ADHD
WHAT PEOPLE SAY TO YOU
Too many ideas, too little time? Just focus on one!
As if your mind isn’t already a chaotic storm of overlapping thoughts, each one demanding attention. Living with ADHD often feels like trying to tune a radio that never quite lands on the right station. The world bombards you with expectations
Why are you always late? Can’t you set an alarm?
Yes, you can—but that doesn’t mean time will feel the same for you as it does for others. Minutes stretch or collapse unpredictably, and even when you want to be on time, it doesn’t always happen. Time is slippery. You set alarms, reminders, sticky notes, but somehow, you’re always running late.
You talk too much!
You get excited about things—so excited that you talk fast, share too much, fill silences with energy. And then someone sighs with irritation. So you shrink, second-guessing every word, even though staying quiet feels unnatural.
You have so much potential, but you are so lazy!
You hear it all the time. But laziness isn’t the problem. The problem is executive dysfunction—the invisible force that makes starting tasks feel like wading through wet cement. It’s not that you don’t care or don’t try. It’s that sometimes, despite your best efforts, you just can’t.
Do you ever stop thinking? You’re too much in your head!
Your mind is always racing, processing, analyzing, imagining. Yet, instead of curiosity or intelligence being recognized, you hear constant criticism for something you have no control over. And how do you explain that your brain never turns off?
Why can’t you just do it? What’s taking you so long?
If only you knew. If only sheer willpower could override the paralysis, the mental tug-of-war between knowing what needs to be done and not being able to do it. People see the struggle, but they don’t always understand it.
You’re too sensitive!
You feel everything—every rejection, every offhand remark, every moment of being misunderstood—like an echo that never quite fades. Your emotions run deep, but instead of being seen as passionate or empathetic, you’re told, your emotions are too much to handle.
Why are you so anxious?
When the exhaustion sets in, when the overwhelm catches up with you, when all the moments of being misunderstood pile on top of each other, this question always comes with force. Because you’ve spent your whole life trying to keep up in a world that wasn’t built for the way your brain works.
If you listened more, you wouldn’t forget!
But you do listen. You listen so well that sometimes you absorb too much—so much that the most important thing slips away in the noise. Forgetting isn’t about not paying attention—it’s about your brain filtering information differently..
WHAT YOU SAY TO YOURSELF
Sure, I like hyper-focusing.
You can hyperfocus, but not always on what you need to. Deadlines loom, responsibilities pile up, but your brain locks onto something else entirely—some niche interest, a creative project, an internet deep dive. Hours pass, and suddenly, the thing you should have been doing is still untouched.
I can’t remember much …
Memories slip through your fingers. Conversations blur. Important details disappear. It’s not that you weren’t listening, it’s that your brain doesn’t always store verbal information the way others expect. Without notes, reminders, or some kind of external system, things vanish before you can hold onto them.
I LOVE / NEED my autonomy.
You thrive when given freedom to work in your own way, at your own pace, following your own rhythms. Traditional paths don’t always fit. Micromanagement is unbearable. You crave space to be yourself, to create, to explore, to work with your brain rather than against it.
I know I am good at stuff, I just don’t have much to show for it.
You know you have talent, intelligence, and creativity, but it often feels like wasted potential. You start projects with enthusiasm, but they sit unfinished. You dream big, but execution is inconsistent. It’s not a lack of ambition—it’s the constant struggle to bridge intention and action.
I don’t like structure, but it’s the only thing that helps me get things done.
You resist rigid structure, yet without it, nothing gets done. Freedom is necessary, but so are routines—no matter how much they feel suffocating at times. Too much flexibility, and everything falls apart. Too much structure, and it feels unbearable. The balance is elusive.
I love making an elaborate plan, but have a hard time sticking to it.
Planning is fun—strategy, vision, breaking things down into steps. The excitement is real… but so is the difficulty in following through. The structure that seemed so perfect in theory? It unravels in practice, lost to shifting focus and forgotten tasks.
I am/have a scattered brain…
Your mind is scattered, constantly jumping from one thing to the next. Thoughts collide, ideas burst, and the simplest tasks can feel overwhelming when everything is competing for attention.