What struggles do people with ADHD face?

I have ADHD and some of the things I face are the inability to focus I could be doing a homework assignment or writing an essay and then I see something on the corner of my eye and I look and then after I see that I’ll see something on the TV and watch TV and then I’ll just sit there and look at the TV I had the hardest time paying attention or when someone’s talking to me I’m listening but I’m also thinking about what I’m gonna say back while they’re talking . I’m very easily distracted

The struggles, oh boy. They are many! It's like being stuck in a roller coaster that is inside a whirl wind. Sometimes you can see what you're doing but at other times you simply have no clue of what you're doing. I face difficulties with being very very impulsive, I make rash decisions that don't always benefit me, they can get me in trouble and they can turn out to be bad decisions. I have bought a new car three times just because I felt like it at that moment, the first time I was lucky, but the last two? Horrible, they were constantly breaking down and I had to get them fixed all the time. Why did I buy those cars? Why? I don't know. It was in the spur of the moment. Luckily I have a good car now. But it took a long time getting here. What else? Yes, there's more, debt. Because being impulsive isn't only about doing stupid stuff. No, it's "HEY! THIS LOOKS INTERESTING!" and then I'll end up in huge debt because I bought something that serves almost no purpose. I then have to live on cheap food to survive and I have to do my best to pay off the debt that my brain thought was so clever to get in. Feelings? Shout out to them. They are sky high, so strong that I can't even read them. I don't have the time to feel them though, because I'm always in a hurry, yes, I'm in a hurry to get through life. And so, I have a hard time to stop and sit and give myself time to think "how am I feeling?" Until they are so strong and so sensitive that I have the hardest time of controling them. I have rejection sensitivity, yes that's another perk of having ADHD, if a person says "no" to something I instantly think "They don't like me, they must hate me". I know it's not true, it's what my brain tells me anyway though. "They said no, so they must dislike you". So, when the feelings are sky high, out of control, I get over emotional, but I don't want to show anyone this over emotional fragile version so I keep it inside. (I do mindful meditation now, and it helps a LOT) I have no attention span. I am on two different ADHD medication and I still... hey butterfly... through life. I have a hard time going through conversations because at some point in the conversation, I lose track because my mind goes elsewhere. I lose it, and when I get back? I have no idea of what is being talked about. And I feel ashamed, because I should be listening. So I try to guess my way through the conversation or hide in any way I can the fact that I have no clue of what is going on. Often I try to change the subject in hopes that the person goes back to the thing they were talking about before I lost my attention, so that I can ask "Oh, yeah, I forgot, what was that again?" So, shame, rejection, no emotional control so far. Watching TV is impossible unless I'm doing something else, otherwise I get bored and I start fidgeting or just generally being annoying, so people don't really like watching movies with me unless I am doing something else too. Guess how fun it is to go to the movies with me. Studying? Going to classes? Well, what did the teacher say again? What class am I in? I need to be busy there too, I draw to keep busy, because that's my only way of being able to listen to what the teacher is actually saying. Which doesn't go well with teachers, because it looks like I'm ignoring them and just doing something else, making them feel like I don't respect them. So, my ADHD makes me look like I'm rude. In conversations, I can't wait for it to be my turn, I listen and it's so hard when I can reply to what they have to say but I have to wait until they finish so that I can reply with what I wanted to say. What's really heartbreaking is..When they've finished what they've been saying is that now I've forgotten what I was going to say. So I'm a blank slate. So now it looks like I wasn't really listening, so I have to work extra hard to think of a reply to what they were talking about and also try to remember what I wanted to say while I'm at it. So, shame, rejection, no emotional control, rude, annoying, disrespectful, not listening. This list is getting kind of long. But this is what I think other people view me as. And I have no idea of how they view me as, but with my emotional disregulation and my impulsive mind, I believe the bad things. And then there's the people who say "There's a bit of ADHD in all of us", and that makes me feel so much worse, because if they're having ADHD too and they're able to function properly and I'm not, then I must be a horrible person. I also don't have a filter, I say whatever pops into my mind. I mean no harm, I honestly don't, but people get offended sometimes, even when I'm saying something positive about them. I just can't stop blurting out what I think. So, rude again. I can't organize much, I have a routine that I've been working on for months, I still have a hard time following it. I have to make sure that I go to an appointment an hour before I'm supposed to show up, just to be sure I make it on time, so that I won't be late. It's my only chance of showing up on time. It can be depressive and hurting to myself just thinking about how I look to others. There are many plus sides of having ADHD, but you asked for the struggles and those are the ones I can think of. Here's the list: shame, rejection, no emotional control, rude, annoying, disrespectful, not listening, no ability to organize, no ability to follow a simple routine, impulsive. Just stuck in the roller coaster whirlwind. I wanted to make this more personal, I could've made this more formal. But I think this gives a good clear picture of how ADHD can affect a person.

Just like people without ADHD, the struggles with each person with ADHD can be different too. Some people with ADHD may struggle with attentiveness and this may be a cause of boredom, organizational skills, time management. Some people with ADHD can be sensation seekers so may struggle with emotional regulation, restless, and feel fidgety, struggling with interpersonal relationships (e.g. patterns of interruptions in communication such as completing other peoples sentences). With the hyperactivity element some people with ADHD can find it difficult to wait and can be quick decision makers. Just like with any condition knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are can be helpful in increasing awareness and willingness to improve.

Many with ADHD struggle with similar symptoms but like any disorder, it has their differences. People with ADHD struggle independently every single day, and in a way that others can’t see. We struggle to get out of bed because our brains tell us over and over not to, even though our bodies are trying, we struggle to regulate our emotions because the wiring that helps with regulation isn’t connected properly, we struggle to pay attention if it isn’t something that we genuinely find enjoyable. Many of us try to use our disorder to our advantage, but it can get really hard sometimes. Sometimes when you struggle with the emotional regulation, it’s hard to calm back down and hard to lead yourself back down the right path. It can cause you to spiral down until you hit the bottom again. It’s very easy to go from being completely comfortable in your skin, to feeling like your skin doesn’t fit properly and you wish you could take it off. Or if you wear a shirt and it turns a certain way, it can make you angry until it’s fixed again. ADHD really has no limits to the turmoil it can cause, but learning how to cope with ADHD and sometimes getting the help you need are the best things you can do and ways to help yourself