I've just realised I might have adult ADHD. Hopefully natural remedies will help – Hayley Matthews

Any good parent will tell you they don't know everything. I'm quite open with my children that I don't "know it all". I tell them I'm always learning, just like they are.

While ADHD is a condition often associated with children, it can also affect adults (Picture: John Devlin)

Yes, we're all learning, every day and if we put the effort in, we can learn about ourselves too. So the more I've been learning about the neurodiverse life, the more I see these traits in myself.

As I sat with a friend listing all the struggles my eldest faces on a daily basis, we both stopped, looked at each other whilst realising I was actually describing myself. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree well, the tree that my little apples grew on may just be an ADHD tree.

Life-long anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, clumsiness, easily distracted, always late, not finishing tasks, starting one thing when halfway through another, always on the go but lacking motivation. Yes, the adult ADHD symptoms ring huge bells in my head.

At school, my report cards said "talks too much and lacks concentration". It was never enough to cause me to fail, but the constraints of sitting at a desk for several hours a day were uncomfortable. ADHD-ers are not great at sitting still but you'll want a friend with ADHD if there's an emergency and you need someone who can think on their feet or problem-solve quickly.

This would make sense why I’ve always gravitated towards exciting jobs like working in TV and radio, being out and about as well as working in highly pressured environments. I can’t sit still! So as I sat filling out my ADHD referral form (in adults the diagnosis can take five years), I wondered how I could support my lack of concentration as well as my sons, but naturally. I've read about caffeine and to be honest I do see a positive effect when my son has a Diet Coke. But I needed something stronger for myself.

So I turned my attention (or lack of it) to Brainzyme.com, an Edinburgh company making supplements that many ADHD brains find helpful. They were awarded Scottish Enterprise’s Wider Innovation grant in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and I was attracted to their use of natural ingredients in formulations designed to help brain and immune system function, and so decided I'd give it a go.

I do love when an Edinburgh company does well. With us Scots having a knack for inventing stuff, it's no wonder that this Edinburgh company was the first in the UK to launch a “natural nootropic” (a drug used to enhance memory or other cognitive functions) that is a brain supplement and a probiotic, as well as having essential minerals and vitamins. Well done guys for making us Scots proud!

So as I start the lengthy wait for the answer to my personal ADHD question, I'm coping by boosting my brain with a Brainzyme supplement called Focus to give me some much-needed plant-powered concentration and better mental performance, and I feel so much better for it. My son has also tried the supplements and after some positive feedback from those around him, I'm hopeful that we can stay on the natural path instead of going down the Ritalin road.