✨ Perimenopause Power Moves: 5 Simple Nutrition Shifts to Help You Feel Like Yourself Again! ✨
Grab your free guide today!
👉 Download Now!

Panic, Periods & Perimenopause: How ADHD and Hormones Hijacked My Brain

"Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained." – Arthur Somers Roche

If your anxiety feels like a runaway freight train with no conductor—and your brain’s on constant high alert—you are so not alone. From first periods to postpartum to perimenopause, women with ADHD often get hit the hardest by panic attacks. And yep, hormones are the co-pilots in this crash course through chaos.

Let’s talk about how it all starts, why it spirals, and what you can actually do when your nervous system feels like it’s permanently stuck in fight-or-flight mode.

Anxiety’s Not-So-Grand Entrance

I was 11 years old. One second I was staring at a math book, the next I was blind, deaf, and drenched in sweat, convinced I was dying.

My heart thundered. My ears buzzed. My vision tunneled like I was being sucked into a black hole. I wanted to run but couldn’t even stand. And then—just like that—it passed. But I was left with a new fear: that my body could betray me, anytime, anywhere.

The Day My Brain Said, “Nope!”

Fast-forward to college. I was finally thriving… until I wasn’t.

In the middle of a geography lecture, panic pounced again—full sensory chaos. My world blurred. My hearing turned to static. My heart raced like it was auditioning for NASCAR. All I could think was: This is it. This is how I die. In geography class.

And from that moment on? I was terrified of being terrified. I avoided lectures, took tests in isolation, and practically got a degree in managing my own anxiety. Doctors ran every test under the sun. GI issues? Maybe. Mystery illness? Possibly. Anxiety? Never mentioned.

Eventually, I had to diagnose myself. I ended up in the ER, convinced something was physically wrong. It wasn’t. It was panic—raw, real, and completely unmanaged.

Wait... ADHD Too?

Decades later—plot twist!—I was diagnosed with ADHD.

Cue the lightbulbs. This wasn’t just about anxiety. This was about a nervous system on constant overdrive. People with ADHD are wired differently—more sensitive to stress, less able to regulate emotions, and prone to hyperarousal. Basically, we feel everything more—including panic.

And for women? That diagnosis often comes way later in life—usually after years of struggling silently and being misdiagnosed.

👉 Read this next: ADHD in Women Over 40: A Midlife Diagnosis That Rewrites the Past

The Hormone-Panic Plot Twist

Ever feel fine one day and then suddenly anxious, weepy, or ragey the next? Hormones, baby.

Estrogen is one of your brain’s BFFs—it supports serotonin, dopamine, and GABA (the "calm the hell down" neurotransmitters). So when estrogen dips? Emotional chaos follows.

Here’s the hormonal timeline of terror:

• Puberty: Welcome to the estrogen rollercoaster, with no seatbelt.

• Teen Years: Monthly hormone swings + an ADHD brain = mood mayhem.

• Postpartum: Estrogen crashes harder than your toddler after daycare.

• Perimenopause: Estrogen plays peekaboo, and so does your sanity.

And if you’ve got ADHD? These hormone swings hit like a freight train, turning anxiety into a full-blown storm.

So, What Actually Helps?

Let’s be real—managing anxiety isn’t about eliminating it (if only). It’s about learning to ride the waves without getting knocked out by them.

Here’s what’s helped me (and many of my midlife clients):

1. Hormone Therapy That Actually Works

Bioidentical hormone therapy—when personalized and properly dosed—can be a game changer. It’s not about turning back time; it’s about giving your brain and body the support they need right now.

🧠 Pro tip: work with a hormone-savvy doctor who will test your levels, not guess.

👉 Read more on bioidentical hormones here

2. Mindfulness That Doesn’t Make You Eye-Roll

Meditation isn’t just for monks. Deep breathing, body scans, and even five quiet minutes a day can train your brain to shift out of panic mode.

Try apps like Insight Timer, or just breathe in for 4, out for 6, and feel your shoulders drop.

3. Move Like You Give a Damn About Your Sanity

Exercise is basically nature’s Xanax—but with better side effects. The key? Do what you actually enjoy:

• 🧘‍♀️ Yoga (stretch, breathe, cry if you need to)

• 🏃 Cardio (run off that restless energy)

• 🏋️ Strength training (hello, confidence + hormone support)

• 🚶 Walking in nature (free therapy, no copay)

👉 Related read: Flex Appeal—Why Protein & Muscle Matter in Midlife

4. Eat to Soothe, Not Spike

Blood sugar chaos = brain chaos. Feed your nervous system with foods that stabilize, not spike:

• Omega-3s (salmon, sardines, chia seeds)

• Magnesium-rich greens (spinach, Swiss chard)

• Berries (because antioxidants are sexy)

• Nuts & seeds (your snack-sized stress soothers)

👉 Get my Protein Power Plates Recipe Guide

5. Therapy That Gets It

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helped me stop fearing fear. It rewired the part of me that thought panic meant doom. You don’t need to suffer alone. Therapy works. Period.

6. Sleep: Not Optional

Poor sleep makes anxiety worse, and anxiety wrecks sleep. It’s a vicious loop.

Create a wind-down routine like your sanity depends on it:

• Screens off 1 hour before bed

• Magnesium glycinate or calming tea

• Journaling to brain-dump the drama

• Cool, dark bedroom + consistent bedtime

👉 Tired, Wired, and Unheard: How Perimenopause Hijacks Sleep and Sanity

Final Thoughts: You Are Not Broken

Panic attacks feel like your brain is staging a coup—but you’re not crazy. You’re not weak. And you’re definitely not alone.

This hormonal hellride is wild, yes. But it’s also survivable.

You are allowed to get help.
You are allowed to feel good.
And you are allowed to live fully—even with a beautifully complex, sometimes chaotic, hormonally hijacked brain.

With heart, humor, and a whole lot of compassion,

Hormonally yours,

Kimberlee Erin

Resources for Further Reading

• The New Menopause by Dr. Mary Clare Haver

• The Menopause Brain by Lisa Mosconi

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America

• National Institute of Mental Health on Anxiety Disorders

Just a heads-up: I’m a Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist and Holistic Nutritionist, and while I love sharing what’s worked for me and my clients, this blog is for informational purposes only. It’s not a substitute for medical advice. Always check in with your healthcare provider before starting new supplements, hormones, or treatments—especially since every woman’s perimenopause journey is different. You deserve personalized care that truly fits you.