@Paperdaisy wrote:
Question 6: What are some tips or strategies for a) managing your ADHD and b) for friends or loved ones to know?
a) Above all else – our BRAINS are simply WIRED DIFFERENTLY!! There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m not broken or weak and especially not LAZY!! For way more tips than I could ever collate into a succinct passage, the best resource I have found is the Youtube channel How to ADHD. It is honestly a life-saver!
b) Please be patient with us! We DO CARE! We might need extra prompting (context and recall) but it’s not for lack of trying. ADHDers are more prone to burn out, because often we feel pressured to keep up with our peers – even when it may seem we are capable of this, often it leaves us feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Also, the phrase “Just try harder!” is probably the most dreaded words any ADHDer will hear. We are trying! It is not simply a matter of us being lazy/stubborn/irresponsible or not caring or not putting in enough effort! Often we are expending all the effort and energy we have just to survive. It’s not a lack of motivation, it is a fundamental difference in our brain chemistry. We often get shamed for it and then must also carry the shame - not only are we stressed about the symptoms, now we are also stressed about our inability to do literally anything about it.
Wearing that mask can get so heavy over time, and I can understand not feeling ready or able to remove a mask and be seen for who you are. I can really relate to this experience, and there are still days I hold a mask up- they really can get hard to hold. I hope you feel here in this community and with your psychiatrist, you can let the mask down even just a little and know you are seen, heard and validated for however you are feeling and however you feel you can show up on the day 
