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When someone says ADHD, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? It’s okay besties, you can admit it, you pictured the naughty boy in your primary school that threw chairs across the classroom, right? The media’s skewed depiction of ADHD has - up until very recently - convinced most people that it’s either not real, or something young boys have, and eventually grow out of. Over 1.5 million adults in the UK are diagnosed with ADHD, yet only 4.9% of women are diagnosed compared with 12% of men. Many women like myself with ADHD have previously received a misdiagnosis of anxiety or depression, or been simply perceived as  a bubbly, loud girl. 

As one of the most debated disorders, for decades ADHD has generated countless books, articles and pieces of research fretting over its validity. Despite this, it also seems to be an en-vogue disorder, often used as a descriptor for a digital age of distractions and low attention spans, in the same way people use 'OCD' as an adjective. The reality is that ADHD remains the most misunderstood and stigmatised disorders of our time. 

## Forget everything you think you know about ADHD

Be it outdated stereotypes of how its symptoms present or who it affects, everything you thought you knew about ADHD is probably wrong. Putting it simply, ADHD is a biological difference in our brains’ hardwiring. Neuroscientists have found deficiencies in the activity of neurotransmitters, specifically ones that create dopamine, in functional regions of the brain. The frontal cortex region of the brain is responsible for executive functions; maintaining attention, organisation, self-control, adaptable thinking, time management and short-term memory. Neurotransmitters stimulate the neurons in our brains, which are responsible for particular functions. To do their jobs, neurotransmitters and neurons must be linked. Thus, a deficiency in these neurotransmitters that send signals in our brains results in impaired executive functioning. i.e. ADHD. 



While ADHD is looked upon as a disorder, it can also be perceived as simply a trait, and even a gift. When left untreated and misunderstood, ADHD can pose issues, but with it comes a unique curiosity, creativity and entrepreneurism. At its best, ADHD is widely depicted as a disorder, a setback, a disadvantage. Media portrayals of the positives of ADHD are few and far between - there is so little information on the superpower it can be and, importantly, how to step into it. By trying to suppress our neurodiverse traits, we risk losing the gifts that are part of the package. While it's certainly true that navigating a neurotypical world with a neurodivergent brain isn’t easy, some ADHD traits can work to our advantage. 

People with ADHD tend to be keen explorers of the universe; our brains are at warp speed. As voracious learners, our high levels of creativity means that we can synthesise conceptual links and we have the ability to consume knowledge in abundance. Many of history’s geniuses would now be considered neurodivergent, and some of the most successful people, such as Richard Branson and Bill Gates, have ADHD. Our non-linear thinking and creativity without constraints can result in high achievement and success when productively applied, but how do we step into that power? How do we release our internal blockages? 



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Media entrepreneur and author, Peter Shankman, shares his insights and hacks for turning ADHD into a secret weapon in his bestselling book ‘Faster than normal’. He notes that his ADHD was not a deterrent to his success but the cause. In an interview with Forbes, he revealed that through developing self awareness and understanding his brain’s way of working, he was able to ‘get more out of (his) brain than (he) ever expected.’ Sharkman also shared his number one tip to maximise his ADHD and channel excess energy - exercise. ’Simple resets - Something as simple as jumping up and down’, he noted, ‘can make your brain work differently, and give you the focus chemicals we all crave’. 

We often think of ADHD as a disadvantage that prevents people from performing at their best. What if we flipped this narrative, instead realigning our relationship with ADHD and viewing it as a competitive advantage? People with ADHD struggle immensely with guilt and shame, which often inevitably knocks confidence. When we develop negative schemas about ourselves, the world and ADHD in general it becomes a lot harder to succeed, and when we do, it’s easy to adopt the narrative that we’ve succeeded ‘in spite of’ our ADHD rather than because of it. Our brains need excitement and even crises to thrive. That’s why we often put ourselves in situations that would be otherwise ‘avoidable’, like leaving projects to the last minute or studying the night before a test. We often make these decisions unconsciously, but they’re for a reason. We have to trick our brains into producing more adrenaline, serotonin and dopamine - things that people without ADHD automatically produce. Often, people with ADHD perform best before deadlines. It doesn’t make us bad people, or failures. Instead, like fine wine, our ideas are just fermenting. When we release the guilt that accompanies this, accept the way our brains work and actually embrace it, we get to know ourselves better and become able to apply our strengths to things in a more informed way. Really understanding ourselves and being comfortable in the way our brains work is one of the best things we can do for ourselves to leverage our ADHD for success. 




ADHD brains essentially have a very low boredom threshold; we're happiest when absorbing new information and stimuli. Every ADHDer, at some point, will have spent hours in a row mastering their latest hobby, learning everything there is to know about it, completely unaware that 5 hours have gone by. ADHD is categorised as a deficit in attention, when in actuality we can apply extreme attention to something that sparks our interest. Our innate curiosity and restless nature enables us to laser focus for extended periods of time. When able to channel our excess energy into a productive place, once seeming elusive, focus takes over. If only we could trigger this hyperfocus on command? While we can’t turn on and off hyperfocus like a switch, we can certainly trigger it with ease. Our brains are in constant search of dopamine, so when we find a source that can provide it, it becomes an obsession, or hyperfixation. ADHD brains easily become hyper fixated - like that time you decided to take up a hobby for 2 weeks only to abandon it? With an abundance of content on the internet, we can intentionally activate an interest in something. You’ve got to clean your house? Cleaning videos on TikTok. Finish a dissertation? Youtube. Cook dinner? Browse food blogs. By the time the algorithm catches up and your For You Page is full of sink cleaning videos, the hyperfixation will already have been born and suddenly you’ll want to do the thing you’ve been putting off for weeks. 



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Double certified life coach with ADHD and entrepreneur, Max Laurence, believes that ADHD symptoms become “assets rather than liabilities when we become aware of how they interact with our work activity”. Since receiving a late diagnosis at the age of 44, he has spent years developing a solution to the missing elusive ‘executive functions’ that ADHD entails, and describes his life now as like that of a non-ADHer. His method is built upon the belief that once we overcome blockages, “we’re able to hit our targets with ridiculous ease” and “the brain which didn’t quite fit before becomes our greatest asset”. Max’s philosophy for harnessing the power of ADHD is also largely revolved around self-concept; to develop emotional intelligence through self-awareness and eliminate unhelpful issues around self esteem. His own experiences navigating the world as a neurodiverse person made him so fascinated by ADHD that, in true ADHD form, he ‘just had to become an ADHD coach’. 

Despite the struggles he had faced with unmanaged ADHD, he was able to build a successful entrepreneurial career. This has made him particularly interested in how ADHD’ers seem to have an almost accelerated ability in some brain functioning yet struggle greatly with others. He notes that, “we have incredible negotiating skills, creative thinking and strategy. Innovation has been a big thing for ADHD with lots of incentive solutions to problems.” Though he acknowledges that work isn’t everything in life, and that areas such as relationships and finances can suffer with untreated ADHD, Max believes that many ADHD traits have contributed to his professional success. Significantly, he notes that “our impulsivity can enable us to take risks, some of which can really pay off! Our hyperactivity enables us to bring absolute enthusiasm into any team or project, and our way of looking problems seems to be different to neurotypical minds and this different viewpoint seems to permit us to come up with solutions that others don't think of.” 
After receiving a diagnosis, Max’s inexplicable life story, including struggling with addiction, suddenly made sense. To him, ‘the problem was that I didn't know I had ADHD in those years so I was searching in the dark’. He now feels that since learning to manage his executive functioning, he has been ‘functioning like a non-ADHD’er’ for 15 years. Max also notes that that we don’t all need ‘helping’ - "some of us do very well but there is more under the surface than people think when it comes to feeling well”. 

A lot of our stigmas surrounding ADHD stem from the education system, which is structured around neurotypical standards. We often adopt a complex that we’re flawed because it’s constantly reinforced that we’re not reaching our potential. Every ADHDer can relate to hearing ‘They’re very clever, If only they’d try harder’. This often results in us growing up believing we’re flawed, until we eventually release our internal blocks and hone our ADHD traits to suit our needs. 



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ADHD is certainly a double edged sword. I have to pay what I like to call ‘ADHD tax’. Fees for missed credit card payments, replacing out of date food, forgetting to cancel free trials - essentially the price I pay for costly mistakes I make due to my ADHD symptoms. In reality, I’m not the best at managing money, relationships can be tricky to navigate and I really struggle with time-blindness. I’ve been fired from more jobs than I’d like to admit, I completed my GCSEs in a Pupil Referral Unit because I couldn’t manage mainstream education (or they couldn’t manage me!) and I find navigating social situations difficult. 

However, many of my favourite things about myself are probably ADHD traits. I’m funny, creative and bold; I have the ability to think outside the box, take risks and learn quickly - all of which are synonymous with ADHD. I wouldn’t change the way my brain works and a lot my proudest achievements can be attributed to my neurodiverse brain. I wouldn’t be in a position to be writing this now without ADHD.

So your ‘flaw’ might actually be your biggest advantage. That's my experience. ADHD is my superpower. Granted, it makes me impulsive, fidgety, intense, and sometimes blurt things out at inappropriate times, but it also makes me determined, resilient and creative. It allows me to think outside the box, be comfortable with chaos, and take risks. Even though ADHD sometimes presents us with challenges it doesn’t make us flawed. We’re just square pegs in a round hole. I like being a square peg. 


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We often think of ADHD as a disadvantage that prevents people from performing at their best. What if we flipped the script?

ADHD: Your secret weapon

How to harness the power of ADHD

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the pace and pressures of modern life, to feel like you should be working harder, socialising more, or being more productive. Every post on our social media feeds is designed to grab our attention, but we can’t possibly give it to everything all of the time, – we need space, time to think.

Meditation is a simple practice available to everyone who wants to reduce stress, introduce calmness and clarity, and improve their overall level of happiness. It’s no wonder that the number of people turning to meditation is skyrocketing, and has [tripled since 2012 ](https://www.thegoodbody.com/meditation-statistics/)– the number of people globally who now meditate is between 200-500 million people. No longer is it a practice for those seeking spiritual enlightenment. Meditating is mainstream.

The NHS even has a [section of its website](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/tips-and-support/mindfulness/) dedicated to mindfulness meditation, where it describes the technique as being able to “help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better.” It adds that “mindfulness is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a way to prevent depression in people who have had three or more bouts of depression in the past.”

So this isn’t a bad place to start, nor are other more classic meditation methods such as mantra, or progressive relaxation. But if you find these ideas offputting, or if you just want to try something a little different, we’ve gathered a list of alternative methods to consider, from demolition therapy, to conscious clubbing. Find out more below:


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Dead to Me 

## Do the cult classic Wim Hof method

The Dutch endurance athlete Wim Hof got his nickname ‘The Iceman’ by breaking a number of records relating to exposure to extreme cold. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in just a pair of shorts, ran a half marathon above the Arctic Circle barefoot, and, perhaps most famously, stood in a container while covered with ice cubes for more than 112 minutes.

Not that we’re asking you to do any of the above – these are just things Wim Hof claims his cold therapy method enabled him to endure. In a video series on [his website](https://www.wimhofmethod.com/cold-therapy), he teaches “ordinary people” how to take more control of their own bodies starting with breathing exercises, and gradually introducing the body to low temperatures with increasingly cold showers.
Benefits include more energy, better sleep, less stress, sharpened focus, willpower, and stronger immune system.

Check out Frank Ocean’s surprise [Blonded Radio Christmas](https://music.apple.com/us/station/blonded-xmas/ra.1490633668) special, which features an interview with The Iceman himself as well as a near nine-minute track which he directly inspired.

The Wim Hof technique includes these steps:

1. Take one strong inhalation through the nose.
2. Let out a relaxed exhalation through the mouth.
3. Repeat for 30 breaths.
4. On your 30th breath, exhale to 90% of your capacity, and hold for as long as you can.
5. When you feel your body really needs to take a breath, inhale fully and hold for 15 seconds before releasing.

Do three rounds of the above. Eventually, the breathing will feel like a fluid wave flowing through your lungs. It’s important to use all of your lungs, so use the cue ‘belly, chest, head’ to encourage doing so. Make sure you’re relaxing your jaw, neck, and shoulders. It takes practice! 

## Try a brain-sensing headband

Muse is a brain-sensing headband that works a bit like a FitBit for your brain, using EEG sensors to relay what’s going on in your head directly to your phone. It uses real-time biofeedback to help you “refocus during the day and recover overnight”.

According to its [website](https://choosemuse.com/), Muse is “an application of neurofeedback, a tool for training yourself to regulate your brain waves. [Neurofeedback](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/therapists-are-using-neurofeedback-to-treat-adhd-ptsd-and-other-conditions/2015/01/16/b38e6cee-5ec3-11e4-91f7-5d89b5e8c251_story.html) began gaining popularity years ago in clinical contexts, as [research showed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/therapists-are-using-neurofeedback-to-treat-adhd-ptsd-and-other-conditions/2015/01/16/b38e6cee-5ec3-11e4-91f7-5d89b5e8c251_story.html) it had the potential to help people struggling with conditions like ADHD and PTSD.”

The headband uses “advanced signal processing to interpret your mental activity to help guide you.” When your mind is calm, you will hear peaceful weather, but if your thoughts start to race and spiral out of control, you'll start to hear a thunderstorm. “That’s your cue to go, like, ‘Oh shit! I’m thinking about the grocery list again! Back to meditation!’” Ariel Garten, the co-founder of Muse, [told Vox](https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22727109/enlightenment-technology-neurofeedback-brain-stimulation-psychedelics).

Explore Muse’s immersive soundscapes by selecting one [here](https://choosemuse.com/soundscapes/).


## Simple Habit

[Simple Habit](https://www.simplehabit.com/) was founded by Yunha Kim in Spring 2016, and positions itself as meditation for busy people. Yunha quit her job as an investment banker on Wall Street to build her first startup, but quickly found herself having to manage extreme stress alongside a heavy workload, so she turned to meditation.
Yunha saw dramatic improvements to her quality of life very quickly, and decided to build Simple Habit to help busy people such as herself.

“Simple Habit is on a mission to empower humans to stress less, achieve more, and live better,” the website says. “Designed by top meditation experts, Simple Habit offers more than 2,000 guided meditations for any situation and mood – including before sleep, taking a work break, commuting, and more.”

Find out more [here](https://www.simplehabit.com/).

## Demolition Therapy

All these apps and pieces of technology sound okay, but what if you actually just want to smash loads of stuff and make a huge mess instead? We’ve all had the urge, and thankfully demolition therapy is now a genuine thing you can do without destroying your own home.

Introducing [Wreck Room](https://www.wreckroom.co.uk/) – London’s first rage room – “Pick your music. Pick your weapon. Get wrecking.”

“It’s all very simple,” the website says, “sessions start at 10 minutes each per person, you choose a weapon from our selection, pick a couple of songs and get to smashing. We provide safety gear but please come wearing appropriate clothing, closed sturdy shoes, long sleeves and trousers.”

“We’ve lined up a load of old, unusable technology and a selection of hard-hitting tools. We’ll then put you in a room together and leave you to it.”

Sign up to the [mailing list here](https://www.electricaldirect.co.uk/demolition-therapy) for booking dates.


## Conscious Clubbing

Dance as meditation is as ancient as our humanity. Sacred dancing is a fixture of almost all cultures and in many religions – Daoists, Buddhists, and Hindus all involve dance in teachings. Learn more about dance as meditation from a Hindu perspective with Divya Goswami Dikshit’s [TEDxDelhi](https://www.ted.com/talks/cheryl_mukherjee_dance_as_meditation/transcript?language=en) talk.

Ecstatic Dance is a form of dynamic meditation, where music is the teacher, there is no complex choreography or method to learn, and you simply move in the way your body is telling you. Many events and communities of dance across the world are talk-free and alcohol free spaces, featuring either live DJs or playlists that span Hip Hop, Reggae, Psytrance, and everything in between.

A good way to get involved would be to head to a festival or retreat dedicated to “conscious dance,” such as the [High on Life ](https://www.urubu.com/events/high-on-life-ecstatic-dance-festival/)Retreat in Portugal or [Conscious Dance Festival](https://www.consciousdancefestival.com/), which has events in Barcelona and Berlin.

Conscious movement exercises, like Tai Chi and Qigong, are great routes into yourself through the body too. Just make sure you’re learning from official practitioners and respect the culture these ancient practices come from.


## Meditate like David Lynch

Transcendental meditation is repped by filmmaking auteur David Lynch. It’s a silent mantra meditation, which promotes ‘active thinking’ (basically, how our brains get to solve a new or persistent problem), natural calm, and overall bodily and mental awareness. It was created by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India in the 1950s.

The Twin Peaks creator apparently came up with the plan for Mulholland Drive after some meditating sessions. He also [says](https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/health/how-to/a26496/david-lynch-meditate/) it helped rid himself of anger and anxiety: ​​“It was as if I was in an elevator and they snipped the cables,” he says, in the most Lynchian analogy possible.

But the TM method isn’t the most accessible – actually, it’s pretty expenny. An official course can [set you back $1,000](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/david-lynch-transcendental-meditation.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0). So here’s the basics; you practice for 20 minutes twice a day, sitting in any way that’s comfortable for you with your eyes closed. You work towards total body and mind stillness – try to let your mind go blank. Next, you repeat something – anything. A word, prayer, mantra, affirmation. Focus on breathing in and out repeatedly. There, saved you some cash.


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Meditating

From demolition therapy to conscious clubbing, start your alternative meditation journey here

A beginner’s guide to alternative meditation

Everywhere we look on social media, we’re inundated with side hustles and #hashtag career goals. But whatever happened to being lazy?

TikToker Alper Avi (@alperavi) posted a [viral TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@alperavi/video/7098398765979110662?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7069840846497449518) boasting about using his  phone to appear like he’s “super committed” to work, when actually his work rate is… less impressive. In reality, he’s much more interested in getting Starbucks. (And can we really blame him?). His video has prompted other TikTokers to share their hilarious work-from-home hacks.

Avi’s TikTok featured text, which read: “When you download chat/slack/teams on your personal mobile phone and your colleagues think that you are super committed to work, whereas in reality you did it so that you can remain online on your way to Starbucks.”

The video struck a chord and has been viewed over 400k times. (Let’s just hope his bosses haven’t seen it). 


“I think in the corporate world we all put on a very serious facade, whereas in reality we are a lot more goofy and laid back,” Avi told the [Daily Dot](https://www.dailydot.com/irl/work-from-home-hacks-slack/). “I believe trying to be super responsive in work chats to show our commitment was a great example of this! Even if we lose focus or need a break during the day, we all want to make sure that no one notices. And that is the machiavellian reality of corporate life!”

In the comments, other TikTokers shared their own experience of using technology to pretend they’re much more productive at work than they actually are.

“Messaging the team chat ‘good morning!’ from the slack mobile app at 9:10 am in bed,” said one user. “Me at the nail salon answering Teams messages on a random Tuesday,” joked another. “Hahahahahahaha. Me doing cross-country-skiing at 10 a.m with my Teams opened,” another TikToker posted. “Lmaooooo that and scheduling emails early morning and late at night,” wrote someone else. “Me opening slack to make my status active then going back to bed,” commented another. 

Still, [studies](https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/are-we-really-more-productive-working-home) suggest workers are actually more productive working from home – despite the cross country skiing and Starbucks runs. So let’s not get too carried away.

Spotify, play ‘Work From Home’ by Fifth Harmony!

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Working from home TikTok hacks

Forget hustle culture, slacking is back with these helpful hacks thanks to TikTok

How to slack off safely when working from home

We’ve all been there: in bed, struggling to sleep and thinking about all the sleep we’re missing out on. Counting the decreasing hours, minutes and seconds of shut-eye we’ll get that night. 

If you’re often in that position, don’t worry, because you're not alone. In fact, a recent [study](https://www.issuesonline.co.uk/articles/insomnia-statistics-uk-2021-how-many-people-have-sleep-problems) found that 36 per cent of UK adults struggle to get to sleep on a weekly basis, which rises to nearly half on a monthly basis. And it’s hardly a surprise, because everywhere we look, there’s no shortage of things for people to feel anxious or stressed about.

Thankfully, it seems there might be a solution (or at the very least, a temporary bandaid) to this problem, from an unlikely place: TikTok.

Enter Karan Raj, a British doctor who has built up a pretty hefty social media following thanks to his informative and straight-talking approach to   ho has built up a loyal following  posted on the social media platform to share his doctor-approved sleep hack. He told his followers: "When I first started as a doctor, I struggled with insomnia."


He says he came across a sleep hack that he initially dismissed, believing it was just another silly trend. But when he gave it a try, he realised it worked. "Basically, you tell yourself. 'I'm not going to sleep' and you stay awake. You don't read a book and you don't go on your phone, no TV, nothing. You just lie in bed [with your] eyes open."

He continued: "You're forcing yourself to stay awake, tell yourself, 'don't go to sleep'. In many cases, you will feel tired and fall asleep. That worked for me."

So, really, it’s a matter of reverse psychology.

Well, sort of. 

"By the way," he added in the comments section, "this is called 'paradoxical intention'. If I tell you NOT to think about a polar bear... guess what you think of first? Works the same way!" 

Dr Raj said that, after suffering from insomnia, he has now mastered the art of a good night's sleep. This is just one of several of his sleep hacks which have gone viral on TikTok.

Needless to say, there are lots of different medical options when dealing with insomnia or any other sleeping problems. So please seek the advice of a qualified medical professional if you’re having issues.
Because, really, everyone deserves a good night’s sleep. Insomnia found defeated!


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It’s called ‘paradoxical intention', duh. 


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ADHD: Your secret weapon

A beginner’s guide to alternative meditation

How to slack off safely when working from home

How to get to sleep fast, according to TikTok