You watched someone do it effortlessly.
A colleague finishing their work by noon. A friend who always replies to messages promptly. A sibling who seems to have their life organized in ways you can't comprehend.
And you thought: why can't I do that?
This is the comparison trap. And ADHD brains fall into it constantly.
Because everywhere you look, you see people functioning. People starting tasks without a three-hour warm-up period. People remembering appointments without seven reminders. People doing the basic things that feel monumental to you.
And you assume they're all the same inside. That their ease is your failure. That if you just tried harder, you could do it too.
But you can't see inside their heads. You can't see their struggles, their shortcuts, their support systems. You're comparing your behind-the-scenes to their highlight reel.
And even if they are finding it easier — so what? They have different brains. Different wiring. Different challenges.
Your brain works differently. Not worse. Differently.
The things that are hard for you aren't hard because you're not trying. They're hard because your brain is fighting against its own architecture. Every task requires more steps, more effort, more energy than it does for a neurotypical brain.
That's not an excuse. It's an explanation. And it matters.
Because when you understand why things are hard, you can stop blaming yourself for struggling. You can start finding workarounds instead of pushing through with brute force. You can be strategic instead of just trying harder.
Other people's ease doesn't diminish your effort. Someone else running a mile easily doesn't mean your difficult mile doesn't count.
You're running your own race, on your own terrain, with your own obstacles. Comparing yourself to people on a different track doesn't make sense.
Stop watching them. Focus on your next step.
This is ADHD FM. You're not behind. You're on a different path.