I was on the edge of burnout, says illustrator campaigning for ADHD awareness

An illustrator from Bristol, who felt connected the "edge of burnout" earlier being diagnosed with ADHD, is calling for accrued consciousness of the information successful the workplace.

Ana Jaks from Stokes Croft was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity upset (ADHD) successful 2020 astatine the property of 27.

She is present portion of a run called Staring Back At Me, which was created to combat ADHD stigma, peculiarly astir women and non-binary people.

"I thought it was mean for radical to consciousness arsenic perpetually stressed arsenic I did," said Ana, describing her enactment beingness earlier diagnosis.

Staring Back astatine Me is simply a illness consciousness campaign, aiming to assistance radical recognise the symptoms of ADHD, portion highlighting the stigma that women whitethorn look successful the workplace.

The archetypal signifier of the project, which focused connected signs and symptoms of ADHD, was launched successful 2022, portion the 2nd phase, which focuses connected ADHD successful the workplace, was launched successful October.

As portion of the run Ana designed illustrations for the lining connected suit jackets that correspond the invisible quality of ADHD successful the workplace.

The illustrations featured wrong the linings of the suit jackets, which were worn by 2 ambassadors successful the campaign's movie.

“I anticipation different women with ADHD bash not fearfulness being seen,” said Jenny Mclaughlin, Staring Back astatine Me run ambassador.

"I anticipation this run and my communicative shows the strengths idiosyncratic with ADHD tin bring to the workplace.

"All we request is the close situation and enactment to thrive.”

Before the summation successful ADHD awareness, Ana said she felt she had to "mask" her information portion astatine work, which lone exacerbated her symptoms.

"Eventually you commencement to gaffe and you commencement to wobble and autumn apart. The longer that you've been doing that, the much terrible the illness of that is going to be."

"You're pretending to beryllium thing that you're not and that imposter syndrome turns into self-esteem issues and it tin manifest itself arsenic anxiousness and depression."

Although we are present seeing an summation successful consciousness of ADHD, astir 50-75% of women stay undiagnosed and determination is inactive a deficiency of knowing of the condition, said Professor Amanda Kirby, seat of the ADHD Foundation.

"This is particularly existent successful the workplace," she added.

Adults with ADHD whitethorn find they person problems with:

• Organisation and clip management
• Following instructions
• Focusing and completing tasks
• Coping with stress
• Feeling restless oregon impatient
• Impulsiveness and hazard taking

Some adults whitethorn besides person issues with relationships oregon societal interaction.

Ana archetypal noticed her symptoms astatine schoolhouse erstwhile she recovered that she was overly-distracted and impulsive.

She dropped retired of her A-Levels due to the fact that she felt she could not support up arsenic she struggled with anxiousness and depression.

Ana was diagnosed successful 2020. She had conscionable graduated from assemblage and was moving arsenic a freelancer successful a workplace space.

"I wasn't functioning successful the aforesaid mode arsenic everybody other and I couldn't rather recognize what it was.

"And I retrieve saying to myself - 'I conscionable privation to turn retired of this' - but I didn't cognize what 'this' was."

Finally receiving her ADHD diagnosis astatine 27, Ana felt she was yet capable to recognize herself.

"There's a relief, but it rapidly turns into thinking, 'Oh, my beingness could person been a batch easier' if I'd known sooner.

"I retrieve crying a lot. It was rather unusual to person idiosyncratic affirm everything that I had struggled with and it wasn't due to the fact that I was rubbish astatine life.

"There's a batch of grief that comes with it. From speaking to different radical that person had a diagnosis it's rather a communal feeling."

Since her diagnosis, Ana has recovered that prioritising sleep, regular workout and spending clip outdoors person helped with her ADHD.

She said she present feels better-equipped to recognize her caput and pass her needs.

"In the workplace I bash inactive person to propulsion myself guardant a spot much to enactment a definite way. But past everyone does," she said.

"The clients I person spoken to [about my diagnosis] person been truly large and truly accommodating. I've lone had affirmative experiences erstwhile I person spoken astir it."