ADHD Awareness Month: The Many Faces of ADHD
October is ADHD Awareness Month: a chance to raise awareness, challenge stereotypes, and celebrate the many ways ADHD shows up in everyday life. Of course, if you or someone you know has ADHD, then you’ll know that every day is ADHD awareness day! ✌️
Often people come to my work through coaching, mentoring or The AMP Club because they relate to what I describe, but they don’t always have a formal diagnosis. They aren’t sure if they should take up space and ask for support. Many arrive with low confidence/self-esteem, already battered by the world and the ways they feel they have let themselves and others down.
A first step towards recovering your sense of ability, agency, and uncovering your actual needs is awareness. This post is to honour that part of the process. Awareness is not a one off event. It happens again and again in smaller ways, but the question of “is it ADHD?” is often the big one.
ADHD Awareness Month graphic: illustrated brain with flowers and music notes, text reads ADHD Awareness Month, Oct ’25, @theadhdmusiccoach
The stereotypes and the reality
Most of the time, ADHD is described in terms of Inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. These are externally observable traits, but they don’t capture the whole picture. Most adults, especially women, don’t recognise themselves in those words, because they’ve learned to mask and manage themselves to fit in.
Awareness has grown around how ADHD presents differently in women and girls, and around the more internalised traits of Inattentive ADHD and AuDHD. But the stereotypes persist: the disruptive boy who can’t sit still in class, or the chaotic, never-on-time, larger-than-life, dopamine dressed woman crashing through life... If you don’t see yourself in those images, you can end up wondering why you struggle when others seem able to just get on with things. A buzzing mind that never stops is also a form of hyperactivity, even if no one else can see it.
Increasing our awareness helps us see patterns through a neurodivergent lens. Traits can combine in many ways, and they can be masked or complicated by co-occurring conditions, mental health challenges, childhood trauma, or survival strategies you learned to get through. Undiagnosed or unmanaged ADHD can cause ongoing devastation in people’s lives and it’s normal and ok to mourn the time spent without knowing and without support. Awareness is often the first step in unravelling who you are, what you need, and what your strengths are. From awareness can come understanding, acceptance, and self-advocacy. That allows us to reconcile parts of ourselves that were seen as “not good enough”, whether by others or by ourselves, and to begin finding ways of living that better match our brains, interests and capabilities.
Traits I never thought were ADHD
In the spirit of ADHD Awareness Month, here are some behaviours and characteristics I didn’t know were connected to ADHD until much later:
Daytime sleepiness. I was always tired, even fell asleep in lectures and meetings. For years I thought I might have narcolepsy- turns out my brain was bored and powering down for me.
Never being able to commit to a set routine, even when it worked- this doesn’t bother me at all now because I go by pillars and anchors- things I need to do most days but in no particular order- with structure, scaffolding and support for non-negotiables
Rage and frustration when trying to listen with background noise- Ooh Ouchy, hurts my body and brain just thinking about it- stop closing your eyes or lip reading- pause that convo and get away asap!
Sensitivities to light, temperature, sound, taste, or smell, which can make me avoid people and situations- even family dinners or recording studios.
The “sleep entourage”. My carefully crafted system from childhood: a memory foam pillow, medication, going to bed alone, separate blanket, one in-ear headphone, pillow wall, scarf over eyes, fans, a familiar sound playing… all just to be able to sleep.
Skipping to the end of a book or a Wikipedia plot summary because I couldn’t wait- I will possibly never not do this and that’s ok.
Thinking I wasn’t impatient at all, then realising I always scheduled myself tightly to avoid waiting, and when I had to wait, I was fidgeting, panicking and stressing with the best of us.
“Brute Force” openings: every packet, box, or envelope looks like the dog got to it. Hello, that was me. Good at moving furniture though.
Feeling overloaded when someone tried to talk to me as I was leaving the house. That flow state kept me on track. Distraction meant missed steps, missed cues, missed connections. And this hasn’t magically changed FYI but now I know how to say “please could you text me or ring me in 10 mins if this is important as I’m trying to leave the house taa…”
ADHD, creativity, and music
I often talk about how ADHD shows up in creativity and music, so I won’t go deep here. But executive dysfunction, time blindness, sensory overwhelm, and boredom thresholds can all play out in songwriting, rehearsing, producing, and performing. And at the same time, ADHD strengths like hyperfocus, improvisation, and divergent thinking can be the sparks that keep creative work alive- keep reading the blog if this interests you!
Events and resources this month
This October, there are plenty of events and resources to explore. I’ve grouped some below- feel free to suggest more and I’ll add them.
For Musicians
Musicians’ Union: Guide to Neurodivergence – Practical advice on working with ADHD and other neurodivergence in music. Read the guide
Tonic Rider – Peer Support Groups for Musicians – Confidential online peer support for musicians facing mental health challenges. Find out more
6th October: ADHD & Learning a Musical Instrument – A talk with Oliver Manning (ADHD UK)
For Writers/TV/Film
Whole Picture Toolkit for Film & TV – A mental health toolkit for screen industries, especially freelancers. Explore the toolkit
10th-12th October: Writers’ ADHD Summit (online) – A global summit for writers exploring ADHD and creative process. Visit the Summit
For Women
Monday 6 October: Seeds Talks: ADHD & Women – Misunderstood, Misdiagnosed & Moving Forward for Change: Hen and Chicken Bristol: Eventbrite link
(ADHD UK has some specific resources for men btw)
Local (Bristol & Southwest)
Impulse: Playing with Reality – immersive exhibition exploring ADHD experience through mixed reality. Watershed, Bristol. Runs until 2 November. More info
Monday 6 October: Seeds Talks: ADHD & Women – Misunderstood, Misdiagnosed & Moving Forward for Change: Hen and Chicken Bristol: Eventbrite link
ADHD Bristol Collective – Weekly community support meetings at St Werburghs Community Centre. Follow on Instagram
Online
Want to know more?
Book a complimentary no obligation chemistry coaching call here:
Try out the AMP Club here:
