The Invisible Barriers of ADHD: Why the Smallest Things Can Feel So Hard
There’s a word that’s been on my mind lately: barrier.
It came up when I realised I hadn’t taken my vitamins for two days. It’s not that I’ve forgotten they exist. I take them quite easily when they’re laid out in my weekly pill organiser. But if that organiser is empty? I’ll put off refilling it… and the simple task of taking my vitamins suddenly feels impossible.
This is such a classic ADHD moment.
It’s not laziness. It’s not a lack of awareness.
It’s that a small, seemingly minor step - go to the cupboard, open the bottles, refill the organiser - acts as a barrier. And when you have ADHD, even tiny barriers can make something you usually do with ease feel completely out of reach.
Barriers Look Different for Everyone
For some people, the barrier is:
Getting started—even when you want to do the thing
Finding your keys or packing a bag before leaving the house
Logging into the system before replying to an email
Clearing a space before you can focus on a task
When there’s a barrier, the task doesn’t just feel “a bit annoying”, it can feel like climbing a hill in deep fog with heavy boots on. And unless someone has ADHD themselves, they often don’t understand why that hill exists at all.
Why This Matters
ADHD coaching isn’t about giving people long to-do lists or productivity hacks.
It’s about working together to identify those barriers - the often invisible ones that get in your way - and either removing them, reducing them, or finding another route altogether.
Sometimes we need support to:
Build systems that make the path smoother (like my pill organiser!)
Create routines that feel natural, not forced
Work with our brain, not against it
What Are Your Barriers?
What’s something you want to do, mean to do… but just don’t?
What would it take to make it easier?
Curious to learn more? Visit Petra Earnshaw | ADHD & Adoption Attuned Coach UK and sign up for my mailing list for insights and support around ADHD, ADHD parenting, and adoption.
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ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Petra Earnshaw, an adoptee with ADHD. I am also an ICF ACC Credentialed Advanced-Certified ADHD Life Coach. I share my coaching and late ADHD diagnosis, and share some tips along the way.
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