Fika Mental Health

You know you need to do something, but you just can't seem to start. You might spend hours worrying about a deadline, make a detailed plan, and still wait until the last possible moment to begin. Or maybe you constantly worry about forgetting things, so you check and double-check everything. From the outside, someone might call you anxious, lazy, unmotivated, or disorganized. But sometimes, there is something else going on. ADHD can look a lot different than people expect. AD

There is something strangely intense about September. You can be years out of school and still feel it. Suddenly the calendar looks fuller. Work gets busier. People start talking about routines again. Summer Fridays disappear. Vacations end. Everyone seems to be reorganizing their life, buying planners, signing up for things and deciding that this is the month they are finally going to get it together. And you might find yourself feeling... worse. More anxious. More restless.

Maybe you were doing relatively fine in July. Then September arrives and suddenly you cannot find anything, your inbox is horrifying, there are appointments everywhere, someone needs a form signed, your calendar has become an elaborate puzzle and you have already forgotten the thing you specifically told yourself not to forget. It can feel like your ADHD suddenly got worse. Sometimes what actually changed is the amount of executive functioning your life is demanding from you.

It can start surprisingly early. You are technically still in the weekend, but somewhere around Sunday afternoon, Monday starts creeping in. You think about your inbox. The meeting you have tomorrow. Everything you didn't get done last week. How early you need to wake up. The fact that you should probably get groceries. Suddenly, Sunday doesn't really feel like time off anymore. People often call this feeling the Sunday scaries: the anxiety, dread or uneasiness that shows up

You know what you should be doing. Get up. Go for a walk. Answer the emails. Finish the project. Exercise. Eat better. Be more organized. Get back on track. So you search for motivation. Maybe you make a new routine, download a productivity app, create a to-do list, or promise yourself that tomorrow will be different. And sometimes it works. For a little while. Then the exhaustion comes back. If you're constantly trying to motivate yourself when what you actually need is reco

You finally have a free afternoon. Nothing urgent needs your attention. You could take a nap, watch a show, read a book, or simply do nothing. Instead, you clean the kitchen. You answer a few emails. You make a list for tomorrow. Then you feel guilty for spending the afternoon "doing nothing." If this sounds familiar, you may be someone who is very good at functioning, even when you're exhausted. You get things done. People can rely on you. You meet deadlines. You show up for

You wake up and your brain is already going. Before your feet even hit the floor, you're thinking about what needs to happen today. The meeting at work. The appointment you need to book. The groceries you forgot to buy. The text you still haven't answered. Something your partner said yesterday. Something you need to remember for tomorrow. Then the day starts. And your mind just keeps going. Even when you're sitting down, you're planning. Even when you're watching TV, you're t

You replay the conversation on your drive home. Did I sound weird? Why did I say that? Did they seem annoyed? Should I have responded differently? Then you remember something you said three days ago and start analyzing that too. Maybe you spend a lot of time questioning your decisions, second-guessing your feelings, or wondering whether you're doing things "right." From the outside, you might seem thoughtful and self-aware. Inside, it can feel exhausting. If you feel like you

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that makes it hard to imagine things getting better. You wake up tired. You go through your day trying to keep up. Things that used to feel manageable now feel overwhelming, and even the thought of making changes feels like another thing you don't have the energy for. Eventually, you might start thinking: "What's the point?" "This is just how my life is now." "I'm never going to feel like myself again." When you've been running on empt

You might not be doing anything particularly demanding. You're sitting on the couch. Maybe you're watching a show or trying to get through dinner. But your phone is beside you, and part of your attention is still waiting for the next notification. A text comes in. You answer. An email appears. You tell yourself you'll deal with it later. Someone sends a message asking a question, and even if you don't respond right away, you're thinking about responding. By the end of the day

There is a strange moment that can happen after a stressful period finally ends. The deadline is over. The move is complete. The relationship has settled. The family crisis has passed. You expect to feel relieved. Instead, you feel exhausted. Maybe you're sleeping more than usual. Your body feels heavy. You're having trouble concentrating. You don't feel motivated to do much of anything, even though the thing that was causing so much stress is finally behind you. You might ev

You love the people in your life. So why do you sometimes feel like you have absolutely nothing left to give them? Maybe you come home from work and don't have the energy to talk. A simple question from your partner feels like one more thing you have to answer. You cancel plans with friends because the thought of being social feels exhausting. You become irritated over small things and then feel guilty afterward. You might even start wondering, "Why am I pulling away from the

You've been looking forward to having nothing to do all day. Then it finally happens. The emails are answered. Your plans are over. The house is quiet. You sit down, expecting to feel relieved, but instead you feel restless, anxious, or strangely uncomfortable. Your mind starts racing. You think about everything you haven't done. You check your phone. You make a mental list of errands. Maybe you even get up and start cleaning because sitting still feels worse than staying bus

You finally sit down, but your mind doesn't. You remember that appointment you need to book. You realize you're almost out of groceries. You need to respond to an email, schedule the dentist, check your bank account, make dinner, remember someone's birthday, and figure out what you're doing this weekend. Nothing is necessarily going wrong. But your brain is carrying a running list of everything that needs your attention. And even when someone says, "Just tell me what you need

Change is a part of life, but that doesn't mean your body always feels ready for it. A new job. Moving homes. Ending or beginning a relationship. Becoming a parent. Starting therapy. Changing your routine. Even something exciting, like a long-awaited vacation, can leave you feeling unsettled. You might know that the change is good. You might even be excited about it. And yet, something inside you still feels anxious, overwhelmed, or resistant. Maybe you're overthinking every

Some days, it's not one big thing that leaves you exhausted. It's answering emails. Deciding what to make for dinner. Responding to text messages. Running errands. Keeping up with work. Remembering appointments. Trying to be present for the people you care about. By the end of the day, you haven't experienced a major crisis, yet you feel completely drained. You might find yourself wondering, "Why am I so exhausted when I didn't even do that much?" If you've had that thought,

You finally have some free time. Your work is mostly caught up, the house is reasonably tidy, and you've been looking forward to slowing down all week. But the moment you sit down, your mind starts racing. "I should answer those emails." "I should clean the kitchen." "I haven't done enough today." Instead of feeling relaxed, you feel restless. Maybe you even feel guilty for taking a break. If you've ever felt like rest is something you have to earn, you're not alone. Many peo

Have you ever gone through a really stressful period and realized you weren't feeling much of anything? Maybe you're getting through your days, checking things off your to do list, showing up for work, caring for your family, and responding to messages, but you don't feel fully present. Things that would normally make you laugh don't have the same effect. You know you care about the people around you, but you feel strangely disconnected from them. It can be unsettling. Many p

Have you ever looked at your to do list and felt like you just couldn't start? Not because you didn't care. Not because you were lazy. But because even the smallest task felt like it required more energy than you had. Maybe you're putting off emails, leaving laundry in the basket for days, or struggling to find the motivation to cook dinner or return a friend's text. You know these things need to get done, but your body and mind seem to hit a wall before you even begin. If th

Have you ever walked away from an argument feeling completely drained, even if you barely said a word? Maybe there was tension at work, a disagreement with your partner, or a difficult conversation with a family member. Long after it was over, you still felt exhausted. Your mind kept replaying what happened, your body felt heavy, and you had little energy left for anything else. If this happens to you, you're not overreacting. For many people, conflict isn't just mentally tir