How i get through the week of hell that is PMS when you have ADHD
PMDD and ADHD often show up together — so even if you’re not experiencing PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), if you have ADHD, it’s likely your hormones make it significantly worse at certain points of the month.
If this is new to you, or if you hadn’t considered it as a *thing* for you.. let me tell you how it affects me personally:
🏝 under stimulation — the feeling that has you walking around your house like a sim trying to find the doors that you removed. you’re looking for *something* to interest you, to lift you up, to give you that dopamine hit.. but nothing quite does it.
and.. even if you *do* find the thing, a big old serving of executive dysfunction means you can’t turn your brain into Drive Mode and actually make it happen. -1/10, do not recommend.
🏝 over stimulation — as if under stimulation wasn’t gross enough, being extremely overwhelmed by loud noise, too many distractions, smells that i don’t even usually notice.. they’re ALL TOO MUCH.
have been known to burst out crying off of the back of things being too much for my sensitive brain to handle and it often turns up around the end of my cycle when i could really do without it the most.
🏝 impulsitivity — not so much a symptom, but a trait; one that i don’t usually resent all that much, because this bitch loves dopamine and risks are dopamine CENTRAL..
but honestly, making terrible choices for my body is often something i notice myself doing when i’m PMSing; like.. i know eating a diet of mainly caffeine and sugar is *really* not what i need, but i’m too impulsive to care and that dopamine rush is too tempting.
🏝 emotional dysregulation — we all know by now that wobbly feelings usually come with PMS anyway, but a lot of us with ADHD also struggle to regulate our feelings day to day anyway. that might look like 0-100 rage, feeling *nothing*, being ready to argue off of the back of.. not all that much because getting perspective is HARD..
or maybe we’re just ready to sob at any given minute given everything else we’re dealing with too. who knows? either way, i’m not into it.
so.. how the pissing HELL do i get through it?
well, largely i hold onto the fact that at some point soon, if i keep going, my hormones probably *will* level out and i’ll be blessed with sweet relief. usually, it gets a bit easier after the first couple of days of my period arriving.
secondly, (and i’ve learnt this the HARD way) — i’ve learnt that the thing that actually drains my energy and lowers my mood the most is when i resent my brain for doing.. all of the above.
sure, it IS hard, and sure, not everyone has to deal with it, but it’s a really exhausting thing to berate yourself all day every day for an extended period of time — especially on top of worsened symptoms.
if you can manage to find joy in anything, even for a short period of time, take it. remember that it’s *normal* for our brains to want to jump from one thing to another, and although it’s kind of inconvenient to try and entertain, it’s the way we work. so, if you can, try to let go of the frustration whilst you’re looking for the thing to soothe you.
for me, the small moments of joy might look like:
💫 music — Amy Winehouse right in my ears? 🎶 pls. often the brain holiday i needed.
💫 drawing — drawing, but of the kind where i pick a colour palette off of pinterest so i have to make zero decisions (because that’s a no from me), then i draw things like flowers from reference photos, and in a style where it kinda looks like a 5 year old drew it. trust me on this one, ok? 😽
💫 CBD, or.. depending on what’s legal where you are, maybe something that includes THC. sometimes it’s helpful to have the edge taken off, and I personally find CBD does this pretty well.
(I take Puregenics CBD in the strength 3000mg, because they gifted me and Mia some.. and I could kiss them since it helps so much. Also no, they did not ask me to mention them, though I’ll stick our affiliate/discount code at the bottom of this article if you wana take a look anyway).
💫 you might think i’m *not ok* whilst i say this.. but.. a small amount of cleaning 🧹🧼 — i’m usually not that into cleaning, and adulting in general, but I kinda like the cleaning that looks like surfaces or hoovering that makes a noticeable difference without having to break my back over it.
minimum effort but the shit that really makes me want to give myself a gold star and boost my confidence, you know??
💫 a similar sentiment — and i won’t give you specifics in attempt to encourage you to do a lil self reflection, but the tasks small enough to be realistic but big enough for you to be really proud of yourself for managing it?
maybe.. a 30 minute walk? (don’t judge me, i don’t like being outside until i’m actually outside). a bit of reading? some journaling? it probably looks different for us since we often have unpredictable levels of focus, but.. whatever it is that makes *you* feel like you.
get those feel good hormones in baybee! 🏆
I’m going to leave you to ponder on the above because my focus is flailing and I wouldn’t blame you if yours were either.
Just remember, you don’t need to fight your wonderful brain, but rather be aware of it, get to know it, you know.. take it on dates, learn to love it 😌
It might feel like a sick joke that you’re being dragged through for nearly half of the month if you menstruate (or, if you take oestrogen — because it can happen for you too if that’s you!), but we’ll get through it besties.
It’s also ok if you need to feel sorry for yourself, I too, do a lot of that. Don’t you go stopping yourself from crying if you need it, ok???
Jess x
*50% discount code for Puregenics CBD: IAMPAYINGATTENTION (we also take a small cut of any sales made using our code.)
