THE YEAR I MET MY BRAIN by Matilda Boseley
My first dive into this new world of mine
I was recently, at 47 years of age, diagnosed with ADHD. The diagnosis has not really come as a surprise - I think I have known this about myself for a couple of years, as I have become more aware of how ADHD presents in women, and especially those of us who are middle aged. However, when it became apparent to me that this wasn’t just an idea but an actual diagnosis, I did what I realise is now very typical behaviour for those of us with it: we research the shit out of it.
For me though, I was not especially keen on getting my information from Tik Tok or the internet. I am still a lawyer, and I like information that is researched, verifiable and from a reliable source. I also wanted to read specifically about how ADHD presents in women and, ideally, I wanted something based in Australia. So I was thrilled to come across The Year I Met My Brain by journalist Matilda Boseley.
Boseley is a lot younger than me, and was diagnosed in her early 20s. That is a big difference in our experience, and on that front I sometimes found this book difficult to relate to. But I also know that no two neurodiverse people are the same, so there will be no perfect book.
This, then, became a bloody good option as the next best thing.
I tagged a bunch of pages in this book and I wrote a lot of notes too. Sometimes, Boseley relayed a story that could easily have been taken from my own life, sometimes frighteningly so! That’s what I liked about this book - despite the generational difference, there was stuff that she wrote about that were straight out of my life story, and that felt reassuring.
I really liked too, that Boseley interviewed experts on ADHD, as well as provided the perspective of those closest to her - her mother, her partner and friends. That gave this book a personal touch and one which non-ADHD people can read and, likely, relate to, too.
I am definitely having my husband read this as a starting point, as we begin navigating what impact this diagnosis will have for me, and for us. I would like to think that impact will be minimal but - let’s be honest here - not much of what I ever do is minimal. After all, I am writing this review from a hot pink velvet couch.
I think that if you are an adult with a new diagnosis here in Australia, this book is a great starting point. It certainly started some conversations in my mind and between my husband and I. It gave me insight into elements of my diagnosis I had not yet turned my mind to, and I feel less pressure not to ‘figure it all out right now’. I recognise that this is going to take time to understand. There is going to be some grieving and some reflection. There’s going to be some adjustments.
However, I am kind of excited and relieved to finally have a little more clarity about why I am like I am, and this book has definitely helped me understand a few things about myself already. In a world that sometimes feels flooded with information about ADHD in adults, this book was (for me) an orderly, digestable place to start. I definitely recommend it.
You can also listen to this book - if you have Spotify Premium, it is included in your subscription. I combined reading and listening to this and I found that useful. You might too.
