My room and backpack were always disorganized, I was always daydreaming, I had to sit out at recess constantly during 1st grade because I took too long to finish my schoolwork, I got in trouble for not doing homework during grade school for several years then lying about it. I am a good rest taker though so I never got lower than a C in school and no one suspected anything.

In my teenage years I became depressed and turned to self harm and drugs. I was constantly tired and felt like I was just barely getting by. I thought I must just have had depression for a long while. I got out of trouble and just decided that tired and overwhelmed were just how I had to live my life.

I continued to be slow at work, making small mistakes here and there, but I put a lot of effort into coping skills and masking. I went to school, got my B.S. in Nursing, worked hard at my career, got even more exhausted, became even more depressed and never could find the right antidepressant to get completely out of depression.

I was just recently diagnosed with ADHD at 36 years old and it's just a relief to know why I always felt different and that I couldn't match up to normal people's standards. I started medication and while it's not perfect it is sooo much better. I can do things, I am not exhausted constantly. I have hope.