After My ADHD Diagnosis, I Started to Understand Myself Differently | My ADHD Journey – Part 4 

What happens when finally getting an answer brings relief but also grief and anger?

In Part 4 of my ADHD journey, I’m sharing what happened after my diagnosis, when I began looking back at my life through a completely different lens.

For years, I had believed the things I’d been told about myself: that I was difficult, too much, stupid or somehow the problem. My ADHD diagnosis alongside beginning to understand autism and the impact of trauma gave me another way of making sense of my experiences.

In this episode, I talk about the connection I began to see between neurodivergence and trauma, why some reactions can look very similar, and how understanding what might be happening underneath our behaviour can help us move away from automatic self-blame.

I also explore how this changed my understanding of self-belief. Because self-belief isn’t simply telling yourself you’re good enough. For me, it had to begin with understanding why I reacted in certain ways, why I had tried so hard to be accepted, and why being misunderstood had affected me so deeply.

In this episode, I talk about:

• The relief, grief and anger I experienced after diagnosis

• Looking back at my life through a neurodivergent lens

• The connection between neurodivergence and trauma

• Why ADHD, autism and trauma can sometimes create similar-looking reactions

• Moving from self-judgement towards understanding

• Finding strategies that actually support my brain

• Why awareness isn't an excuse, it's information

• How understanding myself has changed my relationship with self-belief

You don’t need to have all the answers about why you react the way you do. Sometimes the first step is simply stopping the automatic blame and asking: what might actually be happening here?

Understanding my past hasn’t changed it. But it has changed how I see myself.

And now I can understand myself differently. I can be just me and choose to be that on purpose.

If something in this episode resonates with you and you’d like further support, head over to my website or socials and connect with me. I’d love to hear from you.

If you haven’t heard the earlier episodes in Jenny’s ADHD journey, you can go back to Part 1, where Jenny shares what life felt like before she knew she had ADHD, and Part 2, where she begins recognising herself in what she was learning about neurodivergence.

Listen to the Blame Series here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2BbqcCEpKA9kVOs46RiX1I?si=DuX_3KSKTHKNchM6eWegAw

💜 Something special is here!

If you’ve been noticing the same thoughts, reactions, or emotional patterns repeating in your life, Jenny’s free Continued Writing session may help you understand what’s happening underneath them.

During this live session, Jenny will guide you through a gentle continued writing exercise designed to help you uncover subconscious patterns, emotional responses, and automatic behaviours that are often difficult to see on your own. You don’t need any experience with continued writing, just a pen, paper, and some space to be honest with yourself.

Register for the next webinar here!

If you can’t attend live, Jenny also shares continued writing prompts on her website to use in your own time: www.jennyfield.co.uk/product/continued-writing-freebie/

Connect with Jenny: Book a free call with Jenny

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