| Before you diagnose yourself with ADHD… read this. If you’re over 40 and lately your brain feels like a browser with 87 tabs open — and none of them are responding — you might be wondering: “Is this ADHD… or am I just losing it?” Before you start Googling life hacks for focus (again), let’s pump the brakes. Because spoiler alert — it might not be ADHD at all. It might just be your hormones throwing a tantrum. 🎭 Here’s what’s going down inside your body:🧠 Estradiol (your MVP estrogen) keeps your brain sharp and your dopamine (your get-things-done chemical) happy. 💥 When estradiol drops (thanks, perimenopause and menopause), dopamine tanks too. 🚨 Tanked dopamine = brain fog, zero focus, motivation hiding somewhere under the couch, and wondering if you’re actually part squirrel. It’s not your fault. You’re not broken. You’re not “bad at life.” You’re just dealing with hormonal chaos. And guess what? It’s totally fixable. What you can do instead of panic:✨ Still have a period? Start symptom tracking around your cycle. Notice when you feel sharp vs when you’re convinced your brain left the building. ✨ No period? Track your best and worst days against the moon cycle. (Yes, I’m officially that doctor telling you to check the MOON. Welcome to the cool club.) Tracking symptoms can help you to see where you’re cycling. Yes, you even cycle long after your period stops. Don’t believe me? Track your symptoms for 2 months, you’ll be shocked by what you learn. Bottom line: Don’t jump straight into an ADHD diagnosis without checking your hormones first. Because no amount of planners, Pomodoro timers, or color-coded to-do lists can fix a dopamine drought. ✨ Help your hormones = help your brain = remember why you walked into the kitchen. Stay tuned — I’ll be dropping some brain health-sleuthing tips Thursday. Your brain deserves the VIP treatment. 🧠💖 Talk soon, Dr. J Your not-so-typical health detectivePS: Want to learn more about this phenomenon? My pal Paula Rastrick talks all about this on Instagram and how we can be hormonally sensitive – check her out below. Podcast with Paula – coming late May! Stay tuned! |
Get back to your wild, active, vibrant self
Let’s figure out what’s accelerating your aging process…
