ADHD in Women

foreigner Hello, my name is Maria and I am here today to talk about my experience as a woman with ADHD, in particular a woman who had a late diagnosis of ADHD and for me, ADHD impacts me in very different ways, firstly, the sensory issues that can Noisy environments and sometimes the feelings of anxiety that can cause, sometimes the feeling that fabrics and socks are too tight, are very difficult to ignore during the day, also aspects of distractions visuals, maybe even. a busy environment, but more for the visual and how that also impacts me when I was in high school, the transition from elementary school to high school and that much larger, busier environment had a real impact on me at that time and I think that's when I started to wonder if there was some reason I found those things difficult again when I was in high school, even though these things weren't really talked about much, especially not ADHD and secondly, not ADHD either.

ADHD in

women

. When you have ADHD, your feelings can be a lot more acute in terms of how they feel, so I may get overly emotional sometimes and it's hard to explain why if there's a pretty sad dog advert on TV. We'll probably open it up, so wherever people can understand that those emotions can be felt much more strongly, also hyperactivity is now often thought of as a physical restlessness or a need for movement, it's also a very mental thing, It's almost like having too many eyelashes. open right away and I've definitely struggled with that throughout my life and that can include overthinking planning and just struggling to tune out.

I think that's one of the most important things for me and how ADHD has impacted me. I'm also quite an impatient person I don't like to admit it but I am and you know if something happens I'll be looking forward to it I want it to arrive even faster or again being in a traffic jam is not the easiest thing to deal with when you have ADHD but again a as life goes on, there have been strategies for that, which I'll talk about a little bit later socially, it's also an area that has sometimes impacted me in the past, maybe questioning conversations, oh did I interrupt?

I should have said something different, I just feel different in general to those around me, it's been quite complicated and finally the kind of need for stimulation, so if I'm in a lesson at, oh, I was in a lesson at school high school that I really enjoyed. say cool story you have my focus if it's something like math and I'm not interested or there isn't a topic I'm interested in doing that I'm less likely to engage with and again the need for stimulation can be as simple as needing to move and have movement to keep me engaged or focused, there are some of the main ways ADHD has impacted me throughout my life as a woman.

Now many people will wonder why it looks different or why it is presented. differently in

women

than in men now I feel that even now, in many ways, neurodiversity does not have enough exposure and we move forward 20 years more than that and it was not always talked about enough and especially not about ADHD, now being a woman too it was. It wasn't something that was thought to be the case that women would have ADHD, they were generally seen as naughty teenagers, that was a condition for them, not for women and unfortunately those negative stereotypes have really impacted women. who get a diagnosis, now other stereotypes have too. including maybe people with ADHD are not that smart, which is horrible to think, or people with ADHD are always naughty, not necessarily definitely not the case, so how has education considered those things that people don't can they stay still does that mean they are naughty?

Not at all, when it comes to women, I found that being a very academically capable woman meant that I didn't really get tested for ADHD. My general behavior was good. All of those things I think really led to me not being tested. for a diagnosis and on top of that I was also in a primary school and there were negative associations of neurodiversity and those labels can be a negative thing and Mentha, my school, I don't think I looked at them much in women in Unfortunately, at my school too The kind of associations around people being different can lead women, especially, to suppress and mask their symptoms a lot more, so even if I felt hyperactive in a lesson, it wouldn't be like I could move and jump or whatever. maybe being loud because it wouldn't have been allowed however I was constantly writing so fast that the movement and use of the pen helped me concentrate or be stimulated or maybe trying not to talk too much to a friend because again that need for stimulation or conversation um, it would have helped me, but there was a lot of symptom suppression and also shame, along with being aware that there is a difference, not knowing how or why and those behaviors not being considered good, a lot of shame came with that.

Also, a lot of those reasons are why it wasn't identified in women, so it's a really sad thing in other areas of difficulty, particularly having ADHD, for me, as I mentioned there, I always felt a little bit different. Now, different is not a bad thing, its connotations can also be feeling weird, not feeling normal, maybe even feeling stupid, those feelings that are internalized because you really don't cope as well with certain things as others, are really hard to deal with. keep. equally follow and process habits that I had that maybe people found annoying and really impacted me, especially when I couldn't help them, things like whistling, needing to move, singing, talking a lot again, sorry, I've been talking too fast now, But all those things that other people could have told me, can't you do? can you just stop? can?

They just translated to me as bad habits, but in reality they could have been elements of stimulation or me regulating my system by allowing movement allowing stimulation and also the release of dopamine and good hormones from things like singing or moving that should have been allowed, Additionally, many various conditions, especially ADHD, can also show signs of anxiety, so it hasn't made me feel anxious at times. It might make me want to plan ahead again. The impatience aspect definitely makes people plan ahead and also look forward to things coming up, but that's there and that inability to tune out can sometimes translate into anxiety, so that's another tricky thing as well.

Again there are many stereotypes around ADHD and one of them is that we always have a lot of energy. Now people with ADHD can absolutely fight fatigue when their mind is constantly thinking about things physically that they need to move, of course we are. I'm going to experience fatigue and that's been another difficulty for me, besides having a strong sense of justice or maybe being too honest, maybe I've had some stumbles as time goes on, over and over again socially, that's impacted things occasionally. in the workplace too and finally, my comfort zone is very important to me, as it can be for neurotypicals, but those who are diverse can find it very difficult to get out of it now, depending on the type of ADHD you have someone.

If you are impulsive maybe that is fine and those new experiences are very exciting and enjoyable, but for some the comfort zone and what is under our control is really important to us and can make it more difficult to get out of it without being able to plan it as much as possible. enough. There's a lot of crossover with ADHD and autism, for example, and that's not always known, so it's really taking a look at some of those areas of difficulty, but that's how they've presented themselves to me now, as you can imagine all of them. those difficulties. or performances have a huge impact on self-esteem for me, like I said before, it feels different or weird, definitely weird for my high school peers.

I think I stayed away quite a bit because I felt very different, a little uncomfortable in the environment knowing that there was a reason to feel different but not really knowing what that conversation was about, so there was also a feeling of generally feeling less than I didn't. good enough, maybe less deserving because of some of those bad habits or you know, I put my foot in it. from being too honest and also from a great sense of shame, even now there may be things that I reflect on since high school for example, and there is a feeling of shame, but now I know why and that helps to move forward a little faster. although according to my diagnosis I am now 31 years old and I sought help from the ADHD Foundation.

Last year I worked as a teacher for several years and, in particular, with those who are neurodiverse, I gained a really real affinity with some of the young people that I worked with and I really wanted to advocate for them and I realized that actually maybe some of those feelings were not just me as a practitioner, but I could also see something in them that I felt in myself, so I looked up With the support of the ADHD Foundation I took a QB test and the results were there. The QB test also revealed that I was quite hyperactive and while I noticed that in myself, I don't think I realized how much physical movement I had. and I needed to do that and again that mental hyperactivity that I had always felt like there was a reason for it, so it's been a massive recalibration of my life, like having a new lens to discover that there was a reason why I struggled with the things. that other people found it easy there was a reason why I felt different but different is not less or worse so I have forgiven myself a lot for the diagnosis I have also had to learn to forgive others who you know may have it I missed him, the high school teachers or the professionals I worked with, who maybe didn't see the signs, but just weren't looking for them, especially in women.

Also, I no longer settle for Less, that feeling of, you know, being less. Deserving it for being different, that has gone out the window, so since I discovered that I had ADHD, although I will have already implemented coping strategies, some of the ones that I use a lot more are actually taking advantage of aspects of hyperfocus in those activities that I like. do and that I can really focus on them, it makes sense to do them, one of those for me was writing, when I really focused on it, I wrote a book and I hope it wasn't too bad because I have an agent for it, so I take advantage of that energy. also put that physical energy into something you enjoy, whether it's Dance Yoga rugby, whatever you enjoy, we take advantage of it, that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that as it can be quite difficult to be in the present with ADHD, like say. aspects of impatience or advance planning.

I use a lot of grounding techniques now to check in and make sure I'm in the present moment, which could be things like method 54321, five things you can see, four things you can physically feel, three. things you can hear two things you can smell one thing you can taste if you find your mind wandering, it just brings you back to the environment that you're in and also my way of thinking, you know, making sure that I'm thinking positively and telling myself good things because, again, that kind of shame might have been internalized and it might take a while to change those thoughts and that mindset, but doing it continually will lead to good results, trying to also, you know, give myself permission to feel those things if I'm overwhelmed Sensory, for example, is fine.

I know why I might need support. Maybe I need to manage it at that point, but that's okay, it's not a bad thing, ultimately, I know a lot of people talk about medications like Well, but for me I didn't really feel like I necessarily needed it and it's not something I've explored, but I know people who they find it really beneficial and you know that's another strategy for dealing with some of these types of presentations. of ADHD, so another thing is lifestyle, you know, making sure we're eating the right things, when we have ADHD, we may have 50 less iron in our systems, which can leave us tired, make sure you do that , make sure we're taking the right vitamins, making sure we're trying to get enough sleep.

I know it can be difficult with ADHD, but taking care of ourselves and also making sure that we have enough play and work is really important and finally, as a Final points of this video, you know that my ADHD does not define me, but now it is part of me and knowing that has really helped me gain understanding and self-acceptance and ultimately be true to who I am and it's very liberating. I don't mask a lot of those signs anymore or try to avoid talking about special interests or whatever. I truly feel like I am the Mary I should have been and there have been so many, well, so many benefits since it happened.So I hope this video was really helpful for you looking into ADHD in women and I wish you all the luck if you're also looking to diagnose ADHD or just do a little more research.

Thank you, thank you foreigners.