Let’s get one thing straight: she’s not crazy. She’s not lazy. She’s not “just bad at adulting.” If anything, she’s running a completely different operating system than the one the world was designed for. Welcome to the wild world of ADHD in women, where life isn’t built around our beautifully chaotic, 28-30 day cycle—but instead around the predictable, robotic 24-hour hormonal rhythm of men. The Great Hormonal Divide Most of modern life—work schedules, productivity expectations, even the research that informs ADHD treatment—is based on the assumption that everyone’s body resets every 24 hours. That’s cute. Meanwhile, women with ADHD are operating on a full moon cycle of hormonal shifts, and let’s just say it’s not a seamless experience. Estrogen and progesterone ebb and flow, affecting dopamine levels, mood, and focus in ways that science has only recently started paying attention to. For men, testosterone stays relatively stable day to day, which means their focus, energy, and e...
In his brilliant work "Reconciliation," Thich Nhat Hanh paints a vivid picture of the relationship between suffering, love, and compassion. Without the fiery crucible of suffering, she argues, we cannot truly cultivate these profound human qualities. It's like trying to pop popcorn without any heat—without the flames of hardship, the kernels of love, compassion remain hard and unyielding, never reaching their full, fluffy potential. Our fear of suffering locks up our love and limits our compassion, like a kernel trapped in its shell. To unlock our full potential, we must stare our suffering in the face, embrace it, and let go of the fear that keeps us from popping into our true selves. When we feed our fear, it breeds anxiety, creating a vicious cycle that keeps us stuck. Living Fearlessly and Honestly What's the worst that could happen, you ask? We will all die one day; that is a given. So why fear living fearlessly, lovingly, and radically honestly? By honesty, I do...