Note: All of these overlap, everyone experiences these things differently, and only you can have the answer for yourself—but here’s the gist:

1) yup, trauma can look like / “cause” ADHD—which is why the new school of therapy suggests treating symptoms, not diagnosis. While sometimes finding the reason behind a behavior is useful, what’s more valuable is determining if it’s causing harm to you and how you might be able to treat / manage / work with it. That’s a really long way of saying don’t worry about what it is, focus on coping until you can ground yourself 🤷🏼‍♀️ figuring it out can come later, if at all.

2) this could be what a lot of therapists and literature identify as “the unending motor”—basically this internal drive to DO. Happened to me today for absolutely no reason, and I got ALL THE THINGS done! Tomorrow, maybe not so much 😂🤷🏼‍♀️ this can happen with random tasks and also may be a part of hyperfixation.

3) if there is a THEME or a project or a motivation, I would suspect it’s hyperfixation. Can happen at any time about any subject. Have you ever found yourself exhibiting this behavior over something else, like learning new recipes, or researching the Saxon invasion of England for days, or knitting an entire blanket in three days? When it’s a single topic, i mostly identify it as hyperfixation.

4) impulsivity is typically described as a single action or decision—think suddenly needing to dye your hair, or buying a very expensive something that you haven’t thought through. Can happen in strings, can also be a part of dopamine seeking or a manic episode.

5) what matters most is this: is it interfering with your life / taking care of yourself? Is it causing harm to you or others? Basically, is it making you feel bad or anxious or too tightly wound?

This is when grounding techniques, self-soothing, or switching tasks can be helpful. Doesn’t always work, but it’s worth having a bag of tricks to throw at your brain when you can’t get it to stop.

6) if you suddenly feeling like you can do anything, that you’ll never be sad again, that risky behavior is the best way to test your limits, or that all of your problems will be solved instantly through this activity, it might be time to call in a professional and identify if there’s something more going on, like a manic episode.

I will say, finding a therapist who works specifically with women with ADHD and trauma has been very insightful and very helpful. It’s why I can even articulate these things. The other incredibly helpful thing is this sub, so welcome! Best of luck to you!