How Misunderstood ADHD Symptoms and Somatic Healing Can Unlock Holistic Wellness for Women
5 min. read
Ugh, you too?
You also ‘have ADHD’? Really? What’s so different now that you got the diagnosis? … It’s just a label you know …
Wow, good for you for finding out, but damn everyone has ADHD huh?
So what, are you going to tick the box for invisible disability now and go on the dole?
But you always seemed so smart and capable! I remember you being with the gifted kids…
Okay, you have ADHD, who cares? Everyone’s got somethin.
Just a few of the typical refrains I’ve heard, especially from late adhd diagnosed women [late = not childhood], when they’ve chosen to vulnerably share with people in their lives.
Most of these same women have heard some rendition of the following list in their childhoods [yet remained mis or un diagnosed until their twenties or later]::
labeled on report cards as: a daydreamer, quietly underachieving, or zones out
obsessive about some things & completely avoidant of other [necessary] things [think: can’t put a book series down and misses a weeks’ worth of class assignments]
questions from parents/caregivers/teachers about the friends in our lives that change like the wind
interrupts & blurts out answers in class
forgetful & unprepared; seems to be careless
keeps desk messy & disorganized; seems to be lazy
did you change all the furniture in your room overnight? did you even sleep? what’s going on?
always has gum in her mouth; fidgets with clothes & hair; constantly tapping feet are all distracting
doesn’t show proficiency or interest in xxx subject; she should try harder
takes on lots of extracurriculars and seems endlessly stressed
need I go on?
Women are misdiagnosed at a significantly higher rate than boys and men, who are more overt in their expression of ADHD. In childhood, the ratio of boys to girls with ADHD is 3:1, yet in adulthood, it’s closer to 1:1.
Women are, unfortunately, used to the late adhd diagnosis, the misdiagnoses, the labeling of being over the top [formerly, hysterical] and so much more. This isn't our first rodeo.
With the intrinsic feminine nature of internalizing and going inward, women have heard themselves labeled for decades as being lazy, spacey, dumb, doesn’t try hard enough, high anxiety, or behind everyone else. When in reality, women living with ADHD and without a diagnosis, have had to spend an inordinate amount of time working to ‘fill their gaps’ and mask up in order to rid themselves of those seriously detrimental and cutting labels placed on them.
As a result, women have been told that they have anxiety, depression, bipolar, borderline personality, obsessive behaviors, sleep disorders or some other mood disorder that is most likely, the coping mechanistic mask that they created to function in a world where their executive dysfunction isn’t permitted.
It is a mess.
I mean, it’s 2024 and it’s just becoming known that pads and tampons are just beginning to be tested with actual menstrual blood … not some saline concoction.
HUH?
To be a woman in the West, essentially mandates that we must be well informed and bold about our health and wellness. With so little of the systems we live within [medical, education, pharmacology, etc] having actual aims at understanding the biology of women, it’s clear that the only other option is to become well informed on our own and gather together, as we used to.
If any of this has resonated so far, I’m thrilled to be in such good company
After spending much of 2023 & 2024 learning, engaging in, rabbit holing into discovering the truths of somatic healing, it’s a natural next step in women becoming well resourced.
So many thanks to the likes of Dr. Peter Levine, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, Alissa Vitti, Organic Olivia, The Workout Witch and more who have been bringing the infinite wisdom that each of our bodies hold to the forefront; nearly dipping into mainstream media.
In case the waves of these folk haven’t touched your shoreline yet, here’s a little TLDR version:
Somatic releasing + healing tap into the body's stored emotions, traumas, and stress [as a woman with ADHD and possible misdiagnoses of anxiety or depression; most likely one of these if not all are true], helping to release tension, regulate the nervous system, and restore balance. By allowing the body to process these emotions [because most women are taught to be good girls, many of us chronically repressed emotional expression], it promotes holistic wellness—improving mental clarity, emotional resilience, and spiritual alignment. This body-mind-spirit integration leads to deeper healing, allowing a life lived more freely and in harmony with the true self.
In my own coaching practice as well as my personal adhd journey, bringing in a variety of embodiment based techniques has funneled in feelings of deep relief, a lifted veil on confidence, an increase in self worth, greater authenticity when showing up in relationships and so much more that can’t be quantified.
As much as I love long form, I’m going to cut myself off here while the going is good. In part two, I’ll share a few experiential examples along with a few somatic suggestions because it’s time to be well resourced.
Living in this western, capitalistic, & patriarchal world, where learning & advocating for the feminine body has been bastardized and in many places censored, we get to harness our health and share boldly with our sisters. SO, cheers to the rebellion 😈 .
Hey, I’m Viki; a lass of many facets. TLDR: I’m a resilience coach empowering neurodivergents from living in states of TENSION to living in a state of INTENTION. As a informed practitioner, I support people through coaching, somatics and communal events .
I may receive a commission for links shared in a blog, podcast, or newsletter. You don’t have to use these links, yet I’d be grateful if you chose to! Thanks again for your support, I hope you find any aOc content supportive, insightful, and/or helpful!
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