Work meetings are a nightmare — I miss cues and talk too much. Is that ADHD?

Many people with ADHD struggle in work meetings because the environment demands exactly the skills ADHD makes hardest: sustained attention, reading subtle social cues, turn‑taking, and inhibiting impulses. Missing cues often isn’t about not caring or not paying attention — it’s about an attention system that shifts quickly, locks onto the wrong detail, or gets pulled inward by your own thoughts. Talking too much can come from impulsivity, the fear of losing a thought, or the need to stay mentally engaged so your brain doesn’t drift. None of this is intentional or about dominating the room; it’s a reflection of how ADHD regulates attention and internal urgency. Meetings amplify these challenges because they require tracking multiple threads, monitoring group dynamics, and managing your own responses all at once. At the same time, patterns like this can also show up with anxiety, stress, sleep issues, or other neurodivergent traits, so they’re consistent with ADHD but not exclusive to it. What is clear is that your experience is valid, common, and explainable — and it doesn’t reflect a lack of professionalism or effort. It reflects a brain‑based pattern that becomes most visible in structured, cue‑heavy environments like workplace discussions.