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Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

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Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#11
I'm a similar age. I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Things got a lot better after my diagnosis.

Firstly, work with your health care providers. ADHD medication works well, even though it doesn't really feel like it works. (Even now I feel like my medication doesn't really do anything but if you compare my life before and after it's night and day).

Reading your post, it looks like you're having a rough time. Job hunting isn't easy, especially when you have ADHD. Rejection hurts for even the most well adjusted people. When you're feeling low it's very easy for your thoughts to spiral out of control. Try to notice when and how this is happening. For example:

Me: "I'm 36, I'm too old to ever get hired!" Also me: "Is it true that no one over the age of 36 gets hired for jobs? Do I know anyone in my life who got a job over this age? Oh, my uncle was laid off 5 years ago and he got one."

There are many different cognitive distortions like this. You can google to find examples of them or work with a therapist to help notice them. Try reading "Feeling Good" by David Burns, he has lots of good examples to draw from.

It might seem a bit counterintuitive, but being kind and forgiving of your shortcomings can often make you more effective and productive. Imagine procrastinating for 4 hours in the morning and getting nothing done. It's easy to think "Damn, I'm worthless. I just can't focus. I can't stay on task. I'll never get a job at this rate." Now you feel awful. When you get back from lunch, you're much more likely to procrastinate to distract yourself from these negative thoughts and feelings.

Instead, try accepting and forgiving yourself: "I didn't do anything this morning. It happens sometimes. I'll try to just doing a little this afternoon and see how it goes.". It's true, you might still procrastinate, but you have a better chance of getting to it now that the negative emotions are smaller and more manageable.

I also recommend Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell A. Barkley as a good handbook, especially if you've been diagnosed recently.

Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#12
As someone in middle age who has also been struggling with ADHD and frequent mental paralysis throughout their life I can very much relate to your words and observations, and therefore wish you all the best on your future journey.

Making mistakes is not failure, failure is giving up on your dreams and aspirations.

There is a lot of wisdom and knowledge out there that can help you making slightly better decisions. For me it was learning more about ADHD-associated rejection sensitivity, attachment theory or C.G. Jung's concept of the man-child.

Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#13
Firstly, this is a disability and not your fault. There are many workplaces now that acknowledge this as such. Medication will help you continue bettering yourself. 36 is not old. Most great people didn't start making their careers until late into their 50s. The best way forward is to acknowledge your disability and continue to work on your strengths.

Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#14
One thing you could try is to get into a field that skews older. Most people don’t enter the trades until they’re in their 30s, so a 36 year old apprentice wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. From your post, it doesn’t seem like you’ll ever be cut out for knowledge work, but you didn’t really share any details so it’s hard to say.

Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#16
Hey, same boat.

On interviews:

I've had the same problems. "tell me about the problem you've solved" was a huge a challenge for me. 'cause I couldn't remember frankly. Find a mentor (a buddy, coworker, someone) and ask for help. Practice. Go back in your employment history and try to come up with a story about things that you've done.

On getting organized:

Pick a strategy like GTD and go with it. Medication helps, but you need a structure. If GTD doesn't work, continue trying. Something as simple as a list of tasks that you review every single day is super helpful.

Good luck.

Re: Ask HN: How do I rebuild at 36yo after a checkered career of undiagnosed ADHD?

#20
post #19

Setup your own firm doing what you are good at. Do just that and let other people do what you are bad at and be open and honest about it.

To add to this: ask people around you what they think you are good at. Often you will find they mention things you never even thought about. You don't think about it because they are so easy for you that you can't even imagine someone having trouble with it.

Your own innate strengths can be a huge blind-spot.

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