Have you noticed a spike in people around us joining the ADHD and Autism gang? Let's chat about why that’s happening. It turns out, we’re playing a bit of a catch-up game with these diagnoses and until recently, there were hardly any studies on women and people assigned female at birth (seriously, what took them so long?).

We’ll also chat about how it feels when people hit you with the “oh, but everyone’s got ADHD” comment – spoiler alert: it can feel pretty insulting. Plus, some cool celebs who are helping to ditch the stigma (shoutout to Em Rusciano and her awesome National Press Club address!)

Ever feel like you’re a sitting duck when it comes to getting stuff done? You’re not alone. As ADHDers, a lack of dopamine and norepinephrine can fry our motivation and energy, making everyday tasks feel like we’re pushing boulders uphill. 

This week, we chat about how troubles with reward processing can leave us stuck in the passive action trap, procrastinating and feeling ashamed for not getting things done. But don’t worry, we also share some tips and ideas from body doubling to not sitting down, to help you beat the avoidance and get moving!

Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD) is something that a lot of ADHDers experience and usually manifests as a really strong emotional or even physical reaction to the idea of rejection or failure - cue the procrastination!

We talk about how RSD pops up in daily life and James shares his own experiences from the emotional reactions to those avoidance spirals and the negative self-talk.

Hang around until the end for our ‘AD Moment of the Week’.

It’s a very valid point - is it worth all the time, stress, effort and $$$ of being formally diagnosed, if you’re not planning to try ADHD medication?

We delve into the pros and cons of seeking out a formal assessment, and discuss why it might be really helpful for some people… and not so much for others.

A must to listen to if you’re thinking about going through the diagnostic process yourself, or know someone who is.

Moving house can be a struggle for those who are neurodivergent (hey - we’ve heard it’s even hard if you’re neurotypical!). 

So we thought we’d share what went well, what didn’t go well, and our top tips for staying sane throughout the process. 

Ok… so the month we planned to take off actually turned into more like 9 months. (Sorry about that!)

But - we had a LOT going on (some planned, some definitely NOT planned), and our first priority is always self-care. Tune in for a quick explanation of what the hell happened, and why we had to park the podcast for a while.

But… we missed you! And we’ve been looking forward to getting this back up and running for aaaaaages…

We’re finally back, and we really hope you like the next season of LD ADHD.

Ahhhhh… The Dreaded ADHD Burnout Cycle. 

Or as James and Jules named him… “Barry Burnout.”

He sneaks up on you when you least expect it. He lures you in with promises of novelty, excitement, fun, and success. He tempts you with a shiny new object. And once you’re committed, he transforms into overwhelm, drudgery and pain. 

Why do we all keep doing it? 

James and Jules compare their burnout styles - as an AuDHDer, James experiences more of a sensory overload. Whereas Jules prefers more of a classic ADHD “thrill of the chase, then get shitty when I have to grind it out” approach ;) 

They also chat about how to spot Barry, how to stop him in his tracks before he gets a foot-hold, and how to recover when you find yourself in burnout in the future.

Meet Faye Lawrence. She was a heavy drinker for many years, but never really saw herself as an alcoholic, because on paper her life looked pretty successful. That was until 2017, when she wound up in hospital from her drinking. But she turned it all around, and part of her comeback story is that she has created a thriving community of people who are also giving up alcohol. And you know what? She’s also a late diagnosed ADHDer. So we got her on the show to pick her brain about the connection between ADHD and addiction, and what we can do about it.

We all have them. Those facepalm moments where we don’t know whether to laugh or cry. So let’s talk about them. We asked our listeners “What’s your biggest ADHD moment?” and here’s what they came up with.

James and Jules share their own experiences about what's worked for them over the years, both before and after finding out they were ADHDers (and it's no surprise that they're sometimes polar opposite in their answers, lol). And they also throw in a sprinkling of science about which types of workouts you might want to avoid if you're on stimulant medications or feeling anxious or wired.