All of us experience stress, it just takes on different forms, and we may not even notice it.
That was the case for me throughout the vast majority of my entrepreneurial journey.
From the age of 16, when I started trading cars, up until my breakdown at the age of 30, I didn’t have time to be stressed. Looking back, at the time I didn’t feel like I was stressed, but it was constantly building up and it all eventually got on top of me.
My ADHD diagnosis and what that means for you
After my breakdown, I took some time out to reflect on my experiences and my situation- and it was during this reflection that I was diagnosed with ADHD.
It’s something I’ve clearly been dealing with for a number of years, but my diagnosis, coupled with my period of reflection, have enabled me to tap into what I believe is the superpower of ADHD.
As a coach that’s now working with entrepreneurs with that same superpower, that same gift, I’ve found that a lot of the conversations I’ve been having recently have centred around the stresses that business owners are dealing with.
Some of these stresses predate the COVID-related lockdown and experiences, but clearly that hasn’t helped.
From my own experience balancing my ADHD with the stresses that come with life and business, I know that I’m not me when I’m stressed.
In this article, I’m going to look at what stress can mean when you’re dealing with ADHD, and why it’s important to spot the signs of stress early.
ADHD and stress: You’re not you when you’re stressed:
Before you can tap into the superpower that is your ADHD, and use it to hyper focus on your business and other aspects of your life, it’s essential that you gain clarity on what it is you want to hyper focus on.
The importance of clarity was one of the huge learnings I had during my time of reflection following my breakdown.
For me, gaining clarity over my stress state was key- and it made sense of so much.
I’m just not me when I’m stressed, and based on my understanding of ADHD I believe it’s the same for you too.
When I’m stressed, I’m trying to think and feel at the same time. And when I think, I’m trying to be a perfectionist and being risk averse, rather than being a risk taker- which is my usual state.
In short- when I’m stressed, I’m the total opposite of my usual state, what I stand for and what I believe in.
It won’t just affect the business either:
From the personal experience of my breakdown, I know that it’s bad enough when you let the stress and overwhelm get to you from a business sense, but it also has an impact on your life away from the business too.
My fiancee and I went through the devastating loss of a baby last year, and in the aftermath of what happened, my reaction wasn’t what it should have been.
Rather than speaking to her from my heart- which would have been my normal reaction- the underlying stress that it had caused led me to think about what had happened too much.
I was trying to be logical during our conversations. It was only when I started speaking from my heart that we both had a much more fulfilling conversation.
You can sometimes feel like an overwhelmed tube station turnstile:
Thinking back to these conversations with my girlfriend, I was initially battling between my need to think of a solution and my usual reaction to speak from my heart- with my thinking side winning initially.
It was almost like an overwhelmed tube station turnstile. When two people are trying to leave at the same time, they both get stuck and nothing happens.
In other situations, like in our businesses, the result is that you become overwhelmed with information, which can lead to procrastination.
Spotting the triggers of stress early, like information overwhelm, can help you avoid spiralling.
Once you have these foundations, and the clarity that comes with them, tapping into the gift that is your ADHD is the next step.
If you’d like to find out how I can help you gain clarity, reduce stress and tap into the gift of your ADHD, click here to book a free discovery call.
