GREENSBORO, N.C. — A Triad woman is sharing education and awareness about ADHD in women after navigating the twists and turns of that road herself.

Sara Gibson’s work as a photographer and postpartum doula doesn’t necessarily provide typical days. That’s part of what she loves about it. Gibson has ADHD and said making every day a new adventure helps her stay engaged.

“Even though it’s always photography, it’s different. One day it’s a newborn, and then it’s a grad, and then it’s a wedding, jumping from thing to thing and project to project,” Gibson said.

She wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood and wonders if that’s partly because the symptoms can be written off as other things in women. She said women’s ADHD behaviors can look different from the stereotype of bouncing off the walls with energy because women excel at masking.

“I’ll get super talkative, or just become super focused on a project and I have to get it done, but it’s not always the project I need to get done,” Gibson said.

She said other common symptoms in women include seeming flighty, distracted or chatty.

Some people tell Gibson she doesn’t seem like she has ADHD because she doesn’t fit their idea of what that should be. It may seem like a little thing to say, but she uses it as an opportunity to remind people that you never know what someone is dealing with under the surface.

“I’m always thinking, am I oversharing? Am I being too much? Am I bringing too much energy to it, or not enough?" Gibson said.

She hopes her generation’s focus on education and awareness will help women in the future find the resources they need earlier in life.

“As women in particular become more in the forefront in how it can manifest in different ways, people have been getting better at the stigma around it,” Gibson said.

Clarification: This article has been updated to reflect Sara Gibson is a postpartum doula.