Walking a Mile in My Shoes: Life with ADHD and Dyslexia at Work

Imagine your brain is like a high-speed computer with multiple tabs open at once. It’s always on, always buzzing, and always multitasking. For me, living with ADHD and dyslexia, this is what every day feels like. It’s like having a constant companion – a voice, a tune, and a cacophony of background noise that never stops.

The voice is my least favourite part. It’s that nagging, self-deprecating whisper that tells me I’m not good enough, that I’m failing, the voice of all my childhood teachers, my parents. It’s the first to chime in when things go wrong, and it never misses an opportunity to remind me of my shortcomings. The tune is stuck on repeat. One catchy section plays over and over, but I can never seem to get to the next part. It’s frustrating, distracting and I don’t even like the song anymore.

And then there are the noises. Every sound around me is amplified. The hum of the air conditioner, the chatter of colleagues, the rustle of papers – it’s all competing for my attention. It’s like trying to focus on a single conversation in a crowded cafe.

Now, imagine being in a meeting and someone asks you a question you know the answer to. Sounds simple, right? But for me, it’s like trying to find a specific book in a library without a catalogue system. I know it’s there, but it takes a while to locate. The delay in responding makes me feel self-conscious, and that voice in my head starts to get louder, telling me I’m slow, that I’m not good enough.

And just when I think things can’t get any worse, I remember I forgot to put on deodorant that morning. It’s like my brain has decided to play a cruel joke on me. The distraction is instant, and my focus is gone.

My manager asks if I’ve read that article we received this morning and what my thoughts are. Panic mode activates. I know I read it, but where are my notes? And what was my conclusion again? I’m too slow to read it now, and even if I could, the words would just jumble together on the page. It’s like trying to drink from a firehose. Paralysed by the weight of this simple question. Why won’t my brain just cooperate for once?

This is just one side of what it’s like to live with ADHD and dyslexia at work, I haven’t even gone into the burnout and heaviness of a low dopamine day. It’s not just about being a bit disorganised or needing extra time to read something. It’s about navigating a world that’s not designed for brains like mine. It’s about constantly fighting to stay focused, to silence that voice, and to find my place in a system that often feels like it’s stacked against me.

So, next time you see someone struggling to keep up or needing a bit more time to respond, remember that it might not be because they’re not trying hard enough. It might just be that their brain is working differently, and that’s okay. We all need a little understanding and accommodation sometimes.