Elpha’s Post

To navigate and thrive in an era of constant change, it's imperative to embrace and value diverse ways of thinking and creative approaches. This article from Leanne Maskell sheds light on how ADHD, often misunderstood within the traditional professional mold, is a powerhouse of potential for businesses aiming for breakthroughs and success. From hyper-focus to unparalleled creativity, the unique attributes associated with ADHD are reshaping how we view productivity and problem-solving in the workplace. It underlines the importance of fostering neurodiversity-friendly policies and support systems to harness these exceptional talents. As we move towards more inclusive and adaptive work environments, understanding and integrating the strengths that neurodivergent individuals bring to the table becomes crucial. Let's continue to explore how ADHD is not a barrier, but a significant asset for creating dynamic, innovative, and successful teams! https://lnkd.in/efVZJ2iX #adhd #neurodivergent #dei

Neurodiverse thinking, like what people with ADHD have, can be a good thing. It means they can be creative and find unique solutions to problems. Even though some people see ADHD as a problem, it can actually be a strength. For example, people with ADHD can connect ideas that might not seem related to others. This can make them successful in business and other areas. Big companies like Microsoft and Dell now hire people with neurodiverse thinking because they bring fresh ideas. It's important to appreciate these differences and focus on what people with ADHD are good at. Just like how different plants and animals are important for our world, different ways of thinking are important for us. #neurodiversity #adhd #creativity #innovator https://lnkd.in/gXvcc63P

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

Your ADHD employees will never ask you for help, even If they need It. Today, I had an incredible conversation with one of our new members, a tech developer with ADHD. He says he pays for FLOWN himself, even though he uses exclusively to help him work better. When I asked him why his employer doesn't pay for it on his behalf, this is what he said: "I would never ask my employer to pay for FLOWN for me." I was so surprised! "Why?!" I asked. Here is what he shared: 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀: "There is still a stigma attached to having ADHD, even if people say there isn’t. I wouldn’t want to attract undue attention to my problem." 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: "I wouldn’t want to disclose I have an issue as it may have repercussions to my career prospects. I pay for it myself, as it is a fair price, and that way I don’t have to admit to my employer I need help." 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: "I think people who don’t have ADHD would also benefit from FLOWN. If it were generally available to everyone in the company, and anyone could self-select to use it, then I can see so many people in my team (and profession) benefiting from it. And then no one would know I had a problem." He highlighted how FLOWN helps him tackle the less exciting parts of his job, like service tickets and writing unimportant emails, by creating a sense of shared struggle and camaraderie with other people he watches work, silently. His analogy? "A FLOWN subscription is like a gym membership: buying it forces me to develop a habit!" This conversation underscored a crucial point: making tools like FLOWN universally available in workplaces could remove the stigma of ADHD and benefit everyone battling the forces of distraction. -------------------------------------------------------- 💃🏻 Follow me Alicia Navarro for more stories and science about focus, flow, and the future of work. ♻️ Repost if you think it can help others in your network! 🖐️ Try FLOWN at flown.com, or talk to me about using FLOWN in your business or university go.flown.com/business

Hyper focus and creativity are superpowers.

A thought-provoking piece from The Guardian on the surge in ADHD and Autism diagnoses, what lies beneath this, and the transformative impact of receiving such a diagnosis. As recruitment professionals, it’s crucial to recognise the diverse cognitive landscapes within our talent pools. Understanding ADHD and Autism, or multiply neurodivergent such as AuDHD, is not just about acknowledging the challenges; it’s about valuing the unique perspectives and dynamic problem-solving abilities that individuals with neurodiverse talent bring to the workplace. This article delves into the complexities surrounding ADHD, Autism, or where someone may have two or more neurodiverse conditions. This sheds light on the importance of supportive environments that foster inclusivity and harness the strengths of all employees. Let’s champion a work culture that celebrates neurodiversity as a cornerstone of innovation and creativity. #ADHD #Autism #AuDHD #Neurodiversity #multiplyneurodivergent #InclusiveRecruitment Read more here>https://lnkd.in/drdxjxeu

As someone who is openly neurodivergent, this is wonderful! I love being able to quantify some of my strengths of character not in spite of my neurodivergence, but because of it. #Neurodivergence #StrengthOfCharacter #DisabilityAwareness #DEI #DisabilityAdvocate #Inclusion #DisabledIsNotABadWord

ADHD in girls is a different beast. This has been this list of comments said to me since childhood into adulthood which have left me feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. Chatty Lacking in focus Takes on too many things Reactionary Drama queen Fickle Impulsive Disorganised Chaotic No direction Argumentative Bossy Stubborn Lazy Weird Bookworm The more research that seems to be in place, the more I connect with that research. I am not diagnosed with ADHD but the research into girls with ADHD has given me a better understanding of how my brain works and thinks. I acknowledge when: I’ve lost focus because I just can’t engage in a task. I need smaller tasks to feel I have achieved. I need to recharge high focused energy through isolation in a book I can manage multiple jobs at once, but sometimes they may not get completed or just take a bit longer because I need constant changes of focus. I struggle with emotional regulation and often just need a moment to put the lid back on. A lazy person wouldn’t have completed a PGCE, whilst working on a full time teacher timetable, whilst being a single mother. She just didn’t fancy doing the laundry until the weekend and that’s ok.

"Taking medication to fit in makes you miss the all point of your neurodivergence“👀 A comment I got last week when I wrote about me taking 🧠ADHD meds. Well, first of all I gotta say this: I get it's a very sensitive topic not to be taken lightly. However: Anyone who does just a little bit of research on neurodiversity knows that it's about empowering people to have agency over how they engage with it. I don't take medication, because "big pharma" or "the man" - or whoever I want to put the finger on today to assign blame to - lured me into it. It is my personal choice. It is as simple as that. Telling someone "what point they are missing" about an experience which is deeply personal is not helpful at all. It’s devalidating my lived experience based on a narrow idea of how I „should“ engage with my ADHD. Including a wrong assumption of why I am taking it. But this comment I got that week also reaffirms what‘s important when working with my coachees: -Listen -Be curious  -Validate your lived experience -Empower you to create system FROM you and BY you I am not qualified to tell you if you should take medication or not. But I am all for empowering my clients to have agency over how they manage their ADHD when creating a life worthy of THEM. As they say: If you know one person with ADHD, you know one person with ADHD. It’s not my right and also unethical to ask people to subscribe to a narrative. It’s about empowering them to write their own. 👉What are the "shoulds" on your ADHD you are most tired of?

📢 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 #𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉𝑨𝑫𝑯𝑫 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒅? 🤔 𝐎𝐤, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬? ADHD affects both boys and girls, but their diagnosis rates and presentations can differ significantly? 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 📚: ✨ ADHD is the leading childhood 𝑛𝑒𝑢𝑟𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟, with an estimated 6 million American children between the ages of 2 and 17 having been diagnosed with the disorder. ✨ Boys are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis than girls. ✨ Boys tend to exhibit more obvious symptoms, such as 𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 and 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐔𝐋𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐘 , which can lead to earlier identification and diagnosis. ✨ Girls, on the other hand, are more likely to exhibit 𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑦𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑠, such as 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 or 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, which can be overlooked or misattributed to other conditions. ✨ Girls with ADHD are also more likely to have 𝑐𝑜-𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 like 𝑎𝑛𝑥𝑖𝑒𝑡𝑦 or 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: It's essential to recognize and be aware of these differences to ensure equal access to diagnosis and treatment. Let's work together 🤝 to support all individuals with ADHD! Know someone who might benefit from this infographic? Share 🤲 this infographic with them. Have a question or topic related to ADHD that you'd like to discuss? Leave a comment 💬 below and let's get the conversation started! Neurodiversity Belgium NeuroTek Corporation Neurodiversity Education Academy Neurodiverse Brains in the Workplace #ADHD #ChildPsychology #InclusiveCare #FemaleADHD #Neurodevelopment #ADHDEducation #MindMatters #Neurodiversity #InclusivePsychology #YouthMentalHealth #ADHDResearch #Infographic #ADHD #ADHDAwareness #Anxiety #Depression