Nelly Furtado Was Diagnosed with ADHD After Welcoming Her Two Younger Kids: ‘Have to Give Yourself Grace’ (Exclusive)

After welcoming her two younger kids within 14 months of each other, Nelly Furtado found out she was living with ADHD.

The pop star learned she had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as she was caring for her young daughter, 6, and son, 5, who "are almost like twins," Furtado, 45, tells PEOPLE. "It made me realize I had ADHD. I've been diagnosed."

Furtado welcomed her two younger kids (whose names she's kept private) with her rapper ex Jerry (aka Gerard Damien Long), 33, and is also mom to her 21-year-old daughter Nevis Gahunia with her music composer ex Jasper Gahunia, 45.

She lived with ADHD — a developmental disorder with symptoms including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity — her whole life, but it was the "chaos" of raising two young children close in age led to her diagnosis.

"When I was attending college, [I was like] 'Boing, boing, boing, boing.' I've had it my whole life," Furtado says. "But when I had my two youngest in close proximity, it made me very aware of my ADHD."

Furtado, who recently released 7 — her seventh album and first in seven years — has become more mindful since the diagnosis.

"Yeah, it's an everyday sort of study and focus, like, 'How do we ground ourselves today?' " she says. "A lot of people are struggling with that. How do we focus? How do we ground ourselves? We have so much distraction — you have to give yourself grace."

The "Eat Your Man" singer says exercise, particularly dance, keeps her grounded.

"I like to go to the dance studio," Furtado adds. "It kind of grounds me mentally, sort of keeps the ADHD in check, working with my choreographer and in turn turning out fun videos for TikTok while I dance."

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