Setting and Maintaining Professional Boundaries for Women with ADHD

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Women with ADHD have unique challenges when it comes to setting and maintaining professional boundaries. It can be difficult to stay focused, stay organized, and remember deadlines. On top of that, women with ADHD often feel like they have to work harder than their peers to prove themselves, leading to increased stress and burnout. Setting and maintaining professional boundaries can help women with ADHD manage their time and energy more effectively, allowing them to feel more in control and perform better at their jobs. With the right strategies, women with ADHD can learn to set and maintain firm and respectful boundaries that will help them feel more empowered and productive in the workplace.

What are professional boundaries?

Boundaries are rules that we set for our relationships to help us take care of ourselves and make sure we are emotionally and physically safe. Setting strong and healthy boundaries can help us feel more confident and self-aware. Research shows that people who have strong and healthy boundaries recover from conflict more quickly, feel more empowered, and are less affected by stress. Setting clear and firm boundaries can help women with ADHD protect their time, energy, and emotions so that they can perform at their best. The key is to set boundaries that are both firm and respectful.

Boundaries can be physical, emotional, intellectual, or informational. You may have very firm physical boundaries, meaning you prefer keeping a certain amount of distance between you and other people. Or you may have very weak physical boundaries and be comfortable with others invading your space. A person with weak intellectual boundaries may be a quick learner who is willing to take on any new task or idea.

Why professional boundaries are important for women with ADHD

Women with ADHD often feel like they have to work harder than their peers to prove themselves, leading to increased stress and burnout. Setting clear, firm boundaries can help women with ADHD protect their energy and show their colleagues that they are capable, competent employees. When women with ADHD set firm, respectful boundaries at work, they feel more in control and perform better. When women with ADHD feel more in control, they are less likely to experience the imposter syndrome, a feeling of fraudulence that plagues many women in the workforce.

In addition to helping women feel more in control and less likely to experience imposter syndrome, setting and maintaining strong professional boundaries can help women with ADHD:

·       Boost self-esteem - When women with ADHD set firm boundaries, they feel like they are in control of their own time and actions. Setting firm boundaries can help women with ADHD feel more confident and self-assured, boosting their self-esteem and helping them overcome feelings of shame and guilt.

·       Reduce stress and improve productivity - When women with ADHD set firm, respectful boundaries, they feel less anxious and stressed and are more likely to be productive.

·       Avoid burnout - Setting firm boundaries can help women with ADHD avoid burnout and stay energized and engaged in their work.

·       Increase confidence and promote collaboration - Women with ADHD often want to collaborate with their peers, yet they often feel like they have to be assertive and firm in order to promote their own ideas and views. Setting firm boundaries can help women with ADHD promote their ideas and be more confident in general, leading to more successful collaborations.

Strategies to help women with ADHD set boundaries

There are many strategies that women with ADHD can use to help them set and maintain strong professional boundaries. Remember that it can take time to find the right boundaries for you, so don't get discouraged if you find that you need to adjust your boundaries several times. Remember that your colleagues are also likely working to set their own professional boundaries, so hold yourself accountable to those boundaries as well.

·       Be mindful of your energy levels - Women with ADHD often feel more drained after social interactions, and they may need more time alone to recharge. Be mindful of your energy levels, especially when you are in early stages of setting boundaries, and make sure that you are giving yourself enough alone time to recharge.

·       Create a schedule - Women with ADHD often experience more time urgency, which can make it difficult to adhere to deadlines. Create a schedule that will help you stay organized and keep track of your tasks, and stick to it as best you can. You may also want to use a productivity app to help you stay organized.

·       Set limits with coworkers - You may want to set limits with coworkers on how often you respond to emails and how often you are available to meet in person. This can help you avoid feeling overworked and enable you to use your time more efficiently and effectively.

Tips for maintaining professional boundaries

·       Stay self-aware - Pay attention to your emotions and how they affect your boundaries. If you find that certain feelings, like anger or stress, make it difficult for you to adhere to your boundaries, try to deal with those emotions head on.

·       Be prepared - Have clear communication in place for when you need to set boundaries with colleagues. Make sure to let them know when you are setting a boundary and why you are setting it.

·       Be assertive - You don't need to apologize for setting firm boundaries, even if your colleagues don't like them. You can apologize for any emotional missteps that may come with setting your boundaries, but don't apologize for taking care of yourself and your performance.

Importance of self-care for women with ADHD

Women with ADHD often feel the need to overcompensate for their struggles and work harder than their peers to prove their worth. When you are trying so hard to prove yourself, it is easy to forget to take care of yourself and set appropriate boundaries. That's why it is important to prioritize self-care for women with ADHD. Self-care is any activity that helps you take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health. Self-care is critical for women with ADHD because it helps them set and maintain firm boundaries and avoid burnout.

Here are some examples of self-care activities for women with ADHD:

·       Creating healthy routines - Create routines that help you stay organized, focused, and on track with your goals. This could include scheduling your tasks, creating a to-do list, or setting alarms to help you stick to your schedule.

·       Getting enough sleep - Sleep is critical for your mental health and emotional regulation, so make sure you are getting enough sleep every night.

·       Eating well - Your physical and mental health are closely linked, so make sure you are eating a balanced diet to keep your energy levels up and avoid burnout.

·       Getting exercise - Exercise not only helps you regulate your mood, but it can also improve your focus and productivity.

Strategies for dealing with difficult people

Disagreements and misunderstandings are inevitable when you work with a team, but there are ways to handle them productively. Communication and assertiveness are two key skills that can help you navigate challenging interactions when you are dealing with difficult people. Communication is critical to resolving misunderstandings and resolving conflict. When people communicate effectively, they are less likely to escalate conflict, and they are more likely to reach a resolution. Here are some tips for communicating with difficult people:

·       Escalate when you need to - If a misunderstanding or conflict is escalating, try to de-escalate the situation by bringing the topic back to a place where it can be resolved. If you need to, let your colleagues know that the topic is escalating and that you need help bringing it back down.

·       Stay firm but be open - Stay firm and assertive with your boundaries, but don't be too quick to dismiss your colleagues' ideas. Be open to their ideas and be willing to discuss them in a productive way.

How to recognize and manage burnout

If you find that you are feeling more exhausted and overworked than usual, it may be a sign that you are experiencing burnout. Here are some red flags to let you know that you are experiencing burnout:

·       You feel overly stressed and anxious.

·       You experience feelings of hopelessness.

·       You have trouble getting things done.

·       You feel too busy to take care of yourself.

If you are experiencing burnout, you should take steps to reverse it as soon as possible. The best way to combat burnout is to take care of yourself. Start by taking a break from your daily routines to give yourself some time to relax and recharge. Spend time with friends and family, engage in hobbies that you enjoy, and take care of your health by getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising when possible. You can also journal, meditate, or make use of other mindfulness strategies to help you calm down and relax.

If you need help implementing any of these strategies or just to get some support as you embark on this journey, book a call here to get started!