ADHD Awareness Month is celebrated every October and is dedicated to raising awareness about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
And October also means it has been one year since I learned I have ADHD.
Emotional, challenging, impactful, life-affirming and life-changing. What a year it has been as I jumped on the rollercoaster of self and ADHD discovery.
Embracing my ADHD has been a transformative journey.
It has allowed me to understand my unique strengths whilst navigating the world in a way that works for me. Rather than continually pushing through and running myself into the ground through a constant cycle of burnout.
It has also been a crucial step towards self-awareness and self-acceptance. I’ve learned to embrace me for me. – a work in progress for all of us who are late-diagnosed and have spent many years masking.
It’s important to remember that ADHD is not a limitation but a different way of experiencing the world.
And in saying that, that means if you have ADHD, you need to learn to live and work differently… There is no other option! [Because if you keep treading water and doing things the same way, it can have a detrimental effect on your mental and physical health and land you in a lengthy neurodivergent burnout.]
I’d been changing things up pre-diagnosis; however, learning I had ADHD helped me hone in on specific changes that would suit my neurodivergent brain. These include developing more of an awareness of my sensory processing challenges, how they impact me and how I can manage them, as well as an awareness of how traits like hyperfocus are both a super strength and a risk to my health (I have a tendency to overwork)!
As ADHD Awareness Month continues, let’s keep fostering understanding and healthy conversations around ADHD. These will help dispel stigma and create spaces where individuals feel empowered to embrace their neurodivergent minds and thrive uniquely.
