ADHD Help! Is it just my overthinking?

Ask a Therapist Is This Normal?
1

hello! i’m currently a 23 y/o university student!

ever since i was young, i have been told that i displayed multiple signs of ADHD, be it through teachers, friends, or even new people i meet.

it started off with my teachers saying that i was often distracted in class, and lacked focus. on top of that, im barely engaged with the lesson.

then my friends started to point out things like, im always late (even when they made sure they woke me up on time), im careless and always overlook things, i jump topics during conversations too quickly, do impulsive things without thinking, am fidgety etc.

and nowadays, new people I meet often ask me if I have adhd, just by what they see.

but that’s the externals.

internally, its honestly a mess. i procrastinate not because i want to, but because i cant start/do the task at hand (unless its nearer to the deadline), and i think at this point you get the idea HAHA

so my main qn is, are these things normal? and if so, what is something i can do/try to change this?

if its not normal, what can I do from here?

2

Dear @diligentprairie6229

Thank you for reaching out. From your sharing, I gather you have noticed yourself displaying the above behavioural pattern for a long time. I believe that the symptoms you described such as getting easily distracted, procrastinating and lacking focus are fairly common and many of us can certainly identify with what you have shared.

If you are wondering if these symptoms are indicative of ADHD, one available option would be to speak to your university health office.

Meanwhile, to address procrastination, increase focus and thus improve overall quality of life, there are many tools available which you can implement fairly quickly.

I recommend you to consider the approach shared in this article to start taking small steps towards a change :

Do be gentle with yourself as you take small steps towards developing good habits. I think you have already shown a lot of determination and perseverance to have made it so far in your academic journey. Tap on these qualities as you inch forward steadily. :yellow_heart: