414 | Hitting the Brain-Brakes: A Coaching Conversation with Danielle!

In this episode, Eric is joined by Danielle, a fresh graduate as of spring 2021. She has a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and was very recently diagnosed with ADHD. She has learned a lot about herself after receiving her diagnosis, especially after listening to ADHD reWired’s podcast. She felt some imposter syndrome after receiving her diagnosis, but has fully embraced it after learning about the symptoms and how it presents for her. In this coaching conversation, you’ll hear about Danielle’s biggest struggle with feelings of rejection while being a high-achiever, the thoughts that went through her head through the feelings of failure, and shares some of the ways she calms her mind in the midst of racing thoughts. Eric and Danielle also touch on topics of emotional regulation, uncertainty, feeling out of control, and you might even relate to some of the inner dialogue she shares throughout today’s show! Then, hear Eric and Danielle come up with a few ideas that might potentially help with some of the feelings of rejection, distorted thought patterns, and ways to pause when the mind begins to spiral.  In this Episode, you’ll hear Danielle answer some of these questions: How did you make it through your Masters degree without knowing you had ADHD? Being diagnosed with ADHD: Was it a surprise or a relief? What were some of your common struggles going through higher education? Was some of the rejection you felt  possibly driven by perfectionism?  With your new ADHD diagnosis, have old stories started to change, or do they still have a bit of emotional sting to them?  What’s the internal dialogue that’s guiding what you say and do?  Do you internalize or experience any types of feedback that leans even a little bit on the negative side? Is there something you might be able to do that you think you might enjoy that you would definitely “not be good” at?  What if you did something you felt wasn’t your best work?  If there were some patterned thoughts around the things that tend to send you in that spiral, if those patterned thoughts were like headlines, what would those headlines be?  Is there anyone you know, whether work or personally, who can give you regular feedback about something where you could also - at the same time - communicate how you’re rating yourself while you’re getting the feedback?  Is there anything else you think would help you in either handling uncertainty in certain situations, or being able to receive feedback that might be difficult to hear while being regulated?