Getting Diagnosed in Midlife

Exciting news - pre-order my debut book 

https://linktr.ee/HealthySBTH?utm_source=linktree_profile_shareHave you ever felt on fire from the inside, with no language to describe what was happening? That is exactly where Matt Haig found himself at 24. And what he chose to do with that experience has since helped millions of people feel less alone.

This week on Live Well Be Well, I'm sitting down with bestselling author Matt Haig. Over two decades, he has written with raw honesty about depression, anxiety, and neurodiversity. Diagnosed with ADHD and autism in his mid-40s, he writes not to have the answers, but to make you feel like your questions are valid.

Here's what we dive into:

- How Matt's crisis at 24 in Ibiza, including agoraphobia, panic attacks, and suicidal despair, became the turning point that made him a writer.

- Why writing about mental health was never about being an expert, but about finding language so a younger, suffering version of himself could feel less alone.

- What a late ADHD and autism diagnosis in midlife actually feels like, and why understanding your brain does not mean you suddenly understand everything about yourself.

- How ADHD can be quietly advantageous when you stop fighting it, and why an interest-driven brain can lead to a deeply authentic life.

- Why the opposite of depression is not happiness. It is the boring, beautiful neutrality of a mind that can spend one minute thinking about an ordinary email.

- How the word "impossible" became Matt's greatest source of motivation: if you survived the most impossible thing, everything else becomes possible too.

- How running, routine, and the most unglamorous physical basics were the things that actually brought Matt back.

Love,

Sarah Ann 💛

***

This episode is sponsored by:

DIOME: Rest deeper. Stay grounded.

Rested is available now and Grounded lands later this month.

👉 Get 20% off with code SARAH20 at DIOME.CO

***

The Great British Veg Out

How to support your gut, energy, and hormones by eating more — not less.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/p/the-great-british-veg-out

Reset Your Health

If your body feels off after stress, travel, or burnout — this is where to start.

👉 https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/s/reset-your-health-in-30-days

👉 Practical beats perfect.

Here’s a free 5-recipe PDF I use to support energy and stress during busy weeks.

https://open.substack.com/pub/sarahmacklin/p/download-your-free-5-recipes-to-relieve

👉 If this resonates, you can join the thousands who read

The Compassionate Cure each week. https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

If You Enjoyed This Episode, You Might Also Like:

ADHD or Depression? Watch This! Kelly Williams Brown on Feeling Stressed & Overwhelmedhttps://youtu.be/lz7-R_TlJg4

***

Sign up to Sarah’s Compassionate Cure newsletter:

Science Simplified, Health Humanised.

Join thousands in exploring actionable insights that prioritise compassion, clarity, and real-life impact.

https://sarahmacklin.substack.com/

***

Highlights

00:00:00 Intro00:02:47 Writing Reasons to Stay Alive before therapy, before diagnosis

00:06:49 The "two for one" diagnosis: ADHD and autism in midlife

00:10:11 Why Matt hates the word diagnosis and how language shapes recovery

00:14:40 Shoplifting, dopamine, and an undiagnosed ADHD brain

00:22:25 Why Matt would not take his suffering away: darkness and light

00:27:25 The breakdown in Ibiza at 24 and the crisis within the crisis

00:31:58 Recovery counted in lampposts from his front door

00:36:00 The boring email moment and why neutrality is the goal

00:41:16 The word "impossible" and how surviving it opened everything

01:01:09 Winnie the Pooh as the wisest mental health book ever written

01:09:18 Social media, authenticity, and losing followers as exfoliation

01:29:46 The body budget and why physical basics are the real medicine

01:33:00 Matt's definition of Live Well Be Well***