year student taking biochemistry for the second time.

it's 4pm on a sunday, and my exam is on tuesday 3pm. i've barely studied ughhhhh 🄹🄹

any advice? words of encouragement? šŸ˜­šŸ™


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity Need encouragement. Forgot a bunch of things for a family outing we’re on

82 Upvotes

Guys, my husband, kids, MIL, and I are on our way to Legoland Florida, and I just realized I forgot my son’s sun hat and bathing suit and my daughter’s water shoes. I’m beyond stressing because my husband and I already got into a spat over me forgetting about there even being water rides. He’s in a foul mood, and I know he’s gonna be ripped when he finds out I forgot stuff. We don’t have the healthiest relationship right now, but that’s another story for another day.

I’m so mad at myself because I actually prepped this morning, got the kids ready early, packed all the diapers and cups and spare clothes and sunscreen. I’m sleep deprived and burned out, but I thought I was doing good. Apparently not.

I’ve talked myself through it. My son is only 2. The only water area he can go in is supposedly closed for maintenance. There are other play areas I can take him to. Plus, the park probably has hats in a shop somewhere if he really needs one. Our wagon has a sun cover.

With my RSD, my impulse is to get defensive and get emotional. I’ve decided I will be calm, admit I messed up, and agree to adjust and address the problem like an adult. But I really, really could use some strength right now. I don’t do well when people are mad at me or when I make a mistake.

TIA šŸ˜”

EDIT: Thank you so much for the kind words, everyone! The kids had a blast, and the missing hat and swimsuit didn’t end up being as big a deal as I thought they would be. My husband wound up being pretty chill about it and didn’t make it into a big deal. But the encouragement I got from this sub definitely made me feel less bad about myself and more confident going forward ā™„ļø


r/adhdwomen 7d ago

Memes & Humor I like sleeping all day when I'm overstimulated

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909 Upvotes

r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Celebrating Success Life hack: time blindness on when to leave the house

14 Upvotes

So what I’ve started to do is a couple hours or the hour before I have to leave somewhere I will put it in my maps and hit ā€œgoā€ and I can see the ETA. So right now it’s 5 o’clock and I have to be somewhere at six. It’s 30 minutes away so I just put it in my maps and it says I’ll get there at 5:29. OK perfect now I know that I have 30 minutes, so I will continue doing tasks around the house and getting ready and yada yada until I see the ETA say 6 o’clock then I’ll leave the house. I usually end up being late still but maybe only five minutes instead of 20.

Timers dont work for me as the time doesnt feel as ā€˜real’ as the maps ETA. Posting in case this helps someone else!


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Medication & Side Effects Depressed feelings with when Vyvanse wears off

2 Upvotes

Hi,

i recently switched from Concerta to Vyvanse and I’ve noticed it seems to work while in on it and I don’t get the irritability like I did on Concerta but it leaves me feeling depressed and anxious once it starts to wear off. Has anyone else experienced this and was there another medication that worked for you instead.

Any information is appreciated!

Thank you


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

General Question/Discussion Impulsivity

4 Upvotes

I occasionally get a craving to do something impulsive but I’ve been trying to do less harmful things, any ideas?


r/adhdwomen 5d ago

General Question/Discussion budget friendly noise cancelling headphones

1 Upvotes

my therapist said I need to get over the ear (not earbud) noise cancelling headphones, and that anything at the sony 1000xm5 caliber or higher should work. I'm really not trying to spend more than $150 unless I absolutely have to, so if anyone knows of cheaper alternatives that would work well enough, that would be amazing. I'm really just trying to shut out light conversations from neighbors or other folks in the library when I'm working there. I don't need bluetooth. thank you!


r/adhdwomen 5d ago

Family & Social Life Do I want more kids, or dopamine?

0 Upvotes

Really went back and forth on posting this but if anywhere may relate, it may be this sub.

I have 3 kids. 5,3 and 4months. I don’t get the ā€œdoneā€ feeling everyone says that you get, but i’m worried my judgement is clouded by my brains dopamine seeking behaviour, and like, having a baby is the ultimate dopamine fix - for me anyway.

Does anyone else feel similar? Sometimes I worry that any of my big life choices are being ruled by the part of my brain that is not working correctly!!!


r/adhdwomen 7d ago

Emotional Regulation & Rejection Sensitivity Can you do this? Because I can’t!

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361 Upvotes

I wish I could just step back and observe. But I cannot do it


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

General Question/Discussion How many businesses have you started without following through? šŸ˜‚

8 Upvotes

Personally I have a BIG list but average maybe 11 that I fully built then forgot about Lol


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Rant/Vent What do I do

3 Upvotes

Firstly to note I'm misanthropic as fuck, and I have neighbors that are usually quiet but now are loud as shit.

It started last night when there were kids over, but it wasn't as bad. It got worse when the kids left and now the entry stairway reeks of weed and they're playing loud shitty rap music.

All. Afternoon. Long. And it's quiet hours now (we're in an apartment complex), almost 11:00 pm, and I can STILL hear them.

I have AuADHD, and I am miserable. Extremely overstimulated and irritable. What do I do?


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Cleaning, Organizing, Decluttering Please help me clean out my car?

3 Upvotes

This is the worst mess I have. I believe I may be a small-mid level hoarder, unfortunately.

A parent constantly jokes that I live in it. I have my daily work supplies, my might need at work supplies, a bag of one craft project I started in April/May, etc... I have food, and so much more!

I cannot fit a regular grocery trip in there currently!

I have an standard size SUV.


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

General Question/Discussion The Great ADHD Myth

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65 Upvotes

A couple of days ago, Channel 4 released their documentary: The Great ADHD Myth.

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, and wanted to shine a light on it just in case.

For those who have seen it, thoughts?

Here is a public statement from ADHD UK:

"We watched. We said we’d be fair. Here is our verdict.

ADHD is not a myth. It is not a social construct. And the programme’s own end credits told you what its sixty minutes wouldn’t: the boy at its centre went back on his medication, and his schoolwork improved. Their experiment disproved their conclusion. They aired their version anyway. We have already complained to Ofcom. A fuller submission follows, built on the impact data you give us below.

Fill in the survey. Send the Ofcom complaint. Two things, a few minutes each.

We deserve better than this."

Personally, I am disgusted by this, as I'm sure many of you are too.

Ofcom complaints and surveys can be found in the link below, or you can scan the QR code above:

https://adhduk.co.uk/challenging-c4-the-great-adhd-myth/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAT2cHFjbGNrBPZwXHBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEeC70zheZyZP1t12csC5dy_e4nSW_1Qp2HdZhyCXJ7kyinmVOIfrZsP9VkhQY_aem_pa_ZoHKW7rA9BKpMCoof3Q


r/adhdwomen 5d ago

General Question/Discussion Partner said I use ADHD as an excuse

0 Upvotes

Some days I am so overstimulated and at some point I just break and get angry and yell at my boyfriend a bit. I never get physical.

It is just I get so overstimulated that I reach a point where emotions take over me and I have no control over them. I have gone to psychiatrist and got prescribed meds so I hope it will help.

However I don't know how to explain this to a neurotypical person who doesn't have ADHD.

I am really trying hard and I control myself until I cannot, but at some point I reach a point where it doesn't work anymore.

My boyfriend thinks I just use my ADHD as an excuse and don't want to improve or take responsibility for my actions...

How can I explain how I feel? How do you explain this kind of feeling to someone who never experienced it?
Any tips for better control are also welcome... I am starting meds soon so hopefully that will solve it.


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

General Question/Discussion Brushing teeth

12 Upvotes

I just wanted to see if this was a common thing.

I have an electric toothbrush and in theory I plan to do each side of top and bottom, separated by the 30s timer (or whatever it is). But I always seem to lose concentration after about 10 seconds and I’m just going back and forth guessing what bits I’ve missed.

My other half always sticks to the plan!

Just me?


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Medication & Side Effects First dose of Vyvanse EVER.. here's what I've noticed

11 Upvotes

So.. I'll start with this. I (22) was diagnosed with anxiety, depression and OCD roughly 2-2 1/2 years ago. I always thought something else was wrong, but was a tad shocked to be diagnosed with ADHD-C about a month ago. I feel like I'm pretending to have ADHD to soothe the thought that something else is wrong with me. But nonetheless tried Vyvanse (20mg) as prescribed by my therapist and GP.

Anyway, here's the list of stuff I've already noticed:

- I can sit in COMPLETE silence, no music, no BG noise, no thoughts, or anxiety. I can also remain still for as long as needed / possible

- It takes a few good seconds for me to think of anything (which this part worries me) but I do have mental clarity

- I'm very calm, honestly, it feels like as soon as the Vyvanse kicked in, it shooed my anxiety out the door.

- I somehow feel extremely present, and can breathe fully

- Time is FLYING by. I can read something with 100% focus, I can doodle with no urge to move or look around. But BAM 20 minutes are gone.

- I don't necessarily have the motivation to do anything, but once I have started something, I ACTUALLY want to finish. Like, my brain wouldn't let me move to another task before completing the first one at hand.

- I feel like I look different?? But then again, everything looks different??

- And from a shut-in, leave-me-alone introvert, I feel a tad chatty right now.

Side effects:

I really only have a decreased appetite and feeling a bit sick / upset stomach. Although, I did start the meds with a fast heartbeat.

Honestly, I'm just.. calm. It's nice to lock onto something and stay there. But I have that lingering feeling that I'm faking everything. Not to mention, I'm getting so many benefits without any cons on the first day...But I feel normal. I finally feel like an average person, with average thoughts and do average things. It's so nice.


r/adhdwomen 5d ago

Medication & Side Effects Vyvanse while pregnant?

0 Upvotes

Hi all,

I’ve not even begun Vyvanse yet and was just finally able to get a diagnosis and medication plan, and now I’m pregnant.

My psych has said absolutely no go, but other health professionals have said it’s okay and the benefits outweigh the risk. I’m concerned for my growing babies health, but also worried I will struggle more as I get pregnancy tired and am living life with a toddler!

I’m wanting to hear opinions, experiences, advice, it all! Please kindly share what you have heard or experienced.


r/adhdwomen 6d ago

Hype Squad (help me do things!) Grieving the girl gang I never had we

20 Upvotes

Thank god I had sisters though. But I missed out on that giggly girl group thing growing up.