I was diagnosed earlier this year (at 33), ended up being prescribed Methylphendiate and after a months weeks it made me better understand what the issue is with my brain. Especially after skipping a dose for a few days to remember what my baseline used to be.
The way I've always described my thought process is that it's like every thought is a fish in a barrel and all I have are my hands; I have to reach down to grab the specific thought I want to focus on and often it slips through my grasp. Medication slows down the fish and makes it so I can hold onto it. I still have to make an effort to grab the 'right' fish but I'm not fighting with myself.
Prior to medication I had various coping strategies I'd employ. Mainly things like having multiple rolling things going on at once, but I was also a severe fidgeter. During college I was a stressed anxious mess so I figured that it was just a natural response to that sort of thing, but as I settled into my 30s and became far more stable with no stressors or contributors to anxiety my issues with ADHD became a lot worse.
The way I've always described my thought process is that it's like every thought is a fish in a barrel and all I have are my hands; I have to reach down to grab the specific thought I want to focus on and often it slips through my grasp. Medication slows down the fish and makes it so I can hold onto it. I still have to make an effort to grab the 'right' fish but I'm not fighting with myself.
Prior to medication I had various coping strategies I'd employ. Mainly things like having multiple rolling things going on at once, but I was also a severe fidgeter. During college I was a stressed anxious mess so I figured that it was just a natural response to that sort of thing, but as I settled into my 30s and became far more stable with no stressors or contributors to anxiety my issues with ADHD became a lot worse.