CONTEXT

"Stress"

Growing up I hated stress. I still do, to be honest, but it’s part of survival.

It wasn't a particular strength of mine, nevertheless, I've somehow managed to navigate life doing an "OK" job. There's room for improvement.

Jeff Bezos's definition of stress is "Stress primarily comes from not taking action from something you can control over"

By this definition, I'm stressed most of the time due to my ADHD symptoms!

I am leaving things till the last minute. I sometimes get a thrill from it, as I've developed a way to use that stress to push me. I spoke about it here.

How sustainable is this though?

There have been moments where I've put things off to the last minute, stressed as f*ck, the outcome is not desirable and I'm there thinking to myself, "Why didn't you take care of this sooner FFS" 🤦‍♂️

Early in my career, I was in for a rude awakening.

In Accounting, we have a term called 'month end' where the finance department is expected to have the month’s financials finalised and ready to be presented to the leadership team.

I was an Accounts Assistant responsible for the data entry (which was hella boring) which fed up to the success of the month end.

I could have done a better job with the data entry, as I left a few things to the 'last minute', underestimating a few things.

Long story short, we were late for the submission of our financials.

I held my hand up and apologised for my input.

We had a debrief on what went wrong and what could be done better to prevent that from happening again.

DEEP DIVE

In today's post, we'll be talking about the Neuro Divergents' stress management manual

The ND Stress Management Manual

1) Deep Breathing

This one, I thought was a gimmick at first, I thought what the heck is breathing gonna do for me? But when I do this I find myself more:

• Relaxed

• Improves my concentration

I spend about five minutes doing this; I inhale for five seconds through my nose, then hold my breath for another five seconds, and finally exhale for five seconds.

More recently I’ve been doing..

Double inhale, single exhale technique

Another technique I discovered from Andrew Huberman is the double inhale technique. Inhale deeply and then another sharp inhale before exhaling slowly.

This serves as a quick reset during a stressful period for me

2) Walking

I like to walk a lot. My daily step count is crazy!

A lot of the time when things get overwhelming in my personal and professional life, I find that going for a walk is refreshing in many ways

i) Improves my mood and emotional stability

Taking time out of work for a walk helps me recharge. I'm able to resume work in a calmer position, ready for the second half of the working day and whatever challenge comes my way..

ii) Boosts my creativity and problem-solving

A lot of my 'eureka' moments come during my walks. My subconscious mind seems to spark up during my walks. I simply just get my notes app out and start typing away otherwise I might forget it.

iii) Provides sensory break:

If I'm working in the office, I find that the lights and the noise might be overwhelming for me. I'll make the most of my precious 1-hour lunch break when working in the office to walk around the block preferably where there's nature.

At a previous company, I worked near a well-known park, and for the first time I saw a 'black swan'.

iv) Physical Health

If for whatever reason I'm not able to exercise, walking is the bare minimum that I'll do.

3) Exercise

I think this is probably my biggest critical success factor.

i) Gym:

If my mood is low due to feeling overwhelmed.

I run to my exercise bike or head off to my gym to lift heavy weights. From experience, I witness the following:

• Improves my mood

• Improves my emotional regulation

• Increases my energy levels

• Enhances my sleep (especially my deep sleep)

All of which I desperately need when dealing with the daily challenges in the corporate world as a neuro divergent.

ii) Football/Soccer:

I have the option to play football twice a week. To be honest I prefer this due to the intense cardio involved and the social aspect with the teammates.

Sometimes I find that going to the gym can be a chore. Having another option to exercise such as football spices things up and incentives me to work out.

I've indirectly made it difficult for myself to not work out!

4) Writing

I'm always writing, I need to extract everything from my head onto paper and see it.

i) Journaling

I love journaling.

• It enables me to touch base with my emotions

• Helps me slow down to get to the crux of how I'm feeling,

• Helps me identify the thing that's stressing me.

ii) To do list:

Being able to write down my priorities for the:

• Month

• Week

• Days

I'm able to see my schedule ahead and identify any challenges that I'm likely to encounter.

Writing everything down allows me to see things clearer, visualise what needs to be done. Ultimately helping me prioritise tasks and manage my time effectively.

5) Supplements

A controversial topic, but here we go... My go-to supplement is... CBD (Cannabidiol).

It’s an extract from the cannabis plant.

Please note: It does’t contain THC (the psychoactive ingredient found in marijuana that makes you “high”)

Before my ADHD diagnosis, a friend of mine introduced me to CBD. I asked him what it was for, he told me he 'slept better'. Who doesn't want to sleep better I thought and so I bought it and never looked back.

Post my ADHD diagnosis, I read “ADHD 2.0” by Edward Hallowell & John Ratey. There was a chapter on CBD.

Here's my very own 'weed' collection.

I take my CBD after dinner. When I take it I feel:

i) Less anxious:

This is helpful, especially during presentations that I have to do to my senior stakeholders. Less imposter syndrome

ii) I sleep better:

The quality of my sleep is much better, I'm more relaxed leading to overall mental health, and better cognitive function all good for managing my stress levels

iii) Helps me focus better:

I feel like my attention increases possibly due to less brain distractibility or hyperactivity. As a result, I am increasing my task management and productivity.

iv) Reduces my physical symptoms of stress

As a neurodivergent in a demanding role, I feel the physical tension due to the stresses of work. Since taking CBD feel:

• Physically relaxed

• Less tension in my muscles

v) Makes me less irritable:

I feel like it reduces my reactivity, I’m not as triggered, snappy as I use to be.

6) Play some relaxing music

There’s not a day I don’t listen to music!

For me music:

i) Enhances my mood:

Giving me dopamine, reducing feeling of anxiety and depression (which is common in us neurodivergent individuals)

ii) Improves my focus and attention:

When my brain goes into hyper active mode when stressed, I find it disorientating and I need to slow it down quickly.

Playing music helps me do this, helps me concentrate and enhances my attention

I’ve been playing around with what works for me. At present my preferences are Jazz, Classical and Lo-fi music.

I find them very soothing, and helps me maintain calmness and focus.

I’ll see if I can share a playlist at some point 👀

RECAP

1. Incorporating these techniques into our daily routine can enhance our stress management.

2. Please check your corporate company policy against any potential conflicts on the CBD

3. Please consult a health advisor

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

MEME OF THE WEEK

FINALLY

If you any one who can learn a thing or two from my newsletter, please spread the word. 🙏

Stay Different,

The ADHD Exec

Disclaimer: I am not your psychiatrist, coach, doctor. Neurodiverse Diary does not provide medical services or professional counselling and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Everything I publish represents my opinions, experience, not advice.