Why Does Today Feel Like A Shit Show? Artwork

The Shit Show: When ADHD and Perimenopause Decide to Have a Party

ADHD and perimenopause on their own can be challenging. Put them together and things can get seriously messy. Brain fog. Forgetfulness. Exhaustion. Overwhelm. Mood swings. Sleep going to shit. Losing your train of thought halfway through a sentence. Wondering why the hell you can't seem to function like you used to.

The Shit Show is for women who are living it. Real conversations about what happens when ADHD and changing hormones collide, why everything can suddenly feel harder, and what you can actually do about it.

No bullshit. No “just try harder”. Just straight-up conversations about the shit show that is ADHD and perimenopause.

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The Shit Show: When ADHD and Perimenopause Decide to Have a Party

Why Does Today Feel Like A Shit Show?

August 23, 2026 • Danielle Hodson • Season 1 • Episode 2

0:00 | 4:08

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Why does today feel like a shit show?

You wake up feeling like you've got a hangover, even though you haven't been anywhere near a party. You've slept, but somehow you haven't really slept. Your brain is awake at 2 a.m. worrying about things you wouldn't normally worry about, and then the next day you're staring at your to-do list wondering where the fuck you're supposed to start.

In this episode, I talk about what it's like when your capacity changes from day to day, why things that used to feel easy can suddenly feel ten times harder, and what happens when ADHD, sleep, energy, executive function and motivation all decide to have a little party of their own.

I'm also talking about what I've had to do differently. My top three. What's actually important today? What can wait until tomorrow? And how I've had to stop comparing what I can do today with what I used to be able to do.

Because sometimes, it really is just a shit show.

And that's okay.

You can only do what you can do.

Thanks for listening to The Shit Show.

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Find out more about InTune, the app designed to help women with ADHD understand what’s going on with their brain and hormones, and work out what they need today.

https://adhdmenopausehub.com/

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I don't know if anyone else has had this, but I wake up most mornings and I feel like I've got a hangover, even though I haven't had the benefit of an amazing party the night before. And I feel like I've slept, but I haven't really slept, and I go to bed at night and I don't have any trouble falling asleep. It's staying asleep. Or worse than that, it is waking up at 2 a.m. with anxiety, and I get anxiety about things I wouldn't usually be anxious about. It's like my brain has gone into overdrive, and it'll be anxious about some meeting at the end of the week, for example. And the strategy that I've had to use is to tell my brain, you're okay, it's okay, you're safe, it's okay, there's no drama, we're okay, and just support myself through the process of everything is alright. And this was something totally new to me. I never had anxiety like this before. And so yeah. So then I wake up the next day and I look at the list of jobs that I have to get done, and I'm like, where the fuck do I even begin? So, what I've had to do is just prioritize my top three, and that is it. Just top three. What's time sensitive? What do I need to do or complete now? Everything else gets pushed to later or tomorrow. Like I used to have a big list that I could work through and I'd get quite a lot done. But now, nah. It's a shit show. And just my capacity to stay motivated is not like it used to be. I just, especially if it's something where I need to do writing and editing. Editing, I absolutely hate. My brain just does not want to do it. My ADHD brain will procrastinate. And, you know, executive function, attention, energy, and then that whole, they just bounce off each other, and it's just like, what's happening to me? But I've been asking myself the question, what is my capacity today? You know, what can I honestly cope with? And every day is a new day, and I have to stop thinking about, oh my gosh, in the past I used to be able to do all of this stuff, and now I'm reduced to three things. You know, what's happening? And I just have to be a little bit more kind to myself and just, you know, even getting up, getting dressed, or making my bed first, then, you know, getting dressed. I wear makeup. That's my thing. If it's not your thing, that's totally okay. But even putting on a bit of makeup and doing my hair is a major effort that wasn't a major effort before. And it's just like everything is ten times harder than what it used to be. And I'm just like, Yep, you know, I have just had to learn to go with it, and just I can only do what I can do. So yeah. You know, what is the minimum I can actually do today to just get through the day? That is all I'm going with. It's just be kind to yourself and remember that you are amazing and you are fabulous, and tell yourself that. I'm amazing, I'm fabulous, I'm the best version of myself, and just keep telling yourself that. You know, it's really easy to get into a negative mindset, and it's really hard to get out of that shithole once you're in that negative mindset. So it's really important, and I know it's hard, to just reframe and get into that positive mindset. Have an amazing day sending you lots of love from New Zealand.