Navigating Adult ADHD

Today's guest is a fellow late diagnosed adult who shares her experience of the diagnosis process & getting ADHD Coaching. Julia was misdiagnosed with bipolar long before discovering she actually has ADHD.  She share with us:  What self-medicating & dopamine seeking looked like in the past How her life was before ADHD Coaching  What she has gained throughout the coaching process How s...

Today I'm answering 5 common questions I hear from adults with ADHD:  How do I cope with last minute change? How do I stop dopamine seeking with food? How do I stop overthinking & replaying things in my head?  How do I know I'm on the right ADHD medication? How do I parent a child with ADHD as a parent with ADHD myself?  I regularly answer questions like this over on Instagram so be...

No one likes to be rejected, criticised or fail, but RSD is a whole different level. And it can trigger an overwhelming & painful emotional response in people with ADHD.  RSD is an intense reaction to real or perceived rejection, criticism or failure.  For me, it shows up anytime I feel attacked (as you'll hear in this episode).  In todays episode we are covering:  Scenarios where RSD oft...

Do you struggle to remember to drink water or forget to eat?  Do you wait till you’re busting before you go pee?  Or do you miss the cues that you’re angry until you’re yelling, slamming doors or shutting down completely? This my friend is interoception & it’s something that ADHDers have difficulty with.  Interoception is how you perceive what’s going on inside your body. It’s pretty important...

Developing this practice has been the most powerful thing I’ve ever done for myself & today I'm sharing how you can make this a part of your life too.  Having your own back means treating yourself the way you treat the people you most love & care about - By standing up for them, believing in them, cheering them on, picking them up when they fall down & dusting them off.  How might...

ADHD brains have less dopamine. Dopamine plays a big role in motivation, satisfaction, memory & focus. And dopamine feels good. It's often called the "feel good" neurotransmitter in the brain. Understanding dopamine helps us to work with our ADHD brains to create more motivation, focus, achieving goals, joy & satisfaction in our lives. Not all dopamine is created equal... So...

You're too sensitive!  Toughen up! Why do you take things so personally?! ... Sound familiar?  Humans with ADHD are more sensitive than those without ADHD. Our ADHD nervous systems pick up signals the average person can't register.  The sound of chewing or someone breathing might cause your skin to crawl.  You are more likely to have asthma, eczema & allergies. And then there are the...

Do you struggle to switch from one thing to another?  Do you get mad or thrown off when people interrupt you?  You are not alone!  Task switching is difficult for adults with ADHD. The good news is that we can make it easier.   In this episode I'm sharing with you:  Common examples of task switching  Why task switching is difficult for ADHD brains 2 questions you need to ask yourself  3 Ways...

If you are a parent with ADHD, have kids with ADHD or both, this episode is for you!  Our guest today, Brett Harrington is an expert on all things ADHD & parenting.  Brett & I discuss: Handling emotional explosions with your kids Dealing with overstimulation Common behaviours from kids that are tricky to navigate Managing transitions Morning routines  ... And much more! Connect with Brett...

Exhausted all the time? Withdrawing from your friends & family? Not enjoying the things you used to? These are all signs of ADHD burnout.  Something we are prone to experiencing due to executive dysfunction, gender role expectations, hormonal fluctuations & perfectionism. In this episode we explore:  What leads people with ADHD to burnout How to know if you are burned out (the signs) How t...

Perfectionism is common amongst adults with ADHD, especially if you are highly critical of yourself.  Setting unrealistic goals & expectations, then beating yourself up for not achieving them...? This is perfectionism.  Perfectionism tells us: If I do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgement, and shame. In this episode we are explore:  The sneaky w...

"We are hard wired to connect with others" And for us ADHDers this can be tricky as we navigate RSD & a busy mind... And today's special guest, Vince Ford ,  is an expert on creating connection.  In this episode we cover:  The link between physical pain & the emotional pain of rejection. Plus a surprising cure that works for both!  What mentalizing is & how it impacts ou...

I just thought I had an addictive personality. Turns out that I had undiagnosed ADHD.  For me it was food (sugar), alcohol & shopping. I used them as a way to both escape the painful parts of my life & to feel good.  All addictions have one thing in common: DOPAMINE.  And while many articles will tell you we become addicted because we are "dopamine seeking"... I don't fully...

The root of self-care is setting boundaries: It’s saying no to something in order to say yes to your own emotional, physical & mental well-being.  Healthy boundaries are "what's ok & what is not ok." Setting & upholding boundaries is a skill we can learn.  One that not only prevents burnout, but also improves our relationships & creates more balance in our lives.  In...

You know that low feeling you get after you return from a holiday? That reason why you book the next trip to look forward to asap? THIS is a dopamine hangover. Anytime we spike our dopamine levels, for example jumping out of a plane & then feeling on top of the world. Later results in a significant drop in dopamine (what goes up must come down, literally!) & it doesn't feel so good. ...

Do you tie your self-worth to how productive you are?  Never feel like you're doing enough?  Due to the way we've been raised & the messages we've absorbed growing up, most adults with ADHD, especially women, struggle with this! (myself included) In this episode we explore: The messages ADHDers & women have received growing up How these impact our self-worth  Questions we ca...

Somewhere along the way we developed this idea that in order to be better & do better we had to beat ourselves up. How’s that working out for you?  Are you improving your life by hating yourself? Are you creating positive results? The truth is: You can’t hate your way to happiness. Trust me, I tried. Hate only creates more negativity in our lives. And beating ourselves up is effectively punchi...

Your capacity is the amount of  mental, emotional & physical energy you have to be able to "human" & get things done each day.  Everything you do will either add to your energy levels  in the "tank" or take away from them.  Just like a car that can run out of gas - we need to be checking in with ourselves & be mindful of refuelling or checking how much gas we have l...

As ADHDers many of us learned to people-please from a young age... Making it hard to say no.  This is one of the many ways we masked our ADHD & tried to meet the neurotypical expectations that society placed on us. But when we say yes to one thing… we are saying no to another.  In this episode you’ll learn:  Why adults with ADHD can be quick to say yes & can struggle with saying no How I h...

Have you ever called yourself a people-pleaser?  I’m Xena & I am a recovering people-pleaser. I cared so much about what other people thought of me & would prioritise the needs & desires of my friends, family or colleagues, above my own.  And by doing this I was telling myself that my needs & what I wanted weren’t as important... Further adding to my insecurities & lack of self...

This is an alternative therapy I use to manage my ADHD symptoms & help regulate & process my emotions... When I'm in fight or flight,  experiencing physical or emotional  pain, need help focusing or getting out of my head, I use EFT Tapping.  EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Technique also known as “tapping” - because you are tapping on various meridian points around your body to calm...

Time blindness is a common symptom of ADHD. Time for us is either now or not now.  This is why you might struggle to set goals or never feel like you achieve them. This episode is NOT about giving you more tips & tricks (because if they worked, they would have worked already!) This episode gets to the root cause of why we mismanage our time & exactly how to become good at time management &...

Watch this free class here: https://www.xenajones.com/starthere

This episode is for the loved ones of an ADHDer. There is a lot of stigma & many misconceptions about living with ADHD & we can have a hard time communicating this to you.  Thank you for taking the time to better understand us. My intention with this episode was to provide better insight into our lives & why we are the way we are.  And thank you to the ADHDers who shared with me what i...

How many times have you thought when I do this or get this then I’ll be happy…? Maybe you think you are doing something wrong or there was something wrong with you because you don’t feel happy or good most of the time? Society has taught us that the goal in life is to be happy. But the truth is: Life is 50/50 Being human means we will experience 50% positive emotions & 50% negative emotions. A...