{"id":4956,"date":"2023-06-08T18:47:42","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lyndahoffman.com\/en-us\/?p=4956"},"modified":"2026-10-13T18:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T22:16:07","slug":"adhd-after-45-why-is-it-so-much-harder-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lyndahoffman.com\/en-us\/adhd-after-45-why-is-it-so-much-harder-now\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD After 45 – Why is it so much harder now?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You enjoy being a leader and you used to thrive on the demands of your role. But now you don\u2019t feel so successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You notice you\u2019re zoning out in meetings, missing key pieces of the discussion, or forgetting salient pieces you want to bring up. Your focus seems to be deserting you. Your memory seems to be weaker. And there are moments when you feel you\u2019ve even lost your \u2018self\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes ADHD symptoms feel so much worse after 45?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This stage of life is flooded with high demands and transitions, both at home and in your career. And they\u2019re all happening at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 You might be despairing the loss of intimacy in your relationship
\u2022 Dealing with the loss of your parents
\u2022 Worrying about your children
\u2022 Yearning for a significant career change that you haven\u2019t yet made
\u2022 Hormonal changes
\u2022 Ruminating on the larger questions about who you want to be at this stage in your life

All this adds up to a cacophony of demands in front of dwindling resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course you want to navigate all these situations confidently!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But the ADHD brain, with its weaker executive functioning, is like a speed boat in choppy waters. It bounces around as if there were no compass aboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your ADHD is not necessarily worse after 40.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But your ADHD feels<\/em> worse because your symptoms are bumping up against the larger challenges built into this period of life. Over time, without robust strategies, you\u2019ll feel overwhelmed, foggy and discouraged.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may not be able to solve all the issues in your life at once, but you can show up much more focused.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your first step in taking charge is to be aware of your thinking and understand how it may be making things worse for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re missing the internal mental framework that optimal executive functioning<\/a> provides, you can\u2019t plan, organize or prioritize your thoughts easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without that framework, including the necessary brakes on your emotional reactions, your brain will chew on reactive thoughts such as, \u201cWhat if I don\u2019t get there in my career? I hate my current situation. I\u2019m being taken advantage of! There\u2019s too much to do!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These thoughts are understandable. They\u2019re also reflective of powerlessness. The more bandwidth you give them, the more your executive functioning will take a backseat to emotional thrashing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to feel more in charge during all the chaos in your life, your first and most important step is to calm yourself before doing anything else.  Recognize when you\u2019re ruminating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose to breathe deeply and connect to the present moment. Let go of worrisome thoughts about the future. Really allow yourself to sink into the here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW you\u2019re ready to become sharply strategic!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Team<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

5 Steps To Bring Your Focus Back Online<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


1. Identify the situations when you feel foggy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n