7 Hormones and ADHD Truths Teachers Never Hear

Battling focus and energy swings in the classroom isn't just ADHD's doing.

Your hormones could be the secret influencers.

Discover how they shape your daily experiences.

Plus, find new ways to feel your best.

Teaching on its own is one of the most complex endeavors someone could ever take on.

But when you add ADHD to the mix?

It's like…

Well, it's just really hard, okay?

Fittingly, my brain is currently too tired for me to come up with another analogy.

But even if you already knew that, you might not have been really thinking about your hormones.

If you ever wonder why some weeks you are cracking the whip and steering the ship and all the things?

And other weeks you're kinda…off?

Kind of meh.

I got you.

By the end of this post you'll know seven ways hormones could be impacting you and your ADHD in the classroom.

At the end, I'll throw in some strategies and resources that have been helpful for me.

My hope is they will help you, too!

1. Your Working Memory Isn't Broken — It's Variable

Imagine this.

It's a Thursday afternoon and your brain is fried.

You spaced your morning meds and only had time for one swig of luke warm coffee.

Halfway through answering one question, you notice a student with their hand up.

You're really good at noticing things like this.

You motion to them, letting them know you see them.

You'll get back to them.

They look non plussed.

You have noble intentions, for sure.

The best, in fact.

But they know you.

And they know your spotty track record for circling back to things like this.

However, one after another, urgent-and-important requests keep rolling in.

The alarm goes off, the phone rings, and someone else is called for dismissal.

(You really should talk with that Eisenhauer guy about his matrix being wackadoodle.)

So it's not until the end of the day when you're home, and about to eat dinner…

that it hits you like a ton of bricks.

You. Forgot.

A-GAIN.

You forgot, again, to call on that sweet student who was doing all the right things.

They weren't shouting out or talking over you.

They weren't openly complaining about how you look, what you teach, how you teach.

In short, they were behaving respectfully.

They were waiting patiently.

Which is why your brain forgot as it hopped from one fire to the next.

In its little firefighter suit.

So you make a note to future you.

Knowing full well there's a 50/50 chance you'll find it tomorrow.

At least you have the note, right?

2. Decision-Making Changes Throughout the Month

As hormones fluctuated cyclically, I could predict a familiar anxiety as it came to the surface.

Like folkloric legend, it had a long reptilian body and could swim as fast as it could run.

And it loved to interfere with the best-laid plans.

Take your everyday behavior management trials, for instance.

In the heart racing excitement of the latest fifth grade disses, my mind would sometimes freeze.

‘There is a clear-cut course of action to take,' you'd reason with yourself.

But then, no. Not always.

Not with anxiety and over-thinking coupled with crippling rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD).

What if there was no one to talk to them in the office?

What if I have them take a break and they are ready to participate afterwards?

And hundreds of other questions.

Out of touch experts, well-meaning though they were, would talk about building relationships.

Of not letting things bother me.

That students could sense fear and uncertainty, they'd remind me.

And all of this was true. But it was also all stuff I already knew way too well.

The inner turmoil and dread I felt around handling these situations became so extremely draining to me.

Especially in the lower hormonal cycles.

And especially as my body began to change as it entered peri-menopause.

When estrogen levels get lower, our executive functions can suffer.

Does that resonate with you?

It sure did for me.

(Read “7 Overlooked Symptoms of ADD and ADHD in Women” to learn more about how it can present differently.)

3. Lesson Planning Abilities Shift Dramatically

Some weeks, lesson planning flowed effortlessly.

I could see the whole quarter laid out in my mind, breaking down units into benchmarks and assessment ideas.

Woodwind unit? Check.

Singing versus speaking voice? Check.

Field trip booked, buses reserved, families notified? Checkity check.

Other weeks? Just the idea of even attempting it felt completely pointless.

During high estrogen weeks, suddenly those unit plans made sense.

I could break down complex topics into manageable chunks.

My creative teaching ideas actually made it onto paper in ways others could understand.

But when estrogen dropped? That same planning felt like trying to catch fog with my bare hands.

The detailed ideas I had during ‘good' weeks might as well have been written in another language.

And, I would find myself reverting to abstract noun-sense on sticky notes.

4. Organization Systems That Work… Until They Don't

One day, your color-coded filing system is your pride and joy.

The next? You're playing Jenga trying to extract a sheet of stickers.

That perfectly organized Google Drive with detailed folder structures?

Sorry, with *consistently* named folders?

A ‘naming convention,' if you will?

Nope. No, thank you. I will not.

It's just not possible today, sir.

And your beautiful lesson organizer? The one you spent hours setting up?

It sits untouched because even looking at it feels like a lot.

5. Executive Function Has a Rhythm

What I didn't understand then, but know now, is that hormones play a critical role in our brain's ability to think clearly.

To plan. To strategize. To decide. To feel happy.

Estrogen levels can have a direct impact not just on productivity, but also memory and mood.

It does for me. How about you?

It's like a dimmer switch for our energy and consequently our ADHD symptoms.

Sometimes it's turned up to full brightness, other times, barely flickering.

It's an inverse relationship, see.

Higher estrogen equals less severe symptoms. And vice versa.

At least in my experience.

6. Energy for Relationships Fluctuates, Too

Some weeks, you're the queen of classroom communitye!

You expertly juggle social dynamics and academic needs.

It's easy to remember Juan's mom just had a baby, or that Veronica's sister won the track event.

It's reasonable to find a minute to tell Brian how sorry you are to hear about his grandmother's passing.

To celebrate with Betty when her dad came back home from active duty.

Other weeks, just getting the majority of names right felt like a major feat.

7. You Can Work With These Patterns, Not Against Them

If you've gotten this far, I'm betting you relate to these experiences?

So here's what I want you to know.

Your symptoms are real.

You're not imagining it.

You're not making it up.

When your students ask you a question that you promptly forget, that's understandable.

When you fully intended to look up that historical figure for that one curious student and you completely spaced it?

Valid.

When you're five minutes late again because you couldn't find a shirt?

Well, one that wasn't wrinkled that you hadn't worn ten times in the last month?

Also valid.

You are still brilliant, creative, and sensational in your strengths.

You are still an excellent teacher, friend, parent, partner.

Your ADHD isn't all of you but it is an important element of who you are.

We can't control our hormonal fluctuations.

But we can learn about our patterns and what we can do to support ourselves.

During high-estrogen weeks, tackle the detailed planning. The unit outlines. The differentiated materials.

Or whatever it is for you that is the dreaded task.

During low-estrogen weeks, focus on the big picture. The creative ideas. The humor in it all.

As I've moved into peri-menopause, the fluctuations are even more noticeable.

The annoying reminders about getting enough rest and exercise are unfortunately even more true.

I've heard of some women working with their doctors to have a different dosage ready to take as their cycle completes and estrogen dips.

This change can help.

If your insurance would cover it, that could be potentially useful, right?

Agreed.

Want more information on cycles and connections to mood?

Check out Gabby's article “Understanding How You Feel During Your Menstrual Cycle” from her blog Roots of Reproduction.