Hello, I’m a 27-year-old woman with a 9–5 job. I majored in psychology, so I’m somewhat familiar with ADHD, and lately I’ve been reading more about it because I think I might have inattentive ADHD.
I never considered this before—it all started when I got my first full-time job about 3–4 years ago. I thought I would be ready for it, but honestly, it was a mess. I used to cry all the time and felt overwhelmed because I couldn’t keep up with my tasks. Back then, my job was very demanding and my boss wasn’t great—she would even give me part of her work—so I assumed it was just a normal stress response.
Now I have a much better job. It’s flexible, my boss is great, and I have a good work–life balance. Still, whenever work gets demanding (even if it’s not all the time), I really struggle to keep up. I have trouble prioritizing, and I rely heavily on making lists—sometimes even lists of lists—just to stay on track. If I don’t do that, I lose focus completely. And even with that, sometimes it doesn’t work. My mind drifts so easily, and even things like music don’t always help me concentrate.
The first time I went to a neurologist, he basically just asked if I had a degree and then said, “You’re fine—people with ADHD don’t even finish a career.” After that, I knew I wanted to leave. It made me feel like I was making everything up.
Then I went to a psychiatrist, and it was kind of the same. She said I might have some traits, but nothing concerning. Now, my psychologist thinks I just need to learn better techniques to stay focused.
These past few days have been really hard. I’ve been crying because of work. My boss told me something I’ve heard most of my life: that I’m not progressing as expected after 2 years, that I keep making the same mistakes, and that it seems like I’m not paying enough attention.
That made me feel really powerless, because I know how much effort I’m putting in just to not fall apart. At this point, I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I feel like I’m just making all of this up.