Does the number of thoughts, tasks, and commitments in your life feel overwhelming at times? Even when you know what to do first, do you wonder what to do first?
Do you sometimes worry that you forgot to do something, or how to do the something you remembered?
Have you had trouble meeting deadlines?
Are you sometimes concerned that what you’ve done isn’t good enough or even actually done?
Are your first thoughts about a project more likely the “worse-case scenario” than “yeah, I’ve got this.”
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, you likely have worries. All these demands and your thoughts about them can lead to anxiety. Now for those of you with ADHD, anxiety is likely to be present along with your other symptoms. You might feel stressed more easily, have sleep issues, find it difficult to get things done, and even find your self-esteem is impacted.
Worry anxiety on top of ADHD anxiety is no fun.
The not so good news is that anxiety can be disabling. The better news is two-fold. First, when things feel overwhelming, you can break projects and tasks down into small steps and use the steps to design your day (get help if you can’t seem to do it yourself). Second, it is OK to let go of “should,” perfection, and comparisons to others; better than OK, it’s healthy.
Just keep in mind, it’s not you, it’s your brain. The anxiety may be due to the difference in function of two neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine. Awareness and developing tricks, tools, and habits can reduce anxiety.
– Sydney Metrick