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Any thoughts on meditation? Has it helped you?
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I’m sorry. We are human and at the end of the day, there’s no mistake that will cost lives in consulting. Give yourself grace. I too thought once I get on my meds I’ll be fine but in all actuality I just hate my job. Currently building up my side hustles so I can leave consulting all together. Not sure if thats the case for you but I’m hoping things get better for you soon.
This must be so difficult. I don't want this advice to sound flippant but I really think meditation helped me overcome a lot of my ADHD symptoms. Learning to observe my thoughts, practicing mindfulness/stillness, all of it really helped me to overcome the worst of my ADHD. Also quitting caffeine entirely lol
This sounds difficult, and I go through phases like this too. A part of it is recognizing that some things will be more difficult for you, and another part is in building mitigations to help you through the challenges in your day to day. I hope things get better for you soon.
OP, sometimes I also lose the gist of a meeting either because my brain gets really hung up on a certain point and by the time I’m done thinking about it, the conversation has moved way on, or because I’m thinking 12 steps ahead.
You may also be experiencing general overwhelm/ADHD burnout (a different flavor of regular burnout that myself and others in this bowl have mentioned experiencing … when you’re just “done” at a certain point of the day or week because your brain is exhausted by having to maintain).
Also, folks with ADHD have auditory processing issues (I am one of them) and when you combine that with distractibility, it can be rough. It can be subtle so you may not be aware you have it.
However, I’m also not convinced that the people in the meetings sometimes ALSO don’t know what they’re talking about.
I’m willing to accept that it’s me at least part of the time, but I’ve been in some meetings where the conversation was like the script for a stream-of-conscious art film.
I love the raw honesty of this post.
When I was struggling, I took leave from work and spent 11 weeks in a full-time intensive outpatient mental health program. It gave me time to get my medication sorted, learn about myself, and practice new skills. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. I did not know how long I would be on leave, so ultimately planned for 10-12 weeks, leveraging FMLA and short-term disability benefits. Changed my life.
As you can see from all comments that what works for one may not work for others. I send warm thoughts as I understand the struggle, I’ve suffered my whole life - was diagnosed in my late 20’s and am in my 50’s now…it has taken me many years of therapy, medicine cycling, exercise etc. to get to a ‘manageable’ state with my ADHD. I feel for you and can only offer this advice…give yourself grace, easier said than done I get it. But you just got diagnosed and unfortunately it will take time (yes, for most of us, more than 2 years :( ) to figure out what combination of resources and aids work for you.
I can attest that if you share your diagnoses with HR or talent rep they can and will help…the biggest hurdle there is you must know what you can ask for and what you need - but they will be more supportive than you think, once you figure that out.
Also, have some other tests done…ADHD and other neuro-divergencies can mimic each other or have overlapping ‘symptoms’ and if you have any other issues that aren’t being treated the meds may not be the right meds for your combo of things if that makes sense?
It’s a hard road but there are many of us that have walked it and have advice on what works for us so building a supportive network is invaluable!
For comprehension specifically I can tell you a few things that have worked for me… I record all meetings - even if it’s in person. I turn my phone’s voice recorder on all the time so that I have something to refer back to. I can then Google, or research the pieces I don’t understand later when I have a moment.
As for being in the moment - I’ve learned that I’m going to have to ask way more questions than anyone else - this used to bother me especially as a leaders however, I’ve found that when I’m honest and state that sometimes my processing is a lil slower due to my ADHD, and ask for grace - others are nothing but helpful and understanding. I used to get in my own head a lot about this but have now had enough positive responses that I realize in being honest especially when I’m feeling the need to mask or hide my confusion, it has lead to many opening up themselves about their own issues with comprehending.
We are leaders, not Gods - we don’t have all the answers and it’s ok to be exactly who we are!
I hope this helps, DM if you would like to connect privately.
All of them? Strattera, Concerta, Adderral and Ritalin? At all doses? Protect yourself by going to Hr and requesting accommodations for daily tasks management and flexible deadlines for expectations.
Well believe it or not, my psychiatrist was giving me the meds but the effects are gradual, and only began to ramp me after several weeks/month at the same dosage. The reason is they wanted to see if the meds were taking effect. Usually every 90 days or so I would be reevaluated for the effects (focus, appetite, concentration), and would then give notes to the doc on progress.
I'm sorry to hear that you're going through a difficult time. It can be challenging when different strategies haven't yielded the desired results. Consider seeking professional help from a psychiatrist or therapist who specializes in ADHD. This helped me a lot when I was going through something similar <3
How long have you been with the same therapist? Just as there are different pharmaceutical interventions, there are different therapy approaches and therapists tend to specialize. It might be time to talk with your therapist about expectations and see if you’re on the same page.
I would say recognizing where you are struggling is a big step. Try seeking help from a therapist first to develop some coping mechanisms. Secondly, don't be too rigid in yourself.
I second therapy. It’s helped me more than meds ever did. Being neurodivergent is a pretty traumatic experience in our society, so managing those symptoms for me have greatly reduced the “impairment” from my ADHD.