Readers Share: “My Toughest ADHD Challenge Is…”
Haywire executive functions. A lack of self-acceptance. Prohibitively expensive medications. Here, commiserate with fellow ADDitude readers as they share some of their biggest challenges of managing life with ADHD or ADD.
> Creating rituals to keep track of things. Keys always go in the right pocket, wallet and phone in the left pocket, for example.
—L.A. Potter, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
> Hyperactivity at night, when I am ready to go to sleep, and he is not!
—Tara, Phoenix, Arizona
> My health insurance doesn’t cover the medication my child needs. It is expensive to pay for on my own.
—Julie McGovern, Maryland
[Free Resource: Yes! There Are People Like You]
> I have a hard time letting go of what I was working on to focus on a new task or an impromptu meeting.
—Anthony M., Chula Vista, California
> Lack of executive function skills and finding good strategies to help compensate for their absence.
—Beth, Texas
> My son, who also has ADHD. Over the years I had cobbled together workarounds and strategies for dealing with my own ADHD. It was a house of cards that came tumbling down when my “mini me” started showing signs of ADHD. Maintaining the strategies was exhausting. This caused me a lot of anxiety. I found a balance of medications that reduced my anxiety and helped me focus, plan, and execute. My life is much richer now.
—Kevin Sefton, Lakeville, Minnesota
> My husband is my biggest challenge. He was diagnosed with ADHD at the same time as my son. He refuses to take medication or vitamins, and he eats an unhealthy diet. It is frustrating when I see how well our nine-year-old manages his symptoms.
—An ADDitude Reader
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> My toughest ADHD challenge is accepting my diagnosis. It was months before I told anyone not related to me about it, and it still felt awkward. I’m learning about ADHD, and it’s difficult to think about it without crying. There’s a little voice that tells me that all I need to do is just try harder, though that voice is more quiet lately.
—M.P., Georgia
> Staying on task without getting sidetracked by an ever-growing mental to-do list.
—Darci Westmoreland, Beeville, Texas
