Avoid ADHD Burnout by Slowing Down to Speed Up: 7th Anniversary #279
Click the triangle to play this episode or scroll down to read:
Have you ever pushed so hard to finish something… only to realize you’re not actually at the finish line?
In this episode, I’m catching you up on life lately, from wrapping up my book to what the last several months have really looked like behind the scenes. Writing over 100,000 words, navigating intense editing, and learning how my brain works best stretched me in ways I didn’t expect. And honestly, it was both exciting and exhausting.
We’re talking about what happens after a big push, that weird in-between space where you thought you’d feel “done,” but instead you feel a little lost. I’m sharing what I learned about perfectionism, pacing, and why celebrating your progress matters way more than we think.
I also open up about slowing down this summer, rethinking what actually matters in this season, and how I’m trying to make life feel easier instead of doing more. Plus, a few personal updates, including a surprising health discovery and what’s coming next with the book.
If you’ve been running on empty or wondering what comes after the sprint, this one will feel like a deep exhale.
Links mentioned in this episode:
Get book updates here: patriciasung.com/book
Add your name to the annual ADHD mom retreat waitlist: patriciasung.com/retreat-waitlist
Looking for support on how to treat your ADHD beyond medicine?
Grab my free list of strategies and ADHD treatments at patriciasung.com/beyond-meds
Patricia Sung [00:00:02]:
Are you overwhelmed by motherhood and barely keeping your head above water? Are you confused and frustrated by how all the other moms make it look so easy? You can't figure out how to manage the chaos in your mind, your home, or your family. I get you, Mama. Parenting with ADHD is hard. Here is your permission slip to let go of the Pinterest worthy visions of organization and structure fitness for everyone else. Let's do life like our brains do life. Creatively, lovingly, and with all our might. When we embrace who we are and how our brains work, we can figure out how to live our lives successfully and in turn, lead our families well. At the end of the day, we just want to be good moms.
Patricia Sung [00:00:47]:
But spoiler alert, you are already a great moment. ADHD does not mean you're doomed to be a hot mess, Mama. You can rewrite your story from shame spiral to success story, and I'll be right here beside you to cheer you on. Welcome to Motherhood in ADHD.
Patricia Sung [00:01:08]:
Hey there, successful mama. It's your friend, Patricia Sung. Oh, man, have I missed you. I don't necessarily miss sitting on my closet on the Baffinealer, but this room does have the best acoustics, so I do miss hanging out with you. I miss sitting here and chatting with you. And, man, it's been a minute. I didn't really know how long it would take me to finish the book and how long I was gonna have to pause the podcast to wrap it up. But, I mean, it does put good perspective on, like, what you really love doing when you're like, I.
Patricia Sung [00:01:39]:
Oh, I miss doing that thing. Like, I. I miss hanging out and talking to you. I miss interviewing guests and learning from other people and researching. And, like, granted, I was doing a lot of learning and researching during the book writing, but I just miss my first love because this is, you know, where I started. And in that break, the podcast celebrated its seventh birthday. I cannot believe I've been doing this for seven years. That's pretty crazy.
Patricia Sung [00:02:08]:
As someone with ADHD to stick with anything for seven years. Pretty good. So I am so glad that you were here with me still, after all this time and that you're here and. And you're listening, and I'm really thankful for this community. So I'm gonna ease back in. I'm gonna give you a little, like, life update of what's going on, where the book is, and what's going on with my personal life. Like, it's just. It's been a whirlwind, and it's been fun.
Patricia Sung [00:02:29]:
It's been interesting. I've learned a lot about myself. So I'm gonna ease back in over the next couple months of the summer with probably just, like, one episode a month, because in the fall, I'll be going full force. Like, it'll be the time where I'm in full book publicity mode. And, like, we're gonna be doing a lot of. Not just here, but on. You know, I'm gonna try to interview on other podcasts and get the word out, because I really do want as many ADHD moms as possible to have the resources available to know that you aren't broken. There's nothing wrong with you.
Patricia Sung [00:03:01]:
You are a good mom. You are trying, and that matters. And, like, there's nothing wrong with you. And that we. We're learning how our ADHD brains work so that we can set up a really awesome life that fits you, what you want and getting out of the burnout and the overwhelm self confidence and that trust in yourself so that you can really hear what your inside you is telling you, and trusting that. That you make good decisions and you know what's best. Like, I think that's what I learned most in, like, having to gather all my thoughts into one place about how I view ADHD in adult women is that I see the theme so clearly now of what women are really struggling with when it comes to adult adhd. And I just have so much to say, so much that I wrote over a hundred thousand words on it.
Patricia Sung [00:03:51]:
Um, and don't worry, a lot of it got cut. Editing is brutal, and I do not like editing. That was not my favorite part. I loved writing because I felt like I was just talking to you here, but in written form. And I wrote a lot of the book verbally. Like, I recorded myself on the notes app, transcribed it into Google Docs, and then, like, made it sound like something written and not too. Oh, man. What's the word I'm looking for? Um.
Patricia Sung [00:04:13]:
Oh, man. See y' all. The perimenopause. I just, like, lose words, you know, when you, like, stream of consciousness. Stream of consciousness. I didn't want the book to be stream of consciousness, which sometimes this podcast does that. I wanted to, you know, be able to organize those thoughts well. But.
Patricia Sung [00:04:28]:
So I really enjoyed writing. It felt like I was writing to you, and I did not like the editing. That part was really hard. It was hard to remember what I wrote nine months ago. It was hard to remember what I wrote last week and then bring it down to be like, does this make sense? Am I explaining this well? Like it was a workout. I'm so glad that I had an editor to do a vast chunk of it. And I mean, I give her credit. Rachel cut out like almost 20,000 words, I think.
Patricia Sung [00:04:52]:
So I've got all this saved up for something later. I don't know, maybe they're trash, maybe there'll be emails, but. But it's done. I did it. I am really proud of myself and I don't say that often enough to be honest. And I want to encourage you to like stop and celebrate the things that you do celebrate when you get something done, even if it's something tiny, like putting that pair of shoes that's been sitting by the door for three weeks or three months, like celebrate. You're doing a good job. And I am trying really hard to change that narrative in my head of celebrating the things that I do well when I accomplish things.
Patricia Sung [00:05:25]:
Because our ADHD brains are much more excited about like the progress and the journey and like getting there than we are with the completed product. And so I am trying to change that narrative in my head and being like, just pause and celebrate. Patricia, like, you did a really hard thing and, and you finished it. It's done, it's complete. Like that's amazing. I mean, how many people have considered writing a book and never got around to it or have, you know, the pieces, parts there, but it's only, you know, 80% complete. Like I, I highly recommend having a deadline that is I. It's just got done.
Patricia Sung [00:06:00]:
I mean, it's written, it's edited, but now it's with the proofreaders, it's with the project editor, it's with the copy editors. So like they're checking for all the grammar mistakes, which is like a pet peeve of mine. I'm really hoping that we can catch them all. I know there's probably still gonna be one, but I'm waiting on the copy editor to like flag anything that's like, oh, is that like, could you explain this better? Like, I'm not quite sure what you're saying here. Like there shouldn't be too many of them. Cuz they said overall, I mean, I was really thorough with my editing. Maybe even too thorough. Like that could be something I learned, you know, to do better next time.
Patricia Sung [00:06:29]:
But for now, like, I'm really happy with it. I do continue to think like now that it's been a couple weeks since I've turned in and I still think of like, ooh, could I say this better? Could I, you know, did I mention this? And it's hard not to put all those side quests and side tangents in cuz I want you to know everything there is about it. And yet also that would be really overwhelming. So it's hard to know what to keep and what to cut. But I hope you love it. I really am like so happy that there's gonna be like a paper form of this where moms everywhere can read it and truly understand it and like know that there's support there and that you don't have to do this alone. Like, I just, I cannot wait for all the moms to be able to be like, wow, it's not just me. But anyway.
Patricia Sung [00:07:11]:
Okay, now I'm getting off on a tangent again. Back to the actual book. Like the inside hopefully will be done late May, early June. And then of course, we still have to do the outside stuff. So like, you know, the COVID and the blurb and all that kind of things. But I definitely would do it differently next time. Like, I feel like it took me a while to kind of get into my groove. And then once I was in the groove and I like, knew what I was doing, I wrote really fast, I think.
Patricia Sung [00:07:33]:
I mean, I don't know, I didn't compare it to anybody else's, but like, I felt like I was taking the information out of my brain and putting on the page at a fairly quick rate. What I really underestimated was the amount of time the editing would take. I didn't realize how hard that would be. I didn't realize how time consuming it would be. And I had put in my mind, like, I knew my deadline was the end of January, and so I really pushed myself to finish it before Christmas break so that I could enjoy that time. And I did. I finished it on the Saturday. So I did have to work Saturday morning to finish it when my kids were already on vacation.
Patricia Sung [00:08:03]:
But I turned it in that Saturday and then I got to rest through the holidays. But I really underestimated how much editing would take out of me and how much like, energy capacity it took and like the mental decision and the fatigue. So that was hard. And then I also just had this eye on the prize of like, it's due at the end of January. Well, like, my part was due at the end of January, but then my editor still had all the month of February to do the editing on her part, so she was able to start. We were able to like tag team throughout January and February, so we're able to spread that Out. But in my head, I was thinking, like, in January, I'm going to be done. And then on February 1st, I get to, like, relax.
Patricia Sung [00:08:42]:
That's a lie. I. We're still doing all this editing because my editor's due date was the end of February. So even though my head, like, I had pushed myself to the marathon of all of January to be like, it's done. Like, I turned it in at the end of January, I just didn't know that, like, the next step meant me editing with her and still, like, going just as hard in February. So that was, I think, a really rough lesson to learn is that I powered through to get to the finish line, and it wasn't the finish line. It was just a mile marker. And I was like, what do you mean? I still have.
Patricia Sung [00:09:18]:
So I have another month to go. So I ended up turning it in right at the beginning of March, which was great, but it really was, like, it was a full on marathon there at the end. Like, it was hard. I had to push through to get it done. And my kids were getting irritated because they were like, I thought you said it was gonna be done already. And I'm like, I'm trying. I'm over here, like, you know, trying to knock out the last bits, which is not my strength in the first place. Like, I'm an idea generator.
Patricia Sung [00:09:44]:
I'm a visionary. I'm a wanderer. I'm over here, like, thinking of all the things we could do, coming up with all the ideas, and that, like, last, you know, 5% of the details is the part where I'm like, oh, can't, like, someone else do that? And granted, my editor was very much doing a lot of that stuff, but it's. It's ultimately my book, and I want it to be what I want it to be. And maybe that's a control issue on my part, but, like, I wanted it to be the best thing that it could be. So I would definitely give myself more time to do the editing. Because I was only able to share one section with the beta readers. And like, oh, my gosh, I love my beta readers.
Patricia Sung [00:10:18]:
You guys are amazing. If you are listening beta readers, I love you. The feedback was so helpful. I think that the first section that I gave the beta readers, it was, like, a lot of the same information, but I rearranged it completely based on their feedback. And it's the same things, but, like, I was able to, like, condense it down and reorganize it in a way that made so much more sense. And the funny part is, like, the software I was using, if people don't create a login, it just gives them this, like, anonymous name, which is an adjective and an animal. So I'd be like, ignorant Spider said, blah, blah, blah, and, like, woeful donkeys. Just like.
Patricia Sung [00:10:52]:
And it's funny because, like, I, like, I knew I was like, oh, you know what? Pretty sure this was Bashful Goose that said this. Like, it was. It was awesome. I really wish that I had had more time to get more feedback from beta readers on the parts two through five, because it was just so helpful to have people's feedback, even when it was, like, harsh. Like, I really had to, like, prepare myself mentally of, like, Patricia, this is not a reflection of you. This is, like, a way to make the book better. And so when I went in, my feelings were not that hurt. Like, if I just think back to, like, 10 years ago, I would have died with this amount of, like, criticism.
Patricia Sung [00:11:27]:
Like, I never could have powered through it. It was just too much. And in this case, I really looked. It was like, truly, like, I want this book to be the best possible thing. And I wanted people to tell me the truth. I wanted people to be like, Patricia, this paragraph is no good. Please get rid of it. And there were.
Patricia Sung [00:11:42]:
There were some points where people were like, this doesn't make sense. Or this. You really. You're just going too far here. Like, cut this out. Or like, it sounds like you're whining. Like, please tell me. I want to know.
Patricia Sung [00:11:51]:
I want this to be the best book possible. So that beta reader feedback was so helpful. So I would want to do more of that. But, yeah, overall, like, I loved writing. Not such a fan of editing, but I think I would do it again. Like, not in. In the next month, but I would do it again. I think it was far more doable than I thought it was going to be.
Patricia Sung [00:12:12]:
And granted, like, I asked for help, I had support. I figured out how I worked best. And if you want to know more about that, like, let me know. I'm always taking suggestions for topics. So, like, you're like, no, Patricia, I want to know how you figured out how to write a book when you have adhd. Like, please tell me. And there are, like, ADHD writer communities out there. Like, if you know Meredith Carter and Jesse Anderson, they have a.
Patricia Sung [00:12:32]:
An ADHD writers group. Um, I used Write helpful books was really helpful to me, that website. I think there are resources out there that will support you in that. But if that's something you want to Learn more about. Tell me. I will happily talk about it. But the people are like, Patricia, I did not care then. I don't need to tell you about it.
Patricia Sung [00:12:47]:
But overall, if you want to know more about the book, go to my website, patriciasung.com/book. It's in the, you know, the menu. Sign up for updates and hear what's going on. I mean, I would love to tell you about it. And then secondarily, my life. What's been going on with my life? It's been a hot minute since I talked to you.
Patricia Sung [00:13:07]:
What can you do to treat your adhd?
Patricia Sung [00:13:09]:
Medicines are a great way to help
Patricia Sung [00:13:11]:
so many people, but they don't work for everyone. And sometimes you're in a place or a season that they're just not going to work out. Right now, maybe they're not an option. I have put together a list of a ton of ideas, most of which I either have done or I'm currently doing myself to take care of my adhd. This is like the full brainstorm list of what you can do to take care of yourself beyond medication. Head over to patriciasung.com/beyondmeds and grab yourself that checklist. That's patriciasung.com/beyondmeds for a free checklist of all the ways that you can take care of yourself beyond medication.
Patricia Sung [00:14:00]:
So looking back at my life for like the last six to nine months that I've been working on this book, like, I have learned a lot about myself and like a good way and like a forced way. Like, I when you're writing a book, you really do have to look inward a lot if you want it to, like, make progress. It's like I had to learn how did I work best in order to function and like, actually get the book done. But also like living as a mom and a wife and a partner and still have friends and like, there were definitely pieces of my life that got put on the back burner in there. But I do think I learned a lot about how I work best because I made that a priority. Like, I was like, I want to be able to get this done in the most efficient way possible. And like, writing a book is not efficient. Like, I wrote over a hundred thousand words and had to, you know, 20,000 of them get chopped.
Patricia Sung [00:14:45]:
Like, how crazy is it to spend? I'm like, I don't even want to know how many hours I spent writing things that got deleted. Like, it's highly inefficient. But in understanding How I work best. I was able to let go of the guilt and shame when, like, the words weren't flowing or, like, I was struggling. It's like, okay, well, how do I make this easy? What fits? For Patricia, it really was like a sprint there at the end to finish it, and a sprint at the end of a marathon, and I am making myself slow down after that. Like, it was good in the sense of, like, I really did a good job of, like, buckling down and getting it done, but it was almost like it was just too much. It was just.
Patricia Sung [00:15:17]:
It was a lot.
Patricia Sung [00:15:17]:
And I don't miss that part of school at all. Like, when you're, like, you know, trying to, like, write a midterm paper down to the deadline. Like, it was good because it got done, but, like, it was just. It was hard. It was a sprint. And I kid you not, like, I turned in the book just before I went to go pick up my kids at, like, 2pm we went out to dinner that night to celebrate. And then one of my kids got the flu that night and started vomiting, and we had five days of flu A. And then we had spring break.
Patricia Sung [00:15:44]:
And then I got back and was like, what am I doing with my life? Like, I'm not even sure. Like, I look at so many things, just got put on the back burner, and that was fine. Like, that was a decision I made of, like, I'm gonna let some of these things go while I'm finishing the book. Well, then I looked around, I was like, oh, my gosh, there's a lot of stuff that didn't get done. So things in my business, like, I have emails piled up. If you have emailed me, I'm sorry, I've not responded. Like, there's emails I'm still trying to sort through and, you know, respond to people and learning. Like, what are the things that I should be responding to and what are the things? I just gotta let go.
Patricia Sung [00:16:12]:
It's just not happening. Like, there's only one of me. What am I gonna do? And looking at, like, this feeling that's been sitting on my heart for probably at least the last month, probably, like, the last three months. Like, as I was hitting the home stretch of my book and looking at, like, what do I want this to look like going forward? Like, how do I want to help moms? Do I want to go back to doing what I was doing before the book? Because before the book, like, I was doing group coaching, and we had successful mama meetups and a lot of stuff that I really love doing, but I had to stop doing to make space for the book. And I'm like, well, do I want to pick those back up again? Am I supposed to be doing something else? Like, what am I doing? What am I doing with my life? I just felt like. I kept saying, like, what am I doing with my life? What am I doing? Like, I need to pull it all together. It's like, in that feeling of, like, feeling behind, I was, like, starting to feel that I'm like, I just wrote a whole chapter on feeling behind. What am I.
Patricia Sung [00:16:57]:
What am I behind on and looking at? Like, you know, even as a mom, you have these feelings of, like, you know, some of the feelings of feeling behind you can combat. And some of them are like, just, moms have a lot to do, and there is a lot of stuff. And so, you know, we can't just be, like, eliminate a few things. Like, no, as a mom, there's a lot going on. So it definitely made me think about, like, yes, I'm making sure that I'm comparing to, like, what really matters but not beating myself up because, like, yeah, as a mom, there is a lot to do. So I've been looking at, like, the things that are really important to me. Like, I didn't spend a lot of time with friends. Like, I tried to do some things in there to make sure that I was taking care of myself and resting.
Patricia Sung [00:17:30]:
But, like, I miss hanging out with my friends. So I've been trying to do that, you know, some more in the last couple weeks, and there's still friends that I haven't seen. And I'm like, what am I gonna do that? And so I've been trying to schedule more play dates for my kids because, again, I was not having anybody over my house. Like, I'm like, I don't have time for that. Gotta finish this book. Gotta finish the book. And making space for those things that are important to me. Like, my kids having good relationships, getting back into moving.
Patricia Sung [00:17:53]:
Like, I don't like talking about, like, from an exercise standpoint, but, like, just, like, the movement of my body. It's like going on more walks and, like, meeting up with friends to walk, figuring out, like, what classes at the community center do I want to take, but making it really easy so that I can get moving again. And I, you know, I can figure out the most perfect plan later if it ever comes. But that okayness with, like, okay, I'm just gonna start, and it's not gonna be perfect. How can I make this really easy to Start. So, like, my husband is traveling a lot right now with his work. So, like, I walk the kids to school, and then I walk around the neighborhood for, like, 30 to 45 minutes. And that's a really easy way to be moving.
Patricia Sung [00:18:28]:
It doesn't involve me, like, trying to find the schedule for the gym, or, like, I'm not having to pack a bag to go somewhere. It's like, how do I make that really easy? So, like, anything that you're really struggling with right now, how can you make it easier? When I think about, like, coming up with the perfect, like, movement plan, it's like, I make it way too complicated. Like, just keep it really simple. I can adjust from there, but, like, once you start moving, you start gathering the information, then you can actually adjust it to what you need to. A lot of times when we have adhd, we're trying to find, like, the perfect solution from the get go, and it's not possible to find the perfect solution from the get go because you don't know everything yet. So, you know, finding a place in my schedule for those things that got put to the back burner that matter to me. So, like, making sure that I'm doing my Bible study in the mornings, making sure that I'm doing some kind of movement multiple times a week, making sure that I'm making time for friends and I have that scheduled. And if there's some way I can combine those things together and get, you know, double duty, a walk with a friend, like, that's even better.
Patricia Sung [00:19:20]:
But making space for those things that matter to me and just letting myself rest the last couple weeks, like, as much as I, again, I must. As I miss doing the podcast, I'm like, I had to slow down for a minute because between, like, finishing the book, then the flu, then spring break, then looking around at my life, being like, what am I doing in my life? Then we had Easter break, and now my husband's traveling a bunch for work. It's like, bam, bam, bam, bam. It's like, Patricia, slow down. What really matters here in this last month of, like, feeling uncomfortable in this, like, evaluation time? Having a very clear message from God. After a while, there was a whole month where I'm like, God, what am I doing? What am I doing? I don't know what to do now. There's just so many things here to do. Which ones matter? It wasn't until I was actually saying, like, okay, but, like, what do you want me to do? Like, forget what Patricia wants to do.
Patricia Sung [00:20:09]:
What do you want me to do and allowing myself to think about it and pray about it and like, let the Holy Spirit talk instead of me talking over it. Because I, you know, I like to talk and just listening. It's like my mission has always been from the get go, how do I help as many moms as possible. And that's what I'm going to do. And that message right now is like, slow down. Yes, I do need to, like, clean up the admin pile of stuff that got ignored, but it's not like an emergency. No admin stuff an emergency. I can start the podcast back up slow because I know by the fall I'm gonna be, you know, ripping and roaring and just taking this time to be quieter and slow and not fill that space up with more stuff and listening to what I'm supposed to be doing.
Patricia Sung [00:20:53]:
So I feel like I think I know where the path is, vaguely. Like I know what the next step is. I don't know what the full thing is, but, you know, just taking time to slow down and appreciate that I get to have the space. Like, I'm really lucky and I'm very privileged to be able to work part time and that my husband has a solid job that pays our bills, and so that's such a privilege. And I forget that sometimes that, like, I am so privileged. I'm so lucky to be able to do a job that I love part time and not feel stressed about it. Like, most of the stress is me making up the stress of, like, wanting to do bigger and better things. And that's.
Patricia Sung [00:21:26]:
That's on me and I don't have to do that. Like, I can really enjoy my life in this season and, like, to just let myself do that and stop being. Stop being anxious, Patricia. Panicking over things that are like, nobody told you but you. Or there are people that tell me stuff, but, like, does their voice matter? Does their opinion matter? What does this look like to set up my business in the way that really makes sense for, like, what you need and what I am capable of carrying? So there's been a lot of freedom there in slowing down, taking it easy for the summer because it's gonna be a busy season come fall, and I wanna feel rested and prepared for that because I am so excited to share the book, but I need to have the energy and the capacity to do that. If I keep running all summer long, I'm gonna. The kids are gonna go off to school and I'm gonna be like, oh, my gosh, I need a vacation for my vacation. And I don't wanna feel like that.
Patricia Sung [00:22:14]:
So that's been an interesting shift because I'm normally, like, a doer, a mover, a shaker. What's next on the list? And that's not what this season's about, which is a. A learning time for me, for sure. And then I forget. Like, sometimes I'm like, oh, man. Cause I have nothing going on. No, I don't. I have things going on.
Patricia Sung [00:22:30]:
The retreat's gonna be open for ticket sales in May. And then I'm like, totally forget that that exists. Like. But, like, we'll talk more about that next time. Like, the tickets will be on sale for the October 2026 retreat come next month, and half the spots are already gone. There's 14 spots. Seven of the moms from last year already signed up again, So I think 70%. It's pretty awesome return rate.
Patricia Sung [00:22:52]:
And I'm still hoping those other three moms are gonna sign up now that they know the. We get closer to the dates and stuff and what. Whatever's going on in their lives. But, you know, sometimes life gets in the way of having fun. But that means that there's seven spots left. And so if that's something that you're thinking about, like, you're welcome to reach out and ask questions. It's a really awesome group of moms. I love them so much, and I know you will too, but.
Patricia Sung [00:23:14]:
Yeah, so we'll talk more about the retreat next time. But, you know, just put that little bug in your ear that those tickets will be on sale soon. And obviously I need to be talking about that. I definitely am not. I have plenty to do, but I'm not putting anything else on my plate than what's already there. And I'm taking it easy over the summer. Oh, and then that's like. The other random update news is that I am getting hearing aids.
Patricia Sung [00:23:35]:
I realized that I was having trouble hearing, especially my kids. Like, I could hear them talking. And a friend of mine explained it best. It sounds like they're underwater. Like, they're. They're. I can hear that they are speaking, and I don't understand what they're saying. So it's just, like, mumbly, like.
Patricia Sung [00:23:50]:
And I'm like, what? What huh?
Patricia Sung [00:23:51]:
What?
Patricia Sung [00:23:51]:
I just found myself saying, what huh? More than usual. Because I already say that because I have adhd. Like, it. Sometimes my processing takes a second, and then, like, usually I understand the sentence and then I answer before they finish repeating it. But in this case, like, I genuinely did not know what they say. And so I went and got a hearing test done at the audiologist, saw the ENT to make sure I don't just have, like, waxy ears or something. And I have the pattern of hearing loss. That's usually something that happens when you're older, but, like, not in your early 40s older, but, like, like 50s or 70s older.
Patricia Sung [00:24:20]:
And so it probably is partially genetic, but they don't really know for sure what caused it. And also don't know, like, if it's like, progressing or anything, because I've. I don't know that I've ever had, like, an audiology testing done, except maybe like, in grade school when they just, you know, do the, like, cursory check for, like, scoliosis hearing, vision, you know. So basically I'm struggling with the sounds that are women's voices, children's voices, and consonant sounds, which. That all tracks, and especially in really loud places. So, like, the trigger for me was I was at a friend's going away party, and I was really struggling to understand some of the people that I was talking to. They were all women's voices that I was struggling with. And the guys I could hear, and I was like, I just.
Patricia Sung [00:25:00]:
I think something's up. So I went and got checked. And yes. So it's not like a major loss. Like, I'm still in the smaller end of things, but chances are it will progressively get worse. So I am getting hearing aids. I went and got a. Like, it's a test run to see what ones I liked.
Patricia Sung [00:25:18]:
And I. I felt like Spider Woman, because all of a sudden I could hear things that I hadn't heard in so long. And it's like, you don't realize what you're missing until you then can hear it. You're like, oh, my gosh. I. Whoa. That was. I really was not hearing a lot of things.
Patricia Sung [00:25:28]:
And so I'm really looking forward to having those because, like, I'm a little, like, nervous. I'm going to a conference this weekend, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, it's a mom conference. It's gonna be all ladies, and it's gonna be a lot of background noise. It's gonna be hard. So this should be interesting. I wish they were coming in before that, but I got, like, the first available appointment, so here we are. We'll have those in the next week and get them fitted. And I'm hoping that it'll really.
Patricia Sung [00:25:50]:
It will help a lot. I just. I. It's been a struggle, and I'm glad that I listened to my intuition and said, I need to go get that checked. So if you have something that seems weird, if you're able to go get it checked because you're. You're probably not wrong. There's probably something going on. It may not be the thing that you think it is, but usually if you think something's going on, something's going on.
Patricia Sung [00:26:07]:
Okay, I gotta go. I gotta go pick up kids from school, so. It was so fun talking to you. There's my life update. Let me know what you're thinking. If there's. You have podcast requests. I have a hundred million people that have applied to be a guest for the podcast, and I'm gonna have to deal with all that in the fall and get everybody scheduled.
Patricia Sung [00:26:23]:
But if there's certain topics that you want to hear about coming up, like, let me know. Talk to me. I feel like I've been hibernating, writing this book, which I have, and I miss. I miss hanging out with you. You. So let me know how it's going, what's going on. And yeah, there's my life update. So reminder to ask yourself how you can make things easier.
Patricia Sung [00:26:41]:
It doesn't have to be that hard. Like, you don't have to find the perfect solution. It's not like, in a facetious way, but it's like, just take the pressure off yourself. What could you do to make this a little bit easier for yourself? Because you deserve for it to be easier. It doesn't have to be this hard. It's not to say that you're going to be able to, like, take all the stress and troubles away, but, like, is there a way that you can make it a little bit easier for yourself? Then do it. It. All right, I will talk to you soon.
Patricia Sung [00:27:01]:
Successful Mama. I'm going to go pick up some children. Have a wonderful day, Successful Mama.
Patricia Sung [00:27:07]:
For more resources, classes, and community, head over to my website, motherhoodinadhd.com.