“No one knew how hard I was working just to appear ‘fine.’”

From the outside, I looked like I had it together. I had a decent job, kept up socially, remembered birthdays, replied to emails (eventually). People called me organised, even bubbly. But if you’d asked how I really felt under the surface?

Exhausted. All the time.

Every little task — paying a bill, replying to a message, planning dinner — felt harder than it should. My brain was always racing. I’d start something, then drift to something else before finishing. I’d lie awake at night replaying all the things I hadn’t done, then beat myself up for not being better, sharper, more consistent.

But I hid it well. For years.

I told myself I was just bad at adulting. That I needed better routines. That everyone felt this overwhelmed — they just didn’t talk about it. Still, something didn’t sit right. Why did it feel like everyone else was skating and I was trudging through wet sand?

It wasn’t until a colleague casually mentioned their ADHD diagnosis that something clicked. She said something like, “I used to think I just couldn’t try hard enough — turns out I was trying ten times harder than everyone else.”

That sentence hit me like a freight train.

I went home and started reading. Article after article, thread after thread. Stories from people — especially women — who described exactly what I’d been feeling for years. Struggling with focus, time, memory, emotional regulation, but looking “fine” on the outside. It was like reading my own diary.

Still, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if I was just jumping on a trend or imagining things.

Then I found ADHDTest.co.uk. The website felt… different. It didn’t feel gimmicky. It wasn’t selling me a “solution.” It just offered a simple way to check in — a free quiz that could point me in the right direction.

I took the test with my heart in my throat.

And honestly? Every single question felt personal. The kind of things I’d never said out loud. The kind of struggles I’d brushed off as “just me.” By the end, I felt like someone had finally put words to the way my brain works.

The results showed I was likely experiencing symptoms of ADHD. I stared at the screen for a while, then quietly booked an assessment.

It was online, which made it so much easier. No phone calls. No trying to explain myself to a GP first. Just a clear process, handled by people who actually understood what I was going through.

The specialist I spoke to during the assessment was kind, calm, and incredibly validating. She listened. She didn’t question whether my experience was “real enough.” She asked the right questions and connected the dots — many of which I didn’t even realise were related to ADHD.

By the end of that session, I had an official diagnosis.

I cried — not out of fear, but out of relief. For the first time, I had language for the invisible weight I’d been carrying for years.

Since then, life hasn’t magically “fixed” itself. But it’s different now. I’ve got tools. I understand how to work with my brain, not constantly against it. I’ve started medication, made small changes to how I structure my days, and I’m finally being kinder to myself.

The biggest change? The shame is gone. I don’t feel broken anymore.

ADHDTest.co.uk gave me the first stepping stone. It made something that felt scary and overwhelming feel accessible. It helped me stop questioning myself and start seeking proper support — without judgement, without hoops to jump through.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re working twice as hard just to keep up — if you’re tired of pretending you’re “fine” when you’re quietly burning out — please, take the quiz. Trust yourself.

Getting this diagnosis didn’t change who I am. It just helped me understand why I am the way I am — and finally gave me a way forward.