ADHD and Everyday Fatigue

ADHD and everyday fatigue are not always easy to understand while you are standing right in the middle of life.
Sometimes the body says stop before the mind even understands why.

🇸🇪 Läs inlägget på svenska här: Godmorgon från soffan – om katter, trötthet och att ramla ihop en stund

This became a post about exhaustion, everyday life, grandchildren, birthday celebrations, and living a little too much with your whole heart.

Good morning 🌿

The coffee is right beside me, and I just let the cat back inside again.
He ate some food and is now sitting in the armchair, getting ready for yet another nap.

That cat has developed some bad habits.

Last night he woke me up at four in the morning because he wanted to go outside. He does not meow like normal cats. No, he lies down on top of me in bed. And if I still do not wake up, he starts moving around until I finally open my eyes.

Now he is lying there sleeping peacefully, the little rascal.

A small part of me thought about waking him up later just to get revenge. But then I realized he would never understand why. To him there is no revenge. He just wanted to go outside.

So I let him sleep.

And maybe there is something important in that too.

ADHD, Intensity and a Body That Says Stop

It has been a bit much lately.
Or honestly — quite a lot.

I recognize my own patterns so well:
go all in … and then collapse for a while.

It is not really sustainable. Maybe it never has been.

But this is often how I function.
I throw my whole self into life, people, grandchildren, conversations, the blog, everyday moments, and everything that needs to be done.

Yesterday I could actually feel my body starting to protest before I fully understood it.

I started freezing when we got home after helping Malou with the basketball hoop and the trampoline. We played with Alfred and spent time outside together.

Later Tommy made dinner and picked up our daughter because they were going to watch hockey downstairs on the big TV.

I had planned to light the fire for them first and then sit upstairs and watch a movie.

But I barely even started.

I lay down on the couch and fell asleep before the opening credits were over.

ADHD and Feeling the Stop Too Late

The strange thing is that the mind often believes you should just keep going a little longer.

Just finish one more thing.
Just fix one more thing.
Just try a little harder first.

But eventually the body stops caring about all that.

It simply shuts down.

And maybe that is exactly what my body is trying to tell me now:
that I need to start listening earlier instead of waiting until I completely crash on the couch.

Because the signals were there before:
the freezing, the exhaustion, the heaviness in my body.

But I am not always very good at listening.

Small Mornings and Ordinary Life

So here I am sitting with my coffee beside me while the cat sleeps safely in the armchair after his nighttime adventure.

And somehow life feels both very ordinary and very human.

Maybe mornings like these are exactly what we need sometimes.

Not to perform.
Not to be perfect.

But simply to land softly inside ourselves for a while.

ADHD and Feeling the Stop Too Late

I also think ADHD plays a part in this.

Because I am very good at pushing forward when something feels important, exciting, or alive. There is almost no middle ground. I go in with my whole heart.

The problem is that the body does not always keep up.

Sometimes I do not realize I am exhausted until I almost collapse. It is like the signals arrive too late, or maybe I push past them for too long.

And at the same time, there is something beautiful in that too.
Because the same intensity that makes me tired is also what allows me to play wholeheartedly with Alfred, write with my whole heart, and feel life so deeply.

But I probably need to become better at resting before my body forces me to.

I think many people with ADHD recognize this kind of everyday exhaustion.

Football, Basketball and a Body Protesting

Like yesterday when I played football with Alfred. He was dribbling and showing off with the ball, and at one point I actually managed to get it from him. But he kept fighting for it and ran right in front of me, which caused me to fall.

And in that exact moment I thought:
oh dear God… I am not that flexible anymore. That hurt. I am definitely breaking something now.

But I did not.

Alfred looked at me and said:

– Grandma, I think we should play basketball instead. It is calmer.

So that is what we did.

And that little rascal, my grandchild — he is so talented. Like a real basketball player, he kept making basket after basket.

Although grandma was not too bad either.
I actually made a few baskets myself and even got some spin on the ball by the hoop.

Memories from the Birthday Celebration

I think this is also why my body gets so tired sometimes.
Because I live so deeply inside these moments when we are together.

And I keep thinking about Alfred’s birthday celebration.

His joy over grandpa’s cheese puffs.
That happiness children have when something feels truly special.

And the moment just before he blew out the candles.

That cake…
It was truly the cake of all cakes.

At the same time, there was another version with passion fruit curd and fresh berries that tasted almost like summer itself.

And there sat Alfred with his whole face glowing with anticipation while the candle flames flickered in front of him.

Because sometimes happiness is not about big things.
Sometimes it is about people, laughter, cheese puffs, and someone singing while you blow out birthday candles.

ADHD and everyday fatigue – Alfred blowing out candles at his birthday celebration

ADHD and everyday fatigue – Alfred happy about grandpa’s cheese puffs

The fact that a bag of cheese puffs can create that much joy probably says everything about the relationship between Alfred and grandpa. 🌿

Reflection

Sometimes the body tries to protect us long before we understand that we need rest.
Falling asleep in the middle of a movie is not always weakness. Sometimes it is simply a sign that we have carried too much for too long.

Between the Lines – In All of Us

I think many of us recognize this feeling.
Pushing ourselves too far when life feels alive, important, or full of people we love.

We often think:
just a little more first.
Just help a little longer.
Just play a little longer.
Just keep going a little longer.

And sometimes we do not realize how exhausted we are until the body suddenly says stop.

But maybe we are not meant to be strong all the time.
Maybe we also need those moments on the couch, with coffee beside us and some little creature sleeping nearby, where life is allowed to become quiet for a while.

Because even inside the exhaustion there is something beautiful:
that we still feel, care, love, and try to stay close to one another.

And maybe that is where life happens the most.
Not when everything is perfect.
But when we are allowed to simply be human together. 🌿

🌿 You can also read more about strawberry curtains, the birthday celebration, and those little everyday moments that stay with us a bit longer.

Question for You

Do you recognize that feeling of pushing yourself too far before your body finally says stop?

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Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Yesterday already rests in history, tomorrow waits further ahead. But right now — this is where life happens. 🌿

ADHD and Everyday Fatigue – Good Morning from the Couch