“How can I tell if I have ADHD?” is a question I frequently receive from my clients.
Many people associate ADHD with a very restless, scattered person who never stops talking and “flies everywhere” without a plan, goal, or focus.
Like some hyperactive squirrel.
For me, having ADHD means the opposite (except for the mess that occasionally shows up in my bedroom)
– I thrive best when faced with a big challenge; otherwise, I lose motivation and focus.
I LOVE big goals and plans, often so big that they overwhelm me and frequently end up triggering a mini panic attack or burnout.
That’s how I got into entrepreneurship and started my journey of self-discovery of what I had been all my life – different from the majority – neurodivergent.
Why was my ADHD diagnosed late?
My journey to diagnosis was long and confusing.
To begin with, I grew up in a family with dysfunctional dynamics.
It took me a lot of time through psychotherapy to clear the effects of trauma from my relationships with my parents, which masked the symptoms of ADHD that had always been present.
I was just a “highly sensitive child.”
But they didn’t see what I was going through at home and that I never had a healthy model to teach me how to regulate my emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness. Sensory sensitivities to clothes, food, smells, sounds, and textures didn’t make it any easier. I can hear and feel things at the mere mention (e.g., the sound of styrofoam being cut – ugh!).
I was “extremely clumsy.”
But they didn’t see that I was very motorically uncoordinated due to dyspraxia, and because of that, I hated any physical activity. I even once received a failing grade in physical education because I was terrified of jumping over the vaulting horse! They mocked me, and I often pretended to be sick to avoid gym class.
I was “calm, an excellent student.”
But they didn’t see that I was always playing with pencils, doodling during class when I was bored, drifting off into daydreams, or crossing one leg over the other. I often secretly read books during class to entertain myself.
They didn’t see that I struggled with writing and reading. I was in speech therapy for a significant part of my early childhood due to numerous speech issues. I only corrected my “R” pronunciation at the age of 21.
I was “that annoying nerd who always needs to be the center of attention.”
But they didn’t see that it was my way of actively participating and staying focused in class and truly enjoying learning more deeply about the subject. Because of this, I experienced peer bullying throughout elementary and high school. I felt lonely, without real friends, as though I didn’t fit in anywhere.
Because I was “too ambitious and had a problem with authority.”
But they didn’t see that I was struggling with self-regulation, impulsivity, and time management.
Although I graduated FIRST in my class, I had to record lessons while studying, pretend to teach, and underline things a hundred times to memorize material that didn’t interest me. I quit a job that didn’t fulfill me and where I wasn’t growing, and opened my own private practice after only 2 years of working, while my colleagues with 15 years of clinical experience hadn’t dared to do so.
Because “I need to learn to fit in with others and not reinvent the wheel.”
But they didn’t see that I had dedicated my whole life to UNDERSTANDING how it feels, thinks, and behaves to be a NEUROTYPICAL human being – because I am not.
That misunderstanding and lack of recognition from my surroundings cost me my mental health and the decisions I made as an unaware teenager.

How did I master my ADHD?
The first significant support in embracing MYSELF and who I am was, of course – personal psychotherapy, which I started at the age of 17.
Even in high school, I knew I wanted to become a psychotherapist.
The study of speech therapy was the space where, through working with neurodiverse children and children with developmental disabilities, I somehow embraced my inner little girl who lacked time for play because she had to study more than others due to the challenges she overcame “by sheer force.”
I also developed empathy for the role of parents who are truly doing the best they know with the best intentions.
However, it was only through entrepreneurship that the following happened:
I built honest and supportive friendships in adulthood.
I learned to choose myself and outgrew my attraction to toxic and emotionally unavailable partners.
I learned to set healthy boundaries for myself and others.
I built a supportive relationship with myself.
I got to know myself, my desires, and needs, and placed myself first.
I allowed myself to make mistakes and learn from them.
I’m learning to prioritize rest – play before homework.
What is it like inside my head?
I’ll try to explain it through images and associations.
A mind that never stops.
I always have at least six thoughts equally loud, as if you’re listening to a radio, a podcast, watching TV, having a phone conversation, and giving a presentation. All at once!
A restless feeling.
I take all kinds of poses because I can’t stay in the same position. I’m always fiddling with something in my hands, crossing my legs. My body is constantly in motion.
Impatience.
Waiting in line, waiting at the traffic light, waiting for someone to finish a sentence for me is too slow. I want everything now, immediately.
A puppy’s attention.
Without control, my mind is like a puppy released from the leash in a park. Everything must be sniffed and explored.
Boredom is a nasty word.
But it quickly appears, whether it’s hair color, relationships, hobbies, work, a place to live, or career paths. A constant hunger for novelty.
Either I’m a genius or a lazy person.
Either I accomplish the impossible in a few hours or I drag around one decision for weeks or even months.
15 open tabs.
Multitasking is my reality.
Small but explosive.
I function great under pressure, but I explode over tiny things.
Either I’m everywhere or I’m shut up in my house.
Either I’m the life of the party or I’m a strange introvert with a book.
Great memory – for irrelevant things.
I’ll remember the whole playlist, but not the name of a person I just heard a few seconds ago. And yes, I regularly forget everyday objects and rarely leave the house with everything I need on the first try.
And finally,
it’s not enough to just know that you have ADHD, the rest of your life awaits with it.
It can’t be cured, it’s a neurodivergence.
My purpose is to support you in understanding it, embracing it, and transforming your neurodivergence into your strength, not a limitation.
If you recognize yourself in the symptoms of ADHD, take the ADHD self-assessment test and contact me for psychotherapy support here.