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For me, the hardest part about being a woman with ADHD in the workplace is knowing + believing in my full potential but feeling like I'm constantly getting in my own way. Like the woman interviewed in the Forbes article I, too, was diagnosed with ADHD during COVID – after 28 years of built up frustration and confusion with myself. Why did I have such a hard time with just "doing the thing?" Why did everyone else seem to have their sh*t together, but yet I felt all over the place 24/7? Why did I have such a hard time staying organized, hitting deadlines, and managing my time? For 28 years, I was conditioned to believe that it was a "me" problem. Since diagnosis, with proper treatment and therapy, my life has become infinitely better and manageable – but it's still not easy. I've spent the last 2 years trying to unlearn these negative thoughts and feelings about myself that built up the first 28 years of my life being undiagnosed. But it's hard. Every 6 months or so I find myself experiencing what I call an extreme "mental block." I get so overstimulated with things going on in my personal and work life that I just shut down. To some, it may feel like I'm disinterested or checked out of relationships, work projects, or just life in general. But that couldn't be further from the truth. I get overly interested and invested in all the things that it becomes unsustainable – so I burn out. I shut down. I can't do the thing that should be really easy and simple to do. I can't hit the deadline. I can't finish the work. It's not that I don't want to. It's that my brain becomes so paralyzed that I can't. This paralysis feeling sends me into a spiral of self-doubt, fear of disappointment, and a crippling reminder that I am, yet again, getting in my own way from reaching the potential I know that I have. While there is a laundry list of negatives, ADHD can also be an incredible superpower if harnessed properly. We're smart, creative, scrappy, and resilient people. We're flexible, adaptable, empathic, and aren't afraid to take risks or think outside-of-the box. These positive traits are all incredibly important and valuable for companies. But it all ties back to the importance of being an inclusive workplace and giving people the space, autonomy, resources, and support to succeed. #ADHD #ADHDinWomen #ADHDcommunity #adhdawareness #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness
