“That’ll be £7.60, please,” the barista smiles, her fingers hovering eagerly over a well-worn card machine. My friend and I have been chatting over coffee for hours, immersed in the depths of conversation. “Sorry!” we both blurt out, scrambling for our cards. After two separate attempts, both are declined. Panic-stricken, we try paying with cash instead. “It’s OK. Pop in whenever and you can pay it back then,” she laughs.

Both my friend and I have ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and the symptoms are eerily similar. We struggle with money management, numbers and forgetfulness, all of which are common among people with ADHD. In many ways, ADHD brought us together; we went to the same school, later reconnecting via social media. Expressing that she’d recently been diagnosed with ADHD, a lightbulb went off inside my brain as I was wondering if this was something I was also struggling with. She encouraged me to refer myself for an assessment. Since then, our bond has only strengthened. If my card had been declined while I was with anyone else, I would’ve turned red with embarrassment, but through this friendship I’ve found a way to let go and laugh. It was a joyful, validating moment, a realisation that there was no judgment between us.