Is It Burnout or Is It ADHD?

Why High-Functioning Women Often Miss the Signs

You’re exhausted — but you keep going.

You forget small things, double-book yourself, and beat yourself up for not being more organised — but from the outside, no one would know. You’re the one people come to for help. The one who “has it all together.” And yet, behind the scenes, everything feels like it’s held together with string and last-minute panic.

You tell yourself it’s just stress. It’s the job. The mental load. The pressure of being everything to everyone.

But what if there’s more to it?

What if it’s not burnout? Of if it is, what if there’s something underlying that’s causing you to ‘burnout’, something that if understood, and treated, could change everything for you?

What if it’s ADHD — and it’s been missed all along?

There's an Overlap That No One Talks About

Many women I work with come in saying things like:

“I’ve always managed, but now I’m completely overwhelmed and I don’t know why.”
“I can’t seem to keep up anymore — and it feels like I’m failing at the basics.”
“I thought I just needed better routines… or to rest more… but nothing’s working.”

They often arrive after trying everything:

• Productivity planners

• Mindfulness apps

• Burnout recovery tips

• Supplements, diets, early morning routines

And nothing sticks.

That’s because what they’re actually dealing with isn’t burnout — not in the traditional sense. It’s undiagnosed ADHD. And it’s been there, quietly disrupting their sense of self-worth, consistency, and calm for years.

Burnout vs. ADHD: What's Really Going On?

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress. You typically recover from burnout with rest, boundaries, time away, or slowing down.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference — is NOT a mental health disorder, and is NOT a personality flaw. It affects how you regulate attention, manage tasks, handle emotions, and respond to stress. And it doesn’t go away with a few quiet weekends or a holiday.

How can you tell the difference?

Let me show you what I often hear from clients who’ve been living with undiagnosed ADHD — and thought it was just stress:

• “Even when I sleep, I don’t feel rested. My brain doesn’t switch off.”

• “I keep missing deadlines even when I’ve had enough time.”

• “I can’t keep a morning routine no matter how hard I try.”

• “I’ve always worked twice as hard to get the same results.”

• “I crash after pushing through, then need days to recover.”

• “I go from hyper-focused and productive, to completely flatlined.”

• “It feels like everyone else gets what they’re supposed to do — and I don’t.”

These aren’t just signs of burnout. These are hallmarks of ADHD that’s been flying under the radar — masked by achievement, hidden behind competence, and slowly eroding confidence your over time.

Why It’s Missed in High-Functioning Women

The ADHD stereotype most of us were taught to look for is loud, disruptive, and typically in naughty little boys.

But in professional women, ADHD doesn’t usually look like bouncing off the walls. It looks like this:

• Constant mental chaos that no one sees.

• Over-preparing for meetings to avoid being caught out.

• Emotional overwhelm from the smallest setback.

• Imposter syndrome no matter how many successes.

• Chronic exhaustion from masking and overcompensating.

• Perfectionism that delays tasks or stops you starting at all.

You may have grown up being called the “daydreamer” or the “chatty one.” Or maybe you were the achiever who did everything last minute, but still delivered. Maybe you always felt like you were pushing against something invisible that made life just a bit harder than it was for everyone else.

The Cost of Misunderstanding the Signs

When ADHD goes unrecognised, it’s easy to internalise the symptoms as personal failure. You blame yourself for being disorganised, flaky, or inconsistent — even when you’re giving everything you’ve got. And remember, this isn’t just in your work, this is also in your relationships.

And this is where the real damage happens: in your self-esteem and your self-worth.

Because when you live for years feeling like you're falling short — despite working harder than everyone around you — you don’t just get tired. You start to believe there’s something wrong with you. You start to believe that you’re lesser than…

This belief leads to:

• Anxiety and chronic self-doubt

• Self-medicating with Dopamine addictive behaviours to help you cope i.e watching excessive t.v, alcohol, shopping, doom scrolling and comparison on social media, just to name a few.

• Burnout cycles that get harder to recover from

• Struggles in relationships due to emotional reactivity or forgetfulness- broken friendships, relationships that just don’t seem to workout, difficulties being around family.

• Missed promotions or opportunities from not being able to manage workload consistently, or self-sabotaging because there’s a part of you, behind the forced fake confidence, that believes you don’t think you can actually deliver to the level you secretly dream about and yearn for.

• Feeling like you’re always “almost keeping up,” looking around you believing others are smarter because they seem to do everything so easily.

And all the while, you’re wondering why sometimes the simplest of things feel so hard.

 So What Happens If It Is ADHD?

Here’s what I want you to know:
If you relate to this — you’re not lesser than, stupid, lazy, or too emotional. You might have ADHD. And if you do, getting an assessment isn’t just about getting a label. It’s about finally seeing yourself clearly.

Clients often describe the process of diagnosis and support as:

• A deep exhale — finally understanding why life has felt the way it has

• Relief — that they’re not imagining it, and they’re not alone

• Clarity — around how their brain works and how to work with it, not against it

• Hope — that things can feel easier, lighter, and more manageable

From there, things start to shift.

We work on your internal world, as well as your external world, because you need both to run smoothly. Your external world is often a representative to what’s inside. We look at time blindness. Emotional regulation. Boundaries. Internal shame. Creating real-world systems that suit your brain. Not someone else’s version of productivity. It has to be unique to your brain.

You Deserve More Than Just Getting By

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of work–burnout–blame–repeat, and nothing seems to help long-term, it’s time to ask a different question:

What if it’s not burnout?
What if it’s ADHD — and no one ever thought to check?

There’s no shame in needing answers. There’s no weakness in needing help. But there is power in finally seeing yourself through a different lens — one that honours your effort and offers real support.

If any part of this feels familiar, I invite you to take the first step.

You can take my FREE ADHD pre-screening quiz — or book a FREE 15-minute consultation. No pressure. Just space to talk it through with someone who understands.

You’ve carried this long enough.

Let’s find out what’s really going on — and what life could feel like when you're no longer carrying it alone.