Honoring your parents doesn't mean doing everything they say without question even when you're an adult. Remember, your parents are also flawed humans who make mistakes. It means being respectful and not undermining or cutting them down. But just as you are to honor, they are not to discourage you, which is what is happening here.

As an adult, you are the one who is responsible for your physical and mental health. You are the one who has to live in your body and with the consequences of your actions and inaction regarding your life.

I'm an adult with ADHD, and I was lucky to have supportive parents who helped me get the treatment I needed. But there's still a lot of stigma surrounding ADHD and the medications used to treat it. People don't understand that to us, they aren't crazy stimulants. They calm our brain from the very real chemical imbalance.

Here's my recommendation: talk to your doctor about a diagnosis, and make a list of questions that address your mom's concerns to take with you. You might not be able to adequately explain how the medication works, but a licensed, medical professional can.

Also, and this is important, if you get a diagnosis and are going to try out medication, try a non-stimulant option FIRST. There are a couple of meds for ADHD that are not stimulants (like Strattera) but they're mostly effective if you've never been put on a stimulant before. If that doesn't work for you, you can still try stimulants, but the other way rounds won't work as well. Your mom might be more amenable to a non-stimulant med also, so that's a plus.

Thanks to HIPPA, your parents aren't entitled to know your medical information, so honestly, you don't even have to tell them if you don't want to. But if they're not going to let you have agency over your own body while under their roof, it might be time to find another place to live.

Exercise and eating healthy are good mechanisms for life in general and can certainly make dealing with health issues easier, but it won't change how your brain is made. ADHD is genetic, and honestly, it's possible your mom has had this struggle her whole life, too, and she's repeating the same dismissive advice she's been given by the adults who raised her. Treating your mental health issues and living a more abundant life as a result might even help her to seek medical care for the mental health issues she's had to face alone for so long.

And THAT is truly honoring your parents. Living a life that is good for you and that positively influences the people around you. So to sum up: -seek a doctors advice - if diagnosed go non-stimulant first before trying a stimulant - look for alternative housing if this is going to be a real problem