How many symptoms of ADHD can 1 person have? Feeling overwhelmed!

[Husbandlover]

Diagnosed 8 months ago and STILL finding new symptoms related to my ADHD. Is my entire personality made up of ADHD? Anyone feeling the same? Advice on how to cope?

[Cat00]

This is exactly how I feel. I was diagnosed last year along with my daughter, she was 9 I was 46. Everything I thought was quintessentially me turns out was just ADHD. All my foibles, energy, enthusiasm, lack of memory, inability to sleep, sensitivities, multiple health conditions, crazy depth of emotion,I'm not sure what is left?

[Husbandlover in reply to Cat00]

You and I sound like twins. I'm really proud of those qualities!

[Choya526]

Yes, I have felt the same. ADHD feels like my entire personality. What helps me these days is Vyvanse, a careful routine, monitoring my moods & behavior, learning everything I can, and exercise. Also, I have to force myself to not feel shame and to reject popular negative opinions. The more you learn about ADHD, the better you can control and understand and give yourself a break, but It's much more of a struggle than people think. They say well just do this or that and voila! Doesn't work that way.

[Husbandlover in reply to Choya526]

Agree! The more I learn the better I feel.

[Mamamichl]

I am realizing a lot of my personality is my ADHD. I learned that I had it when my kid acted just like me and was diagnosed. It helps me understand by watching you tube channels and listening to their audiobooks: how to ADHD (book by same name), adhd_love (book called dirty laundry), and the holderness family (book called ADHD is awesome). I’m about halfway through the holderness one and listened to the trial for the others.

[Husbandlover in reply to Mamamichl]

Thanks for the suggestions! Now I just need to make the time to listen/read/view.

[PinkPanda23]

I was diagnosed in 2010 at 54, and I'm still learning all the things about myself that are ADHD! I find that comforting and empowering. It enables me to fend off society's misconceptions and hurtful judgments, and to remind myself that I'm just wired differently. There are a lot of things about ADHD that translate into my values - a strong sense of justice and fairness, empathy, kindness and integrity. So I'm slower, but my production is quality. My customer service skills are top notch. You'll never have a better ambassador for your company than me, if I can believe in your product or service. My value as an employee is the intangible soft skills.

I do struggle with ADHD because it just makes everything so hard, when I see others doing it without problems. In that sense, I do feel I have a handicap. But knowledge, to me, is power. And so I learn more each day about myself, and marvel at the complexity that is my ADHD brain.

[Husbandlover in reply to PinkPanda23]

I'm slower to pick up on things, but boy oh boy will I give 100%. I'm the kind of employee someone wants. I share your qualities and am very proud of them. Thanks for sharing!

[Fibery1]

I’m still learning how it affects my life - diagnosed at 45, now 72!

[Husbandlover]

Wow! Not sure if that is good or bad? Never-ending new symptoms. I'm going to go with good so I don't crawl into bed and never come out.