New ADHD diagnosis during the pandemic while working from home may have saved my career.

I was diagnosed with ADHD about a year ago while working from home during the pandemic. I had no clue that I had ADHD, but I was experiencing things like severe memory problems, time management issues, and the inability to focus and do any kind of deep strategic thinking. I noticed the memory issues begin around age 40 and even mentioned to my doctor because it was that noticeable. I never used to have problems remembering what people said, names, or even simple instructions to a question, but all these were happening and rapidly getting worse.

At the time, I was a daily drinker, but never considered that I may have a problem. I had a history of substance abuse and had been through a rehab program when I was 20 and a detox program at around 40 and never had any issues after those. The memory issues continued to concern me because it was now causing issues with my work performance because I couldn’t seem to focus and get things done. I’d worked for the same company for nearly 30 years and was recruited to a new company and relocated somewhere with no friends or family. The new job was an amazing opportunity, but it had a steep learning curve that’s science and clinical in nature. I took on the challenge and could not understand why it was so difficult to remember anything. I’d worked in the new job for about a year while drinking more and I’d finally had enough. Thinking alcohol was the problem I checked into a detox and cleaned up my act. About a year later, I felt great, but memory was still just as bad and work was suffering even more. I didn’t get it and in desperation made an appointment to talk with my doctor. We talked and did some written assessments and turns out I’m severely ADHD, inattentive type. We decided to try meds to see how they worked.

I noticed an immediate difference. I was much more focused and could work on projects for longer periods. I then began to learn more about ADHD and have found that many things throughout life were probably impacted hey ADHD and I had no clue. The good news is that I’ve adapted to things on my own and have learned to make lists that I work from daily and to recognize behaviors that cause me to lose focus. I was doing all these things before, but I didn’t know how important all the structure really is and required for me to succeed.

I look back at how bad my reviews were the two years prior to being diagnosed and how different they may have been had I know what I know now. But I can smile with hope looking forward because of the confidence and positive feedback I’m now receiving by being aware.

[qwerty2021]

Thanks for sharing your positive words, especially the message of hope at the end. So often we just focus on what could have been. I just got diagnosed at age 63 and have been going through many similar things.