High-achieving with ADHD and completely overwhelmed (Susie Owens’ story)

From the outside, Susie Owens looked like she was gliding. Straight-A student, entrepreneur, devoted mom — and exhausted in ways nobody could see. When you’re an ADHD high achiever, masking is a whole job.

Susie spent years in therapy for anxiety, quietly holding it together. A second child tipped the scales. Through her ADHD diagnosis, she learned that her struggles weren’t a reflection of who she was as a person or as a mom. It was just ADHD. 

For more on this topic

• Listen: Emotional regulation, and yelling, as a mom with ADHD (Patricia Sung’s story) 
• Read: Mental load: The invisible weight women with ADHD carry
• Watch: Renowned ADHD expert on how to juggle ADHD and motherhood

For a transcript and more resources, visit ADHD Aha! on Understood.org. You can also email us at adhdaha@understood.org.

As kids head back to school, it's a good time to remember: not every student experiences the classroom the same way. Through My Eyes, a free interactive experience from Understood, lets you step into a day in the life of a kid with ADHD, dyslexia, or dyscalculia. See their strengths and challenges in a whole new way. Try it out here.

Understood.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people with learning and thinking differences, like ADHD and dyslexia. If you want to help us continue this work, donate at understood.org/give

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