Welcome to the first WhereFocusGoes newsletter. I’ll be using this letter to bring some insight, nuance and positivity from my experience as a certified ADHD Coach to you, the reader.
Well, that was the plan anyway. I really wanted to bring the positivity – since being diagnosed with ADHD over 4 years ago, I’ve been on my own ‘journey’ of discovery and it seems the further down the Neurodiversity rabbit hole you go, you’re going to come across a lot of voices telling you just how awful it is, how difficult everything is, and how everyone else is a bit shit for not understanding just how shit everything is.
Which is why I wanted to publish my thoughts on the positives, the up side and the strengths that come from being ‘wired differently’.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2025 one of the ‘shit things’ that everyone else seems to bang on about incessantly ended up happening to me. And it was, to put it mildly: shit.
THE SHIT THING
You see, in 2021 I was fortunate enough to be able to afford a private diagnosis for my ADHD. It was a reassuringly lengthy process culminating in a pretty hefty document where the Consultant Psychiatrist methodically summarised all of the conversations, school reports, self reporting scales, symptoms and test results. Because I have ADHD, of course I skipped to the end, hoping for a TL’DR summary, and because he is a professional tasked with working with ADHDers on a daily basis, he had kindly summarised – changing my life with a neat little sentence:
Diagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – Inattentive Type.
To be clear, this is not the shit thing.
What followed was not the shit thing either. Shortly after diagnosis I met with him to discuss what it meant to have ADHD and what my options were regarding medication. After some initial success on one variety of medication, my resting heart rate had rocketed to nearly 180bpm and I found myself waking up drenched in sweat every morning. Suffice to say, I quickly arranged to move onto another of the stimulant medications available for treating ADHD.
Once I was happy with the right dose of the right medication, my private psychiatrist contacted my GP and initiated a Shared Care Agreement wherein my medication was provided to me via the NHS and my GP would monitor me regularly for any adverse side effects. And with that, I don’t recall having much to do with that psychiatrist again – only to my GP and the staff at the local surgery.
And there I have stayed, for 4 years, stable on my chosen medication.
Until December 2025 that is.
I’d moved from where I had been living, back to the West Midlands and had registered with the local GP here. I’d tried to re-order my ADHD medication via the NHS app, as I had been doing for years, but was told I’d need to book an appointment to see the GP in person before they could approve my prescription. I duly booked an appointment, and was then told that, unfortunately I would not be able to receive my medication for the time being. As the GP surgery (and seemingly all of the GP surgeries in the local area) does not accept Shared Care Agreements.
Which effectively means that I am now at the end of a very long waiting list in order to get re-diagnosed with ADHD a second time – except this time around, by an NHS specialist.
And how long will this all take? How long will I be without the medication that I have come to rely on?
Between 2 and 7 years.
(this is the shit thing, fyi)
So then, I’m going to have to ‘Walk the Walk’ when it comes to dealing with my own ADHD.
I have always told people the three most impactful things on this ADHD journey have been:
- Actually getting diagnosed
- Starting medication
- Making lifestyle, physical and mental health changes (including coaching)
So, looking at things from a coldly rational perspective I still have two out of three. I was diagnosed with ADHD – whether the NHS accepts it or not – and I havemade some impactful changes to my life since getting that diagnosis.
So that’s going to be the next step of the journey. I’m going to be getting by with only two of my three crutches, but I’m confident. And I want to share the journey with you too – because I really DO BELIEVE it’s not ALL shit having a diagnosed neuro-difference. It can be testing at times, but I have enough tools, techniques, lifestyle changes and support to THRIVE.
Knowing how MY ADHD works and how it shows up for me has been a life changing experience. So, I’ll be sharing what works for me, what insights I can share from my work as an ADHD Coach and trainer and what I think we can all do better.
Please like, share and subscribe and I’ll see you in the next issue.
And if you’d like to work with me as your coach so you can understand you own ADHD, you can book a free 30 minute discovery call below