Today I had a work call with a colleague who has been mentoring me for a few months now (nothing serious, just someone to ask now and then if I need advice). Around half way through this call, once they had answered my original question, out of the blue and unprompted they asked “wasp, have you considered that you might be neurodivergent?”
From the short conversation I then had, they have noticed that I hyperfocus, I can’t organise for shit, I regularly stop mid sentence and change the subject, and that I bounce between trains of thought rapidly which makes it hard for people to keep up. I was a bit surprised as I don’t work particularly closely with this colleague and while I’m aware that I do these things they have never really been mentioned before, and certainly not attributed to anything other than me being a bit overenthusiastic.
I won’t delve too deeply here, but today has certainly been a day of self reflection. Regardless of whether I am or am not neurodivergent, I have always felt able to pass as neurotypical and today has been the first time I have had anyone question this. Suddenly I’m thinking that maybe I should be taking the possibility of me having ADHD a lot more seriously. The penny has finally dropped that I need to get this checked out.
Any advice on what I should do next? I’ve booked in to see my doctor, but what would you all recommend to a potential ADHD newcomer?
If you don’t feel like it’s affecting you negatively then don’t worry about it too much. Also, I’m sure there’s more to the story but from the context here I’d be a little put off if someone mentoring me asked me that. You don’t seem out of so I’ll trust your judgement that it wasn’t in a ride way. Other than that, all I can really say is talk to your doctor.
Well, it was more of a “we are assigning you a mentor as someone to help you keep you on track and be organised” sort of thing…
But my mentor has been good. They’re definitely not afraid to give constructive feedback to say the least!