Three years ago I was diagnosed with Adult ADHD.  Since the ADHD diagnosis  I have identified that I also meet the criteria for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or previously Asperger Syndrome. Essentially, I am neurodivergent. Neurodivergence is a concept originally attributed to the 1990s sociologist Judy Singer, and is a non-medical umbrella term that describes people with variation in their mental functions, and can include conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other neurological or developmental conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

I write this article to describe my experience of being neurologically diverse, and in particular how I have ‘masked’ my natural and hard-wired behaviours and thinking. Masking is essentially when a person presents to the external world what is socially expected while doing their utmost to manage their internal emotional and cognitive reactions to the world around them.  The evidence suggests that young girls with ASD are most prone to ‘masking’ and in many cases go undiagnosed resulting ultimately in not meeting their potential.

A high performing team or organisation can only occur when we cultivate both a culture of Constructive Accountability and a culture of Psychological Safety.  Accountability without Psychological Safety typically results in toxic fear driven organisational culture resulting in the presence of significant psychosocial risks. Unfortunately, these types of teams and organisations, while toxic and fear driven can actually deliver high performance for a short period of time.  But to reach a sustainable level of high performance we need both Psychological Safety and Constructive Accountability.

There is a lot of discussion right now about 'Psychological Safety' - the latest buzz word (again).  Unfortunately, there is significant misunderstanding and misinterpretation of this concept of 'Psychological Safety', which is doing more harm than good.  In particular, there is a misconception that Psychological Safety means that people shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable and shouldn't experience negative emotions.  As a Psychologist having worked with individuals, teams and organisations for over 20 years, this view of psychological safety in my experience creates significantly more long term distress and negative impact for both the individuals and the organisation.

We need to urgently and proactively enhance well-being.  We need to start with ourselves and our children.  This article outlines 5 steps to cultivate well-being in ourselves and secondly to reflect on how we can better cultivate well-being and resilience in our children.

The Challenge: Take just 5 minutes every morning and write down ONE thing that you APPRECIATE in your life today.  Do this for 30 days.

Essentially, if we believe that mental health is our choice, then we can choose to perceive the world in a certain way. If we believe that mental health is a choice then we empower ourselves to improve our mental health.  We give ourselves a chance to live the lives we want to live.

The “Choice Mindset” empowers a person to choose their life and to create the life they want.  The “Choice Mindset” eliminates excuses.  The “Choice Mindset” generates success and improvement.  The “Choice Mindset” enables the higher road and lifts us to display integrity and authenticity.

You think you are immune.  You think that because you have natural physical talent that you are immune to depression and mental illness.  Let’s be frank – you are not.  In fact, you are probably most at risk. Let me share my story and views with you.