Behind the Quiet: ADHD in the Workplace
November 17, 2025 | Helen Gunn
I want to write this article to share my personal experience and help reduce the stigma surrounding ADHD. Living with ADHD is often a silent struggle that others cannot see especially for women, who typically present differently to men, tend to internalise their difficulties, and have historically been overlooked or misdiagnosed. Many of us become exceptionally skilled at masking, which only makes our challenges less visible and, at times, our experiences less believed.
My hope is that by speaking openly about the hidden difficulties, the emotional toll, and the complexities of navigating a neurotypical world, I can shed light on an experience that is still widely misunderstood.
Living with ADHD means battling challenges that others cannot see — challenges that can feel isolating, exhausting, and deeply personal. Here are some of the hidden struggles I experienced, particularly during my years working in the world of Graphic Design.
Constant correction for “careless” mistakes
The mistakes people labelled as careless were far from careless. I would read emails and proof-check my work ten times or more to ensure accuracy. Despite my diligence and strong work ethic, my work was sometimes described as “terrible”. For someone who cares deeply and strives for excellence, hearing this repeatedly cuts to the core. Over time, constant criticism eroded my self-esteem at work.
Difficulty with task switching and interruptions
I needed complete quiet for tasks that required problem-solving. Even minor interruptions — a conversation or a chatty colleague — could derail me. This made me feel isolated, as I often had to keep my head down to focus.
On the other hand, repetitive or non-creative tasks were almost unbearable in silence. I would need music or podcasts to stay engaged, navigating a constant swing between quiet focus and mental stimulation.
Fear of being seen as difficult
Because I needed different environments for different types of tasks, I constantly worried that voicing these needs would make me seem particular, demanding, or “difficult.” While colleagues could move seamlessly between conversations, music, noise, and multiple projects, I often needed silence for problem-solving yet stimulation for mundane, repetitive work — a pattern that felt impossible to explain without sounding contradictory.
Instead of advocating for myself, I learned to mask these needs, adjusting my behaviour to fit the expectations around me. Masking became a survival strategy, but it came at a cost. The effort to appear easy-going and adaptable — when internally I was straining to manage sensory demands, focus, and anxiety — added layers of stress and exhaustion that few ever saw.
Burnout and emotional toll
After consecutive years in non-creative, high-detail roles, I could no longer mask the effort required to function. Burnout manifested in task paralysis, angry outbursts, frustration, and a deep erosion of self-confidence. The effort to appear “normal” in a neurotypical workplace came at a very high personal cost.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and workplace relationships
From my first role out of university to my last position in Graphic Design, I was acutely aware of a lack of connection with colleagues. I often worried about being myself or expressing my ideas, fearing rejection or criticism.
This is not just social anxiety — for many with ADHD, it is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). RSD is an extreme emotional sensitivity to perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure. Even minor feedback or subtle cues — a delayed reply, a suggestion for improvement, or a raised eyebrow — can feel intensely personal.
In practice, RSD can show up as:
Overanalysing conversations
Worrying you have said the wrong thing
Avoiding vulnerability or holding back ideas
Overworking to prove competence
Heightened emotional responses to feedbac
Feeling isolated due to the need to stay focused rather than social
In the workplace, RSD often intersects with other ADHD challenges — masking, hyper-focusing, executive function difficulties, and problems with multitasking — creating a cycle of stress and self-doubt. The constant effort to maintain focus can mean relationships and informal interactions take a backseat, further reinforcing feelings of isolation.
Time Blindness
Throughout my career in Graphic Design, I often struggled with time blindness — the inability to accurately gauge how long a task would take. Despite experience, I consistently underestimated project timelines, which is a crucial skill for providing clients with accurate quotes.
This added to my low self-esteem, as I constantly felt I “should” be faster and experienced ongoing pressure to perform. Time blindness is a common ADHD-related difficulty linked to executive function and working memory, often causing stress and frustration despite my diligence.
Thriving vs. Surviving
People with ADHD can truly flourish when they’re in environments that support their strengths. But when the workplace demands constant task-switching, high detail, or rigid routines, it can feel like you’re fighting your own mind every day. The mismatch between your needs and your surroundings can make you appear disorganised or struggling, when in reality you’re working twice as hard just to keep up.
Understanding Myself Through Diagnosis
For so long, I accepted these parts of myself as simply “how I am” — traits I had carried my whole life. It was not until my late ADHD diagnosis at age 38 that I began to truly understand the weight of what I had endured. The challenges I faced were not personal shortcomings; they were the result of navigating a neurotypical world with a neurodiverse brain.
Looking back at school, the signs were already there. If a teacher said homework would take 30 minutes, it would often take me closer to two or more hours to complete the same work. At the time, I was only tested for dyslexia — which, it turns out, I did not have — leaving me confused and questioning why I could complete the work but needed four times as long as others. This pattern followed me into adulthood and reflected the executive function challenges so common in ADHD: planning, organising, time management, and processing speed.
This realisation has been transformative. I began to understand that I should not have had to struggle in silence or simply “put up with” the difficulties. Instead, I learned the importance of making intentional lifestyle changes and workplace adjustments that honour my neurodiverse mind — creating environments and routines that allow me to thrive rather than merely survive.
Conclusion: Opening the Conversation
Living with ADHD can be challenging, but understanding those challenges is the first step toward changing how we view them — both in ourselves and in others. ADHD may bring difficulties, but it also brings strengths: creativity, determination, intuition, sensitivity, and a way of thinking that sees possibilities others might miss. When we stop fighting our brains and start working with them, we create space to thrive rather than simply cope.
If any part of this resonated with you, I’d love for you to join the conversation. Sharing our experiences helps reduce stigma, builds connection, and reminds us that none of us are navigating this alone. You can share your thoughts or your own story with me on Instagram.
December 18, 2025 | Helen Gunn
Where to find me
I’m easy to reach on foot, by bike, or by public transport. If you enjoy a canal-side stroll, I’m located between Sale and Brooklands Metrolink stops. If you’re coming by car, there’s space for one extra vehicle on my driveway, and it’s also free to park on the road.
I look forward to connecting with you and welcoming you to the garden studio.
Contact me
I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to reach me is by email or WhatsApp message — this means I can respond thoughtfully between client sessions. Due to the nature of my work, I’m rarely able to answer calls in the moment.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you have health concerns, please consult your healthcare provider.
Reflexology is a complementary therapy and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
If you have health concerns, please consult your healthcare provider.
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Where to find me
I’m easy to reach on foot, by bike, or by public transport. If you enjoy a canal-side stroll, I’m located between Sale and Brooklands Metrolink stops. If you’re coming by car, there’s space for one extra vehicle on my driveway, and it’s also free to park on the road.
I look forward to connecting with you and welcoming you to the garden studio.
Contact me
I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to reach me is by email or WhatsApp message — this means I can respond thoughtfully between client sessions. Due to the nature of my work, I’m rarely able to answer calls in the moment.
Where to find me
I’m easy to reach on foot, by bike, or by public transport. If you enjoy a canal-side stroll, I’m located between Sale and Brooklands Metrolink stops. If you’re coming by car, there’s space for one extra vehicle on my driveway, and it’s also free to park on the road.
I look forward to connecting with you and welcoming you to the garden studio.
Contact me
I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to reach me is by email or WhatsApp message — this means I can respond thoughtfully between client sessions. Due to the nature of my work, I’m rarely able to answer calls in the moment.
Behind the Quiet: ADHD in the Workplace
November 17, 2025 | Helen Gunn
Constant correction for “careless” mistakes
My hope is that by speaking openly about the hidden difficulties, the emotional toll, and the complexities of navigating a neurotypical world, I can shed light on an experience that is still widely misunderstood.
Living with ADHD means battling challenges that others cannot see — challenges that can feel isolating, exhausting, and deeply personal. Here are some of the hidden struggles I experienced, particularly during my years working in the world of Graphic Design.
The mistakes people labelled as careless were far from careless. I would read emails and proof-check my work ten times or more to ensure accuracy. Despite my diligence and strong work ethic, my work was sometimes described as “terrible”. For someone who cares deeply and strives for excellence, hearing this repeatedly cuts to the core. Over time, constant criticism eroded my self-esteem at work.
Difficulty with task switching and interruptions
I want to write this article to share my personal experience and help reduce the stigma surrounding ADHD. Living with ADHD is often a silent struggle that others cannot see especially for women, who typically present differently to men, tend to internalise their difficulties, and have historically been overlooked or misdiagnosed. Many of us become exceptionally skilled at masking, which only makes our challenges less visible and, at times, our experiences less believed.
Fear of being seen as difficult
I needed complete quiet for tasks that required problem-solving. Even minor interruptions — a conversation or a chatty colleague — could derail me. This made me feel isolated, as I often had to keep my head down to focus.
On the other hand, repetitive or non-creative tasks were almost unbearable in silence. I would need music or podcasts to stay engaged, navigating a constant swing between quiet focus and mental stimulation.
Burnout and emotional toll
After consecutive years in non-creative, high-detail roles, I could no longer mask the effort required to function. Burnout manifested in task paralysis, angry outbursts, frustration, and a deep erosion of self-confidence. The effort to appear “normal” in a neurotypical workplace came at a very high personal cost.
Because I needed different environments for different types of tasks, I constantly worried that voicing these needs would make me seem particular, demanding, or “difficult.” While colleagues could move seamlessly between conversations, music, noise, and multiple projects, I often needed silence for problem-solving yet stimulation for mundane, repetitive work — a pattern that felt impossible to explain without sounding contradictory.
Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) and workplace relationships
From my first role out of university to my last position in Graphic Design, I was acutely aware of a lack of connection with colleagues. I often worried about being myself or expressing my ideas, fearing rejection or criticism.
Time Blindness
Instead of advocating for myself, I learned to mask these needs, adjusting my behaviour to fit the expectations around me. Masking became a survival strategy, but it came at a cost. The effort to appear easy-going and adaptable — when internally I was straining to manage sensory demands, focus, and anxiety — added layers of stress and exhaustion that few ever saw.
This is not just social anxiety — for many with ADHD, it is Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD). RSD is an extreme emotional sensitivity to perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure. Even minor feedback or subtle cues — a delayed reply, a suggestion for improvement, or a raised eyebrow — can feel intensely personal.
In practice, RSD can show up as:
Overanalysing conversations
Worrying you have said the wrong thing
Avoiding vulnerability or holding back ideas
Overworking to prove competence
Heightened emotional responses to feedbac
Feeling isolated due to the need to stay focused rather than social
Throughout my career in Graphic Design, I often struggled with time blindness — the inability to accurately gauge how long a task would take. Despite experience, I consistently underestimated project timelines, which is a crucial skill for providing clients with accurate quotes.
Thriving vs. Surviving
In the workplace, RSD often intersects with other ADHD challenges — masking, hyper-focusing, executive function difficulties, and problems with multitasking — creating a cycle of stress and self-doubt. The constant effort to maintain focus can mean relationships and informal interactions take a backseat, further reinforcing feelings of isolation.
People with ADHD can truly flourish when they’re in environments that support their strengths. But when the workplace demands constant task-switching, high detail, or rigid routines, it can feel like you’re fighting your own mind every day. The mismatch between your needs and your surroundings can make you appear disorganised or struggling, when in reality you’re working twice as hard just to keep up.
Understanding Myself Through Diagnosis
For so long, I accepted these parts of myself as simply “how I am” — traits I had carried my whole life. It was not until my late ADHD diagnosis at age 38 that I began to truly understand the weight of what I had endured. The challenges I faced were not personal shortcomings; they were the result of navigating a neurotypical world with a neurodiverse brain.
Conclusion: Opening the Conversation
This added to my low self-esteem, as I constantly felt I “should” be faster and experienced ongoing pressure to perform. Time blindness is a common ADHD-related difficulty linked to executive function and working memory, often causing stress and frustration despite my diligence.
Looking back at school, the signs were already there. If a teacher said homework would take 30 minutes, it would often take me closer to two or more hours to complete the same work. At the time, I was only tested for dyslexia — which, it turns out, I did not have — leaving me confused and questioning why I could complete the work but needed four times as long as others. This pattern followed me into adulthood and reflected the executive function challenges so common in ADHD: planning, organising, time management, and processing speed.
Living with ADHD can be challenging, but understanding those challenges is the first step toward changing how we view them — both in ourselves and in others. ADHD may bring difficulties, but it also brings strengths: creativity, determination, intuition, sensitivity, and a way of thinking that sees possibilities others might miss. When we stop fighting our brains and start working with them, we create space to thrive rather than simply cope.
This realisation has been transformative. I began to understand that I should not have had to struggle in silence or simply “put up with” the difficulties. Instead, I learned the importance of making intentional lifestyle changes and workplace adjustments that honour my neurodiverse mind — creating environments and routines that allow me to thrive rather than merely survive.
If any part of this resonated with you, I’d love for you to join the conversation. Sharing our experiences helps reduce stigma, builds connection, and reminds us that none of us are navigating this alone. You can share your thoughts or your own story with me on Instagram.
December 18, 2025 | Helen Gunn