“Wait, What Was I Saying?” — My ADHD Brain in a Nutshell
Title: “Wait, What Was I Saying?” — My ADHD Brain in a
Nutshell
By Arpi Parikh Therapist, Human, and Occasional Dishwasher
Re-runner
Let me paint you a picture.
You walk into the kitchen with full intention. You're on a
mission. But somewhere between the fridge and the sink, your brain goes full
loading... please wait, and now you're standing there holding a spoon like it’s
a compass to Narnia.
Welcome to ADHD.
As a therapist who also lives with ADHD (plot twist: yes, we
can be both!), I thought I’d kick off this blog by sharing what ADHD actually
feels like—not the clinical definition, but the real-life, messy, hilarious,
sometimes frustrating version.
ADHD Is Not Just “Squirrel!” You’ve probably heard the joke—someone gets distracted
mid-sentence and someone else yells, “SQUIRREL!” Cute. Funny. Sometimes true.
But ADHD isn’t just about getting distracted. It’s about
having a brain that wants to do everything, right now, or nothing at all, for
six hours straight. There is no in-between. You either: clean your entire closet at 2 AM in a hyperfocused frenzy,
or stare at a sock on the floor for three days like it’s a math
problem.
Executive dysfunction? Yes. Time blindness? Absolutely.
Forgetting what you just read while you’re still reading it? Check, check, and
check.
The Invisible Struggle
The thing is, ADHD can be invisible. We look “fine” on the
outside. We might be smart, capable, funny, high-achieving even. But on the
inside? We’re often juggling fire with one hand and Googling “How to stay
focused for more than 3 minutes” with the other.
And don’t get me started on the shame cycle:
Forget something → Feel awful → Beat yourself up → Try
harder → Still forget → Repeat.
Sound familiar? You’re not lazy. You’re not broken. You’re
just running a brain with a manual that was printed in disappearing ink.
Let’s Normalize the Chaos
Here’s what I want this blog to be: a space to laugh, learn,
and feel seen. Whether you have ADHD, love someone who does, or just suspect
your brain is running on a different operating system—this is for you.
We’ll talk:
Real-life ADHD stories (the ones that make you go “OMG
SAME!”)
Coping tips that don’t involve buying 12 planners
Humour (because if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry—and then laugh
at ourselves crying)
Compassion. For you. For me. For that task, we still haven’t
done it since last Tuesday.
TL;DR (Because ADHD)
If your brain feels like 47 tabs open and none of them are
loading, you’re in the right place. Follow along for more ADHD insights, real talk, and some tangents. Because that’s how we roll.
Until next time—where I promise to stay mostly on-topic (no
guarantees),
Arpi Parikh
Therapist who is in love with ADHD mind
✨ Follow for more ADHD stories,
tips, and good old “me too” moments.