Riding out a Bad ADHD Day

Inside the ADHD Brain. Image from Unsplash

This story was written a few years ago but still feels just as relevant.

Yesterday was a Bad ADHD day.

Nothing was wrong, but nothing was right.

Even having a casual conversation felt difficult. It was like banging hard on an out-of-tune guitar, desperately trying to play a song I don’t really know — then wondering why the tune sounds so unfamiliar. No matter how hard I strummed, it just wouldn’t come together. Eventually I wanted to smash the guitar and walk away.

I had felt it building for a few days: that deep inner restlessness that makes your whole world feel slightly off. By yesterday it had turned into full-blown irritation, overreaction, and slow-boiling anger.

Nothing was actually wrong, yet everything bothered me. A trivial comment from my boss that normally wouldn’t register suddenly felt infuriating. A coworker’s joke — the kind we make all the time — landed like sandpaper.

I knew I was overreacting, but knowing it didn’t make the feelings go away. It only added another layer of frustration.

This is the internal world of a bad ADHD episode.

I used to get these frequently before medication. The pills help a lot, but every now and then the fog still breaks through hard. It’s more than just being scattered or forgetful. It’s being upset as though something major had happened — when in reality, nothing did.

Lying in bed that night, I couldn’t sleep. My mind kept searching for things to be angry about. I tried to find real incidents to ruminate over, but even the ones I came up with felt insignificant and boring. I was experiencing all the physical and emotional symptoms of being attacked — without any actual attacker.

I was angry, agitated, and restless, but the target kept shifting.

I came very close to quitting my job over something completely trivial. Thankfully, I paused long enough to question whether my reaction matched the situation. It didn’t. Not even close.

The next morning the fog had started to lift.

I showed up to work, and everything was normal. My boss was the same person. My coworkers were joking like always. No one had any clue about the internal storm I had been fighting the day before.

I’m glad I didn’t act on any of those impulses. I didn’t yell, I didn’t quit, and I didn’t unload on anyone.

There’s a difference between bottling things up in a harmful way and simply choosing not to dump your bullshit onto other people.

Sometimes the wisest move is to ride out the storm quietly.

Bad ADHD days like this are exhausting. They remind me how much energy it takes to manage a brain that can turn a completely ordinary day into an emotional battlefield. But they also pass. The clouds eventually roll away, and a new day begins.

One bad day survived. Tomorrow is another chance.