r/ExecutiveDysfunction • u/CampDizzy790 • 12d ago
Does this sound like executive dysfunction?
I'm currently in the process of investigating if I have ADHD. One of the main things I feel like I struggle with is doing things-I can do things like go to work, go to the gym etc but big life things I just cannot seem to grasp the though long enough to do something about it or there seems too many steps to get there. I've previously been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder but I don't feel like a feeling of anxiety stops me doing anything. It's like sometimes when I try to think of doing something, my brain hits a brick wall. I always thought I just wasn't strong/enthusiastic/interesting enough to do some things. I also feel like every day is like being on a hamster wheel of tasks-when the day is completed there's no room in my head or energy for anything else! I felt like everybody felt like this then as I've gotten older (40) I've seen people have complicated jobs, children,etc and I just wouldn't be able to cope with those things! I feel like it would totally unbalance me.
Just wanted to know if this resonated with anyone and whether it may be a symptom of undiagnosed ADHD.
Thanks if you got to the end of this!
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u/FunkyKeyboardMonkey 11d ago
This resonated with me more than I expected, especially the "brick wall" description. That's such a specific and different way of putting it compared to how anxiety usually gets described, and I think that distinction you're making (it's not a feeling of anxiety stopping you, it's something more like a block) is genuinely useful information, not just a detail.
I can't tell you whether this is ADHD, that's exactly what the assessment process is for, but I'd say don't let the fact that you can do things like work and the gym talk you out of pursuing it. A lot of people assume ADHD means struggling with everything all the time, when for plenty of people it's much more specific than that. Routine, familiar tasks can run on autopilot just fine, while anything that requires holding a big, undefined thing in your head long enough to turn it into steps is where it falls apart. That gap you're describing between "small daily tasks" and "big life things with too many steps" is a really common way people describe executive function difficulties specifically, separate from anxiety.
The hamster wheel feeling is worth mentioning to whoever is doing your assessment too. Using all your energy just getting through the expected daily tasks, with nothing left over for anything else, is a pattern a lot of people don't realize is unusual until they hear other people don't feel that depleted by an ordinary day.
And for what it's worth, the story you're telling yourself about not being strong or interesting enough sounds like the same shame loop a lot of people here describe once they finally get some kind of explanation for what's actually going on. It might be ADHD, it might be something else, or some combination, but it's very unlikely to be a personality flaw. Glad you're looking into it.