Hi, I’m 30F and was diagnosed with ADHD a little over a year ago. At first it felt like a relief because I finally had answers for things I’ve struggled with for years.
But lately, I’m just tired of myself.
A big turning point was my relationship. My partner doesn’t fully understand ADHD and I caught myself saying “yeah, but I have ADHD” a lot. It felt like a mirror. I started seeing myself as irresponsible teenager( i would also be sick of me) and now I’m questioning if I can even be a good partner. Even the idea of living together stresses me
I’ve also been consuming a lot of ADHD content online. It feels like I’ve accepted “this is just who I am.” Someone pointed out that constantly consuming ADHD content can make you feel stuck, because you start seeing it as your identity. The more you see it as who you are, the harder it becomes to change, because your brain wants to stay consistent with that identity.
That really hit me, because I think I’m doing that.
Has anyone else gone from feeling relieved after diagnosis to feeling defined by it? How did you move past that?
Side question: for those of you who live with a partner, did your home actually get cleaner or more organized because of things like body doubling or accountability?