ADHD, Anxiety, and the Practices I Chose to Support Myself

There was a period when I experienced ADHD and persistent anxiety at the same time. My thoughts often felt loud and difficult to manage. I remember moving through the day in a fog, with my heart racing and my breath catching.

The commute to college was especially hard. In a crowded metro carriage, I felt physically hemmed in and mentally overwhelmed. By the time I reached class, I was already exhausted. If a professor called my name, my hands would shake and my heart would pound. I might know the answer, but I would stammer and then fall silent.

I worried about what my classmates thought of me. I wondered whether they were laughing or whispering about how slow or strange I seemed. Those thoughts made me watch and criticise myself constantly. I struggled to focus on what was being taught because so much of my energy went into getting through the anxiety.

I began leaving college early, my attendance fell, and eventually I made the difficult decision to leave. I remember feeling behind in my studies and in my social life. I was also struggling with my body image and confidence.

Beginning again

Later, I enrolled in an open university and decided to give more attention to my mental well-being. I chose to practise mantra meditation, using sacred sounds from spiritual texts. For me, it was a voluntary spiritual practice and a form of self-care, not a quick fix.

I paid attention to the rhythm of the mantra and to my breathing. At times, the practice helped me feel more present and gave me a pause from anxious thoughts. This was my experience of a practice that felt meaningful to me; it did not make anxiety disappear.

My partner encouraged me to try a gym. I was reluctant and uncomfortable in my body, but I decided to begin and kept attending regularly. The decision and the work were mine, while my partner's encouragement made that first step feel less lonely.

The trainers and other people at the gym welcomed me and spoke to me. I remember their encouragement helping me feel more at ease around others. Over time, I began paying more attention to what my body could do and less to judging its appearance. I noticed changes in my confidence and in the way I spoke and carried myself.

What changed for me

Anxiety did not vanish. I still noticed it at times. Meditation sometimes gave me space to pause, and regular exercise became another support I had chosen for myself. Neither was a cure or a promise about what would work for someone else.

I remember becoming better able to attend my online classes, speak without trembling, and interact with people more comfortably. Those changes mattered to me because they returned parts of daily life that had once felt difficult to reach.

I do not think one path fits everyone. This is the path I chose, with support from my partner and a community around the gym. Other people may need different kinds of support. For me, progress has meant continuing to live with anxiety while making room for study, conversation, movement, and a spiritual practice that remains personally meaningful.