[codegangsta]

Being very recently diagnosed with ADHD in my 30s (after searching for a source of my chronic exhaustion), it was interesting to notice just how much I masked my own ADHD from myself and others my whole life, where the experience of taking medication definitely matched "putting on glasses for the first time".

I've always felt like doing uninteresting things felt like wading through 3 feet of water, but I assumed everyone felt that, and that I was just lazy.

The biggest realization I had was that I have been using negative feelings/emotions in order to get stuff done for years. On the outside I looked like a productive, healthy person, on the inside I was beating myself down all day every day, and that behavior didn't lead to a great relationship with myself.

Now that I'm on medication, my brain actually rewards me for doing boring stuff. I see a dish in the sink and I want to rinse it and put it away because it feels good.

tldr; Just because you lead a successful, healthy life, your own perception on how hard life needs to be may still be skewed, and treatment for those who have been diagnosed with ADHD can really up your quality of life

[EdwardDiego]

> The biggest realization I had was that I have been using negative feelings/emotions in order to get stuff done for years. On the outside I looked like a productive, healthy person, on the inside I was beating myself down all day every day, and that behavior didn't lead to a great relationship with myself.

Yeah, those years of negative self-talk, there's a lot of learning to be kind to yourself that comes with a diagnosis.

[codegangsta]

Yup, not everyones diagnosis is the same, but mine was definitely combined with childhood trauma in a way that made it hard to notice anything was wrong in the first place. Can't begin to describe how much easier life feels now that I'm not using negative self talk to get through my day