2024-07-13 12:02:27
‘I’m afraid I won’t finish my sommelier training, but I don’t put too much pressure on myself and take it step by step.’
Laura (32) is a project manager at an advertising agency and was only diagnosed three months ago: ‘All my life I thought I was different from other people, but I didn’t know exactly why. During my teenage years I started having problems. Even though I wanted to perform better in school, I couldn’t focus. I became obsessive about subjects I was interested in. Both my teachers and parents stressed that I was not using my full potential, despite my intelligence. Ultimately, I did not finish my studies, which led to a split with my mother ten years ago. AD(H)D never came up, so I blamed myself for years. This really damaged my self-confidence, I thought I was just lazy and stupid. Meanwhile, I realize that things were beyond my control. When I happened to read an article about women and ADD, I recognized it very strongly, so I got tested. It turned out that I have ADHD of the mainly inattentive type. I get overstimulated quickly, my head feels full quickly and I have trouble controlling my emotions. I constantly doubt myself, suffer from procrastination and mood swings, I can’t concentrate well and I’m often looking for that dopamine rush. All of this had major consequences, such as hunger, low self-esteem and shame. Now that I know this is because of my ADHD, I can deal with it better. For example, I am in therapy for my bad habits, and because I have better concentration in the morning, I try to do as much work as possible at that time.
What I struggle with the most at the moment is the misunderstanding of others. I told a few people about my diagnosis, and from some I got the response that “everyone has that to some degree,” which completely diminishes my feelings. Medication is not helping me at the moment. Yoga is what helps. I do this almost every day, alternating between intense yoga and yin yoga, depending on what my mind and body need at that moment. Making lists works really well for me too. If I don’t do that, I become paralyzed on my days off and do nothing during the day. Despite the many struggles, I also have benefits from my ADHD. I am very creative and enthusiastic, and I work well as a jack of all trades. I can completely lose myself in things that interest me, such as cooking, writing and reading. I am currently training to be a sommelier. The fear of not finishing that one is great, but I don’t put too much pressure on myself and take it step by step. The way to get there is definitely a lot more fun than the end goal.’
#sex #groceries