Resistance to recovering from a physical or emotional injury or sickness takes its toll on neurodivergent individuals. Why is this the case? Well I believe there are two forces behind the psychological resistance to recovering. Firstly, masking symptoms is a natural adaptation for a neurodivergent person and when we are sick we naturally try to hide this from others. This is adaptive response can become habitual leading to maladaptive behaviour. We find that overworking, is a curse for the high achiever! Secondly, ADHDers especially are highly sensitive individuals. We feel deeply. We are also more prone to emotional reasoning. We feel first then we subconsciously align our narrative to make sense of this feeling. This allows us to resonate fully. Right now I am tackling a hideous head cold. The old me would have masked this, pushed through, taken medication to sedate the symptoms then told myself things are overwhelming and then created undue pressure to keep going. A vicious circle delaying my own recovery. The new me? Well I’m enjoying a day or two of rest, watching reruns of old tv series I never had the patience to watch in my twenties, chatting with my kids and spending some time catching up on some social media comments and reading. My new internal narrative is nothing is life threatening, and everything can wait. My kids are happy, my business is robust and growing. My clients are incredibly resilient and supportive. Plus when I need to do something to a tight deadline (very soon) I will step up and smash it. Life is good. 😊 Also I was reflecting that the lead up to Father’s Day is often a very challenging time for me and this year I decided to let myself grieve. To feel things deeply. There is no time limit on grief. Tomorrow is a new day! What is your relationship to rest and recovery? I’m also diving into a new book called Aligned on this exact topic, watch this space! Stay human, Dr Kim ✨

Anyone who is neurodivergent, especially ADHDers, can often get overwhelmed when working by themselves. Too many ideas, thoughts and distractions both internally and externally can just cause decision fatigue and we shut down. So the question best to ask yourself is NOT “how do I get this done?” Instead, ask “who is the best person to ask or do this with?” This concept is called body doubling, which is essentially an accountability buddy! It works from one nervous system to another. Your heart produces electromagnetic waves and when you are around someone on the same wavelength (literally) they can help by co-regulating you. Sometimes that’s help with feeling more motivated. Often it can be to help feel less overwhelmed and calmer. Just knowing someone else is there is very encouraging and supportive. What times have you used a body double and didn’t even realise? I have always liked studying with others but only for topics I found to be dull and boring. We would share fun stories, crank up the tunes, drink our body weight in Diet Coke and eat blocks of chocolate sometimes pulling all nighters! This is one of the fundamental reasons why I created this Skool community so you are not alone. Please share your body doubling story below!👇 Stay human, Dr Kim ✨

Motivation is always transitory! Don’t expect it to be consistently there especially when you need it the most. Strategy to use: 1. Name the state you are in “this is a low motivation moment” 2. Get moving, just doing anything to create motion will help with endorphins and energy. 3. Reverse engineer your brain for motivational mental hacks Try: “I’m just going to stay average” “Pain now or later?” “Life is hard, who said it was easy being exceptional?!” “The other person is doing this so I will too” “It’s just a hobby, so give up” Or simply “just bloody do it!” The trick is to not think at that stage because your brain is lying to you!! It wants to conserve energy and stay stuck. Your inner voice just echoes your emotional state. So DON’T listen to it just move!!! Let me know your favourite movement or mental hack when motivation has disappeared in the comments below. Dr Kim ✨

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