Do I have adhd?

[Len]

Ngl recent problems in my life are starting to make me question if I have adhd, but I’m not sure if these are just normal things and it’s a coincidence that everytime i google for help, the adhd subreddit pops up haha

And if I do, what’s the fastest way to get diagnosed? Is getting a referral from a counsellor the only way?

For the longest time, I could only focus on things that I was interested in, to a certain degree. No matter how much I put in effort in trying to focus on the particular topic or subject or project that i was given, if I felt that it was boring or whatever, I had to push myself to get it done. I literally had to give my all for subpar results.

Another thing is that even though I really wanted to do something, be it something urgent or important or just personal hobbies, even if my brain is screaming at me to get up, alarm bells sounding in my head, my body refuses to move. Almost like I’m piloting a malfunctioning mecha or something. Call it procrastination, but I seem to can’t help myself.

The times that I do manage to focus, if it’s ever broken, I have to spend hours getting back in that flowstate. I can’t just continue or jump back in. I’m always in awe how my peers are just able to start doing work at their desks instantly. I only can function at home in my room at my desk. anywhere else is hard. double that if there’s people around. Common solutions people give like pomodoro or body doubling or changing locations just doesnt work for me.

Because of these 2 standouts, I’ve been branded as “lazy“ by my family and peers. To an extent, I agree, but somewhere in my heart, every time someone says this, I really want to scream out that I’m really trying my best here. Getting myself to move is really hard sometimes. They have been happening since late primary school and is blowing up in my face as I’m about to graduate Poly.

More things are also the poor organisation part. Physically, my spaces are always a mess. mentally too I suppose. And when it comes to tasks, i genuinely have a hard time doing it until someone breaks it down for me, which doesnt always help. Lowkey, it ight just be handholding, but whenever someone tells me to break down tasks into smaller chunks, or prioritizes tasks or whatever, I just cant seem to do it well. I genuinely dont know how to explain this one, but I literally cant do it. “Is this urgent and important, urgent and not not important or important not urgernt or neither or-” whatever I don’t understand!!! I have to do them all anyway, and they all make me worry. the only one I get is not urgent and important.

My memory also sucks so that’s another one. Been like this for a long time too.

Half the time i’m also just bored and restless. I try to scratch that bored itch whenver I can because i know that if I don’t, I’m going to be doing absolutely nothing, bored, pissed and irritated for the rest of the day. But nowadays that itch just doesn’t seem to go away. I’m just bored 24/7, trying to distract myself and drag myself to my desk to finish up my assignments. Even the usual “procrastinate until the last few days for the alarm bells to ring and kick into gear“ trick isnt even working anymore. I just genuinely cant do it. All my mental power is being spent to force myself to click my mouse and finish up my graduation project. Its the last hurrah of 3 years and my body and mind is refusing to cooperate

Another one is Time blindness. It’s always funny and when i see people talking about people with time blindness in social media comments, cuz yes, i have a watch, i have a phone, i have my alarms set, but I’m always almost late or wayy to damn early. How? Like I’d know, seriously. Planners, calenders also do jack ■■■■, because they first of all rely on you to remember that the damn thing exists to put ur tasks in it. And how do you even allocate time to complete the task?? It’s either a generous overestimation as the best case scenario or a severe underestimation 99% of the time.

Also I’m kinda wondering if my recent crashouts might also be caused by poor handling of stress and regulating myself because of my boredom and restlessness. All that combined and I think it may be the reason why I might be burning out real bad right now.

But anyways, this is all that I can remember off the top of my head. Do I have adhd?
If I do, how do I get diagnosed? lowkey hoping that getting diagnosed and getting meds might fix my life a tad haha, but that’s probably not possible cuz its not a cure all.

If I dont, what the hell can I do to fix this? I’m kinda at my wits end because I genuinelyy want to know what’s wrong with me.

I’m stressing myself out and I’m goddamn tired. genuinely how do people even do so much in their 24hrs. I want to be a normal person. Is this just an endless cycle of trial and erroring different ways on how to do basic stuff.

But anyways heres my favourite tweet about adhd. I think about it all the time whenever I get stuck on my “unable to move” state and it helps a little haha

[apricotparrot]

HAHA i love that tweet I relate to this quite a bit and I am realising that ADHD can present itself in more ways than one, it does not always have to entail “hyperactivity”. It sounds like you have been struggling with this by yourself for a while, trying to get answers. Proper diagnosis and support from a professional would definitely help in this case! I would just like to assure that you are not “lazy” or a “chronic procrastinator”. It is easy for people to label others, but at the end of the day, they never know what you are going through! ADHD can be debilitating and interferes with executive functioning, which may be the reason why although you may have a million things on your plate, you may feel “stuck” as you have described, and not be able to complete (or even begin) such tasks! While self-diagnoses are not recommended, it is a good first step for you to have described all these occurrences in your day-to-day life and relate them to a central issue (possibly ADHD). As for getting a diagnosis, I found this link and I hope it helps! https://www.homage.sg/resources/adhd-adult-diagnosis-singapore/
Remember that you can manage these symptoms with proper support from a professional and medication (if you wish to). I wish you the best!!

[FuYuan_Affections]

Hey @Len ,

Reading your post as a whole, what comes through most clearly is exhaustion layered on top of long-standing difficulty, not a sudden lack of discipline. You’ve been pushing for years, comparing yourself to peers who seem to start instantly, watching old coping tricks stop working, and now you’re at the point where even urgency doesn’t mobilise you anymore. Anyone in that position would start to feel worn down and doubtful about themselves.

I want to gently separate a few things, without ruling anything in or out.

First, about diagnosis and access.
You don’t need a counsellor’s referral just to be taken seriously. If something feels debilitating; attention, burnout, anxiety or shutdown that’s enough reason to see a doctor at a polyclinic, the same way you’d see a GP for a physical issue. If it helps to name it: some people get stuck not because they doubt the need, but because of “parental consent, cost worries, or not knowing where to start”. If you’re comfortable sharing, what’s the biggest barrier for you right now in making an appointment directly?

Second, about ADHD versus “what’s happening now.”
It makes sense you’re looking for an explanation. Not as a label, but because you’re putting in effort and not seeing results, and that’s incredibly demoralising. At the same time, the level of tiredness, overwhelm, and shutdown you describe also looks like burnout amplifying everything; attention, memory, time sense, motivation. When stress stays high for too long, the body can shift into conserving energy: avoiding, freezing, going numb, scratching the boredom itch just to feel something. That doesn’t mean you’re lazy, and it doesn’t cancel out the possibility of ADHD either, it just means your system may be overloaded right now.

One or two questions you might notice for yourself (no need to answer perfectly):

• When you’re stuck and can’t start, does it feel more like your body is drained and bracing, or more like your mind is jumping everywhere but can’t line things up or both at once?
• If the pressure eased even a little, do you imagine the difficulty shrinking, or staying mostly the same?

Lastly, support matters here. It’s discouraging when the people closest to you feel distant right when you need backup the most. You don’t have to figure out whether this is ADHD, burnout, anxiety, or something else on your own. What is clear is that you’re not giving up, you’re still reflecting, still asking, still trying to understand yourself.

If things feel like they’re tipping into overwhelm, having a real person on the line can help steady things before the next step. You can reach Mindline 1771 to talk things through and get guidance on whether medical attention or how counselling would help next. You don’t need to have the answer yet just someone to help you hold the question.

For now, the fact that you’re still looking for understanding says a lot about your effort, even if it doesn’t feel visible right now.