Celebrating Our ADHD Journeys

As someone who values advocacy and de-stigmatization, you might be interested in exploring other ways to celebrate this important month. One idea is to use ADHD Awareness Month as a platform to celebrate our strengths and talents while creating a safe space for others. Self-advocacy is a great tool to empower individuals with ADHD and acknowledge their progress in a world that often stigmatizes them.

By celebrating our wins and progress during ADHD Awareness Month, we can help cultivate compassion and resiliency within ourselves and others. Let's honor our journey and share our experiences to spread awareness about ADHD. With so much stigma surrounding this condition, creating a positive narrative around it is essential. So, join the movement and celebrate ADHD Awareness Month 2023 with positivity and passion!

As I mentioned earlier, many resources are available to help others on their journey. I also think of ADHD Awareness Month as a way to empower you in your ADHD journey. Why? It's simple: we're unstoppable with the right tools and resources, and self-empowerment is an underrated skill. Plus, it should also be about giving ourselves credit because we work hard and tolerate a lot of stigmatized beliefs about ADHD.

I understand how advocating at first for yourself and others can be overwhelming, so here are a few things to remember when celebrating ADHD Awareness this October.

Advocacy

Self-advocacy can look different for everyone because we're all in different journey stages. But whether it's advocating for yourself or another person can be challenging, as a personal example. My advocacy journey started when I had to build my support system and learn how to discuss my diagnosis and other mental health challenges.

Self-advocacy empowers us to take a more proactive approach to our ADHD journey. Advocating for other ADHD-ers is important, and when more people with ADHD speak up, it can create a more inclusive and understanding world.

Here are a few ways to advocate for ADHD.

• Social Media and other forms of advocacy, and if you don't know where to start, here's a CADDAC page on advocacy.
• You can volunteer with community outreach mental health organizations focusing on ADHD and neurodiversity.
• Listen and hold space for a person if needed, and also send a positive message that getting support or taking medication is good.
• ADHD-Friendly Workout Challenges
• Join a support group in person or online, whichever you have available and are most comfortable doing.

Community and Connection

I remember first hearing How to ADHD's Jessica McCabe's TEDx. I was floored because it was the first time I felt heard and not alone. I never realized until that moment the power of connection and community, and there are tons of cost-friendly options out there that are easily accessible.

Here are a few options for creating healthy ADHD-friendly connections.

• Don't tolerate people who do nothing but stigmatize and pill-shame us with ADHD.
• If you have the right community and connections, it helps you to feel less alone and more connected and confident.
• Community and connections can be good for not just creating connections and community but creating them in a non-judgemental and empowering way.

Reliable Sources

In today's world, there's as much misinformation on conditions like ADHD. It can make getting the proper support challenging, so here is a Very-Well Mind article on reliable ADHD resources.

Why is advocacy important in our ADHD journey, and why is advocating for others and learning to properly advocate for ourselves crucial for mental health and ADHD journeys?

• It helps us learn healthier ways of viewing progress and areas of growth and gives us connection and community.
• It can help us develop healthier ways of talking to our inner voice and others about ADHD and mental health.
• It can help us learn and unlearn new ways for us and others to define what's right for our health and well-being.

Final Thoughts

Over the past few years, we've all heard how children with ADHD, by the time they are ten. A child with ADHD experiences 20,000 more additional negative comments than non-ADHD children. What do you think happens to that 20,000 number after the age of ten? It gets bigger and bigger, and that's why validation is so important. It empowers us to learn and see the value in holding space for ourselves and others.

For this reason, we must empower ourselves over ADHD stigmas by focusing on the things and people who build us up while saying to ourselves. Yes, stigma is damaging, but I have the strength, even on my bad days, to empower myself to choose how I define and process those moments in my ADHD journey.

Lastly, I'd like to say I think of ADHD Awareness Month as a chance to help others in their community and beyond. To foster and develop a sense of empowerment, resilience, and compassion within the ADHD community. We can do this by celebrating our journey, sharing strengths, and advocating for understanding.

References and resources

Why It's Important to Celebrate Small Successes. (2023, September 1). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/1-2-3-adhd/202111/why-its-important-celebrate-small-successes

How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain. (n.d.). Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain

ADHD and the Epidemic of Shame. (2016, November 28). ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/adhd-and-shame/

A 6-Step Plan for Teaching ADHD Self-Advocacy Skills. (2021, August 10). ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/self-awareness-activities-self-advocacy-skills-adhd/

29 Ways To Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month (2023). (n.d.). 29 Ways to Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month (2023). https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/how-to-celebrate-mental-health-awareness-month

ADHD And The Benefits Of Creative Expression - ADHD Online. (2023, May 15). ADHD Online. https://adhdonline.com/articles/adhd-and-the-benefits-of-creative-expression/

6 ADD-Friendly Tips for Starting and Maintaining an Exercise Program. (2006, December 5). ADDitude. https://www.additudemag.com/exercise-fitness-tips-adult-adhd/

Get Involved - CADDAC. (n.d.). CADDAC. https://caddac.ca/get-involved/

ADHD Resources for All Your Questions. (2023, September 11). Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/adhd-resources-4014200

Relationships & Social Skills - CHADD. (n.d.). CHADD. https://chadd.org/for-adults/relationships-social-skills/