Life can be a balancing act for any adult, but if you find yourself constantly late, disorganized, forgetful, and overwhelmed by your responsibilities, you may have Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

Attention deficit disorder affects many adults, and its wide variety of frustrating symptoms can hinder everything from your relationships to your career. But help is available—and learning about ADHD is the first step. Once you understand the challenges, you can learn to compensate for areas of weakness and start taking advantage of your strengths.

Alternately, you may have been able to compensate for the symptoms of ADHD when you were young, only to run into problems as your responsibilities increase. The more balls you’re trying to keep in the air—pursuing a career, raising a family, running a household—the greater the demand on your abilities to organize, focus, and remain calm. This can be challenging for anyone, but if you have ADHD, it can feel downright impossible.

The good news is that, no matter how it feels, the challenges of attention deficit disorder are beatable. With education, support, and a little creativity, you can learn to manage the symptoms of adult ADHD—even turning some of your weaknesses into strengths.

It’s never too late to turn the difficulties of adult ADHD around and start succeeding on your own terms.

In adults, the rate is much lower (about 4 percent), but experts caution that since adults who were not diagnosed in childhood are more likely to remain undiagnosed, the true prevalence of adult ADHD may be significantly higher than reported.

What can be done to Manage ADHD:

• Exercise vigorously and, if seated, get up regularly
• Get enough restful sleep of 7 to 9 hours every night
• Reach out and connect face-to-face with supportive family and friends
• Set deadlines and reminders for tasks, chores, and work assignments
• Create a supportive, organized work environment