Inconsistency, Energy, ADHD and the “Spoon Theory”

I am really very tired this week, so this seems appropriate.

The Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino describes chronic illness/invisible disability. When read through her whole article, it really made sense to me. It's a way of explaining how you have to function when your functioning and body and energy level aren't consistent and/or predictable.

How is this relevant for people with ADHD?

1. It is particularly relevant to women whose ADHD symptoms fluctuate with their hormones. Many women's ADHD symptoms seem to get worse during ovulation and/or premenstrually- as well as in (peri-)menopause. It seems like medications don't even work as effectively in those periods of time for some women with ADHD. (And because of this, I often hear that girls' symptoms worsen or first become apparent at puberty).

2. Many adults with ADHD report uneven functioning. We already know that adults with ADHD have difficulty being consistent- but we're also far more sensitive to lower energy, lack of sleep, fatigue from doing certain tasks, etc, and when any of these things play a role, our overall ability to perform basic routines and be effective is compromised.

For these reasons one of the key components of ADHD Coaching with me is learning to assess how much energy you have, how that fluctuates, and what to do with it.

What's really important about the "Spoon Theory" article, is that it makes more tangible how hard it is to have to deal with this.