ADHDaptive

27/03/2026

Are you being gaslit at work?

If you are neurodivergent and have ADHD or Autism, you may well be without realising it.

If you ask for reasonable adjustments and told things like

"That's too disruptive for others"
"Others seam to manage ok"
"That's not how we do it around here"
"You are overthinking things"

Or my personal favourite

"We [you] just need be be a bit flexible here"

Then chances are, you are being gaslit.

If you go into a conversation feeling sure of your experiences and needs, and leave questioning yourself, then that's a warning sign.

In the latest blog I go into more detail, and provide some handy hints and tips for spotting gaslighting in the workplace and what you can do to avoid it.

Read about how ADHD and Autistic people are often subtly gaslit in the workplace, and discover some practical tips to help in 2026.

28/01/2026

When I talk to people in Higher Education, I keep hearing the same thing...

Workload building up.
Decisions landing late.
People with responsibility, without control over the decisions that shape their work.

I’ve written a blog about it, talking about what’s happening in universities, and why so many capable neurodivergent people are starting to feel like they’re not coping.

If you work in HE you might recognise yourself in it.

https://adhdaptive.org/pressure-without-ownership-university-systems/

How misaligned decisions and unclear ownership create hidden pressure in university professional services teams, and why the cost is often carried quietly by staff.

23/01/2026

I’m noticing this a lot with people working in universities right now. Not academics, but professional services staff. The ones who keep everything running while structures change again and again.

Constant change. New systems. New priorities. Less clarity. Pressure treated as normal.

What I see is people coping on the outside while their capacity quietly drains. Tasks get harder to start. Thinking feels slower. Social energy disappears. Then comes the self blame.

This is not a resilience issue. It is a load issue.

If you work in HE and feel more tired than you think you should, you are probably not imagining it.

I wrote more about this here, for anyone who wants to read on
https://adhdaptive.org/pressure-burnout-he-professional-services/

And if you do not work in HE and this still sounds familiar, that tells you something too.

Why constant change in UK higher education places hidden pressure on professional services staff, and why neurodivergent employees pay a higher cognitive cost.

07/01/2026

07/01/2026

January sucks.

For a lot of neurodivergent people, motivation doesn’t magically appear just because the calendar changed.

Energy is low.
Everything feels harder.

That’s not failure. It’s recovery.

I’ve written a short piece about why January hits neurodivergent brains so hard, and what helps more than pushing.

https://adhdaptive.org/2026/01/07/motivation-january-neurodivergent/

If January sucks for you too, nothing is wrong with you.

Feeling burnt out after Christmas? Discover why motivation disappears for neurodivergent adults in January—and how to gently recover.

02/01/2026

Happy New Year to my followers, friends and clients.

No detailed, ambitious or smart resolutions for me, just a few words to live by this year

Be kind
Be yourself
Be enough

Live your life by those, and you can't go far wrong!

30/12/2025

Nothing feels easy right now.
Christmas, new year, the bit in between.

A lot of people feel flat or foggy here.
Tired, but not rested.

That does not mean anything is wrong.

Routines slip.
Your head never really switches off.
Then January comes along, demanding motivation you do not have.

You are allowed to go slow.
No bounce back needed.
No fresh start required.

Lower the bar.
Do one small thing.
Getting through the day is enough.

17/12/2025

Christmas can be a lot when you are neurodivergent.

Noise.
People.
That pressure to be OK.

I wrote something this week because I needed it myself.
Not to fix Christmas.
Just to make it feel calmer.

If this time of year feels hard, you are not broken.

16/12/2025

Christmas can be a lot when you’re neurodivergent.

The noise.
The people.
The pressure to be OK.

I wrote this because I live it too.
Not to fix Christmas.
Just to make it feel calmer and safer.

If this time of year feels hard, this might help.
https://adhdaptive.org/2025/12/16/christmas-tips-adhd-autism-neurodivergent/

Practical Christmas tips for adults with ADHD or autism: manage sensory overload, set boundaries, protect routines, plan rest, and recover after the big day.

28/11/2025

It's been a strange week. Have you noticed how some weeks feel a bit scrambled?

You get things done, somehow, despite everything
You leave a few loose ends
You ended up dealing with things you never expected

So here’s a quick end-of-week check in...

What actually worked for you this week?
What drained you?
What do you want more of next week?
What can go in the bin?

We often hear people telling us to "name things" and "check-in", it's a very coachy thing to do. But why do we do this? I don't think I have ever seen anyone explain it.

So I will make an attempt.....

When you spot something and give it a real name, your brain treats it as an actual thing, and not an idea or a thought. Names and labels really help our brains to make things more real..more important.

Once something is real and important, they stop rolling about in your head as random thoughts and take form, they become more real and less abstract.

In essence giving something a name, a label or calling it out makes it become something you can actually do something about.

Most of the time, we don't do this and we often skip to the fixing bit, with an impulsive solution, and then wonder why nothing changes, or even becomes worse.

The result is a proper critical thought process leading to actions like change it, drop it, or come back to it when you have the energy.

Check-ins aren't complicated, or some kind of magical coaching tool, it's a quick way to look back at yourself, what's happened, take stock and take meaningful actions.

Well that's the theory anyway.

Have a good weekend all!!

26/11/2025

ADHD shows up in everyday moments that feel harder than they should.

Focus slips. Time gets away from you. Emotions jump. Memory drops things you meant to keep. You put in effort and still feel behind.

Many adults blame themselves.
They shouldn’t.

I’ve seen the same patterns in coaching sessions for years. People are thoughtful and trying hard, but they haven’t been given tools that match how their mind works.

I’ve created a full series called “How ADHD coaching can help with…”
Each guide explains one challenge you might recognise and gives simple steps that make daily life feel more manageable.

The series covers:

• rejection sensitivity
• impulsivity
• emotional overwhelm
• focus
• motivation
• procrastination
• working memory
• time

Each guide is short and clear so you can dip in when you need it. No pressure. No judgement. Just support that fits real life.

You can read the full post here:
https://adhdaptive.org/2025/11/26/adhd-coaching-help/

If any of these topics feel familiar, take a look. These guides are there to help things feel steadier.

Explore clear guides on ADHD challenges like focus, motivation, RSD, and organisation. Learn how coaching can support you with practical steps that fit real life.

19/11/2025

I’ve just shared a new article that brings together the first five guides in a series I’ve been creating about the most common ADHD challenges people talk about in coaching.

These guides explain things in a simple, clear way so you can understand why these patterns happen and what actually helps. No jargon, no judgement, just real experiences and practical support.

The article covers the first five topics in the series:
• rejection sensitivity (RSD)
• impulsivity
• emotional dysregulation
• time blindness
• task initiation

Each guide includes a visual explainer as well, which you can save or come back to whenever you need a reminder.

There’s more coming soon, and if there’s something you’d find helpful for me to include next, just say. This whole series is here to help you feel understood and supported.

Struggling with ADHD challenges like time blindness or overwhelm? Learn how ADHD coaching provides practical strategies and support to thrive.