37 surprising things I’ve learned since my ADHD diagnosis aged 37

It’s been a supersonic journey of unlearning. Here are the things that have stood out to me the most.

1. The female experience of neurodiversity is very different to the male experience. This may sound obvious but it’s how ADHD in girls and women has been so chronically under diagnosed.

2. Female neurodiversity is also vastly under researched. Social media has helped women level up. Sharing our lived experience is real time data that has previously been omitted.

3. Some people are not comfortable with the prospect of challenging deeply ingrained societal norms and preconceived notions about what constitutes "normal."

4. Our ADHD brains need nature. It’s not a nice to have, it’s a must have.

5. Small wins are important. Write them down if you forget. We have a negativity bias when it comes to our achievements.

6. ADHD brains love human connection - it’s how we learn and how we make meaning.

7. Neurodivergent brains are born seekers.

8. We live in a mixed neurotype world but society promotes a superior neurotype.

9. Behind a neurodiverse kid, is often an undiagnosed parent.

10. For women, hormones have a MASSIVE impact on day to day symptoms of ADHD.

11. Communicating your neurodivergence teaches you to self-advocate.

12. You wouldn’t expect a cactus to thrive in an English country garden or ivy to grow in the desert…different brains need different conditions.

13. It's a challenge to direct our curiousity.

14. Neurodiversity isn’t new. Our grandparents generation had it.Talking about it is what's new.

15. Time perception is a maddeningly frustrating aspect of neurodivergent experience.

16. Rejection sensitivity is a common emotional challenge.

17. I’ve learned to embrace the concept of "productive procrastination."

18. ADHD tax is real. Parking tickets, lost umbrellas etc etc

19. We can achieve a lot when we embrace unconventional learning styles.

20. The ability to find connections between seemingly unrelated ideas is a hallmark of ADHD thinking.

21. Our ADHD brains crave novelty.

22. Our ADHD brains crave security.

23. Our ADHD brains are paradoxical.

24. We don’t just hyperfocus on tasks, but also on emotions. It comes with challenges but also means we can deeply immerse ourselves in emotional experiences and find profound insights.

25. We have acute awareness of subtle changes in the environment.

26. The ADHD brain has an affinity for pattern recognition, so we can make quick connections and associations.

27. Women with ADHD can have burnout when they become parents. There’s a whole new additional cognitive load in managing household tasks, family responsibilities and emotional labour.

28. We’re on a constant search for identity, as social expectations and stereotypes may conflict with our true ADHD selves.

29. ADHD relational memory involves a strong capacity for remembering personal details about others which can help build meaningful connections.

30. But the attention vortex involves the constant battle to stay focused on a single task or thought.

31. We’ve got perfectionistic tendencies and chronic disorganisation; the results is a dizzyingly haphazard mindset for approaching tasks and projects.

32. Our energy bursts and crashes lead to periods of heightened activity and productivity, followed by periods of fatigue and lack of motivation.

33. We are better innovators than executors, Working in a team where there’s an innovator & executor is a great mix.

34. I’m yet to meet an ADHD person who doesn’t have sleep issues.

35. Embracing neurodivergence is just acknowledging that different ways of thinking and experiencing the world can coexist harmoniously.

36 Ask an ADHD person a philosophical question and watch their brain light up.

37. Leaning into my ADHD has allowed me to embrace the neurodivergent experience as a continual exploration of cognition.