My Realistic 2023 Recap as an ADHDer
What the hell happened?
I’ve spent a lot of time recently reflecting on how I got here, where I’m going, and how to get somewhere new. A new year will do that to you.
In December, I was so lucky to participate in Jesse Anderson’s Plan Your Extra Focus Year Workshop - 10/10 recommend downloading his workbook and setting aside a chunk of time to go through it. It was eye-opening.
But, it didn’t start out that way.
When I first sat down to review my 2023, this is basically all I could dig up from the past year:
January - Don’t remember
February - No Clue
March - Probably wore green at some point? 🍀
April - Couldn’t remember if my life depended on it
May - Started getting warm outside probably
June - Yay Summer!
July - I think there were some birthday parties? And yay summer!
August - Starting to remember bits
September - Nope. Nothing.
October - Can’t even remember what my Halloween costume was
November - ADHD Conference! Omg how is it almost Christmas?
December - Merry mother of pearl, what the hell happened this year
Sound familiar?
I was DEEPLY concerned by my lack of memory and inability to recall what exactly happened over the course of my year…and I can’t help but blame my ADHD. Poor memory is deeply connected to ADHD - you can learn more about that HERE via an article by Verywellmind.
I’m sure this resonates with you.
After a LOT of reflection and research, I discovered what actually happened in my world in 2023: (Yes - I had to RESEARCH what the hell happened in my own life)
I hosted the first ever ADHD Women’s Retreat in Jamaica and the dang thing sold out. 😲
My Instagram page hit 193,000 followers
BURNOUT. So much burnout that I stopped my podcast, newsletter, coaching and content creation completely - as you may have noticed ? (I’m slowly making my way back - stay tuned 😉)
I partnered with Universal Studios and was able to take my family of five on an all-expense paid trip of a lifetime (Yes - I had FORGOTTEN that this happened)
I went to Disney World on a separate trip with one of my childhood friends
I went to sporting events, concerts, conferences..
Oh yeah, did I mention that I was featured in a documentary about ADHD??
I tell you all of this for two reasons… 1) To help you feel seen. No one understands these memory issues the way that another ADHDer does. I see you and omg I feel it too. And 2) to share some important steps that you can take to not forget your life…
A few of my recommendations for remembering are:
Scroll through your photo album in your phone - such a great visual reminder of what you’ve been up to
JOURNAL and read back through the pages periodically
Set aside time for this exercise. Remembering is so important and critical - otherwise, we can feel unproductive and lazy. In reality, I’m guessing you accomplished so much in the last year. ❤
I’d love to hear about the accomplishments in 2023 that you forgot about! Share them here 👇
On a very important side note, I want to thank you for sticking it out with me and for being here on this journey. Part of me wants to apologize for stepping away, but part of me knows that you understand more than anyone. I’m excited to be back and creating more ADHD content in 2024 - Thank you for your support.
Much love,
Trina
Thanks for this. I forget so much, and once you start getting older, it’s even scarier—is this early onset dementia or what?
Sleep deprivation doesn’t help. 🫤
Remembering what I've done is a big one for me too. As a woman who most probably has Adhd (undiagnosed) this resonated with me so much. My memory is terrible.