This week we start a series on the characteristics of white supremacy society and how it’s so harmful for our ADHD brains. We’ll be exploring this over the next little while because I think as we break down these expectations, we’ll start to see that not only was this world not made for us, it’s also damaging for us to try and find a way to make these work in our lives.
Perfectionism is the first characteristic of this white supremacy culture I’m looking at. The focus is on doing things right for the person in charge and any mistakes you make come to define you as a person. In this society, we’re quick to point out what people do wrong without showing them how to learn from their mistakes or how to keep their mistakes separate from who they are. What’s worse is that this one is a characteristic we internalise and that helps to keep the culture alive.
The stress for ADHDers starts early. The constant criticisms and corrections prime us to keep remembering that we are the problem because of all the mistakes we make (that we assume others don’t make) and how we need to do and be better. We end up in a cycle of endless self betrayal in a need to find a way to fit the expectations set for us in society in order to keep the lie of the culture alive.
This episode is the one that gives a bit of my thoughts on the intersection between ADHD and the culture of perfectionism and *some* what I’m trying to do now to start dismantling perfectionism in myself. Leave a 5 start review and comment on this one! It’s a really easy way to support my work and I could use that support...Thanks!
Impacting our ADHD:
Harmful coping mechanisms
Anxiety
Becomes maladaptive
Focus on ourselves (miss more around us)
What I learned:
Practice self compassion
Practice making mistakes
Practice giving yourself feedback
What you can do too:
Keep working on your self compassion Ebook (see link below!)
Learn to reflect on the tasks: WWW, EBI
Connect with me:
On IG @theadhdgoodlife
On FB @adhdgoodlife
On Twitter @theadhdgoodlife
Site: www.wellnessandwhiteboards.com
Click for my free EBOOK on self compassion: They Were Wrong About You! https://bit.ly/2Zv455h
Resource:
www.dismantlingracism.org
A Culture of Perfectionism