Many people who come to The Hummingbird Centre wondering about ADHD are surprised when anxiety becomes part of the conversation.
Others come looking for help with anxiety and begin to wonder whether ADHD might also be playing a role.
The reason for this confusion is simple. ADHD and anxiety can look very similar from the outside. Both can affect concentration, memory, sleep, emotional well-being, relationships, work, and study. Both can leave people feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Both can make everyday life feel harder than it should.
It is no surprise that many people struggle to tell the difference.
One of the most common questions we hear is:
"Do I have ADHD or anxiety?"
- The answer is not always straightforward
- Some people have ADHD
- Some people have anxiety
- Many people have both
Understanding the differences can help you make sense of your experiences and decide whether it may be helpful to speak with a psychologist.
What Is Anxiety and Why Does It Affect Everyday Life?
Anxiety is a normal response to stress, uncertainty, or situations that feel threatening. Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. Before an exam, job interview, presentation, or important life event, a certain level of anxiety can actually be helpful.
The problem arises when anxiety becomes persistent and starts affecting daily life.
People experiencing anxiety often describe feeling constantly on edge. Their minds may jump from one worry to another, making it difficult to relax or enjoy the present moment. Some worry about work, relationships, health, finances, or things that have not even happened yet. Others find themselves expecting the worst, even when there is little evidence that something is wrong.
Anxiety does not just affect thoughts. It can also affect the body. Many people experience headaches, muscle tension, stomach discomfort, fatigue, poor sleep, or a racing heart. Over time, living in a constant state of worry can become exhausting.
One thing we often hear from clients is that they feel as though their brain never switches off. Even when they are sitting on the couch at night, their mind may still be running through everything they need to do tomorrow or everything that could potentially go wrong.
What Is ADHD and How Is It Different From Anxiety?
ADHD affects the parts of the brain responsible for attention, organisation, planning, motivation, memory, emotional regulation, and self-control.
Many people think ADHD is simply a problem with concentration, but it is often much broader than that.
Adults with ADHD frequently tell us they struggle to stay organised, manage their time, finish tasks, remember important information, or keep up with everyday responsibilities. Some describe feeling as though they are constantly behind, no matter how hard they try.
One important difference between ADHD and anxiety is the reason attention problems occur.
People with anxiety often struggle to focus because their attention is pulled towards worries, fears, or racing thoughts. They may be trying to complete a task while also thinking about everything that could go wrong.
People with ADHD are often distracted for a different reason. Their attention may jump between tasks, ideas, conversations, or distractions in the environment. They may know exactly what they need to do but find it difficult to get started or stay focused long enough to complete it.
From the outside, both people may appear distracted.
The reason behind the distraction is often very different.
Why Do ADHD and Anxiety Often Occur Together?
Many people assume ADHD and anxiety are completely separate conditions.
In reality, they often overlap.
Living with ADHD can be stressful. Imagine spending years forgetting appointments, losing important items, missing deadlines, struggling to stay organised, or feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities that other people seem to manage with ease.
Over time, those experiences can affect confidence.
Many adults begin to worry about making mistakes.
Some become perfectionists because they are trying to avoid forgetting something important.
Others constantly double-check their work because they have learned not to trust their memory.
It is easy to see how anxiety can develop in these circumstances.
This is one reason many adults receive support for anxiety before ADHD is ever considered. The anxiety is very real, but it may not be the whole story.
A comprehensive assessment can help determine whether ADHD, anxiety, or a combination of both may be contributing to the challenges someone is experiencing.
Could I Have ADHD and Not Know It?
Many adults are surprised when ADHD is first suggested.
Some assume they would have been diagnosed during childhood if ADHD were present. Others believe they cannot have ADHD because they performed well at school, completed university, or built successful careers.
At The Hummingbird Centre, we regularly meet adults from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, and across Australia who have spent years questioning themselves without considering ADHD as a possibility.
Many have developed effective coping strategies. They rely heavily on calendars, reminders, lists, and routines. From the outside, they may appear highly organised. Behind the scenes, they are often putting in a huge amount of effort simply to stay on top of daily responsibilities.
For some people, learning about ADHD provides an explanation for challenges they have experienced for years.
For others, the assessment process identifies different factors that may be affecting attention, memory, motivation, or emotional wellbeing.
Both outcomes can be valuable because they provide clarity.
How Can You Tell Whether It Is ADHD, Anxiety, or Both?
There is no single symptom that clearly separates ADHD from anxiety.
This is why self-diagnosis can be difficult.
Instead of focusing on one challenge, psychologists look at patterns across a person's life. They explore when difficulties started, how they affect daily functioning, what situations make them better or worse, and whether there are signs of other conditions that may be contributing.
Questions often include:
- Have these difficulties been present since childhood?
- Do concentration problems happen all the time or mainly during stressful periods?
- Are organisation and time management ongoing challenges?
- Is worry the main problem, or does the worry seem to be a response to other difficulties?
- How are work, study, relationships, and daily responsibilities being affected?
The answers help build a clearer picture of what may be happening.
Rather than guessing, a comprehensive assessment aims to identify the factors contributing to someone's difficulties and provide practical recommendations for support.
When Should You Consider an ADHD Assessment?
If you have spent years feeling overwhelmed, struggling with concentration, forgetting important things, or finding it difficult to manage daily responsibilities, it may be worth speaking with a psychologist.
The same is true if anxiety continues to affect your quality of life despite your efforts to manage it.
Many people put off assessments because they think their difficulties are not serious enough or because they believe they should be able to cope on their own.
In reality, gaining a better understanding of yourself is rarely a waste of time.
Whether the challenges are related to ADHD, anxiety, or something else entirely, clarity often provides a pathway forward.
ADHD and Anxiety Support at The Hummingbird Centre
The Hummingbird Centre provides ADHD assessments for adults, adolescents, and children across Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, and surrounding areas. Telehealth services are also available for many clients across Australia.
We also support people experiencing anxiety, trauma, autism, emotional regulation difficulties, learning challenges, perinatal mental health concerns, and a wide range of other mental health presentations.
For many people, understanding the reason behind their struggles can be life-changing. It can replace years of self-doubt with a clearer understanding of how their brain works and what support may help them move forward.
