{"id":8363,"date":"2023-10-26T00:17:09","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T17:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8363"},"modified":"2023-10-26T00:17:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T17:17:09","slug":"neurodivergent-you-may-be-masking-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=8363","title":{"rendered":"Neurodivergent? You May Be \u2018Masking\u2019 at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-franchise outlines-corners relative p-[20px] mt-[30px] sm:flex sm:items-start sm:flex-row\" style=\"min-height:106.86114352392px\">\n<div class=\"article-franchise__text text-default mt-[10px] text-center inline sm:inline-block sm:mt-0 sm:text-left\"> <span class=\"italic text-gray\">At Well+Good, we spend our days talking to and learning from the most interesting people in wellness\u2014experts, thought-leaders, and celebrities. Now, we\u2019re inviting you to join the conversation. Welcome to the Well+Good podcast, your guide to finding the habits and practices that fit your frequency.<\/span><span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/well-good-podcast\/\" target=\"\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/well-good-podcast\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Read More<\/a><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many workplaces encourage their employees to bring their &#8220;full selves&#8221; to work\u2014corporate speak for being the person you are with your family and friends around the office, too. The goal is to help forge better bonds with your coworkers and make it possible to be open about your challenges. But what happens when your authentic self doesn\u2019t align with what\u2019s expected of you on the job? If you\u2019re neurodivergent, you might find yourself &#8220;masking&#8221; at work, or altering how you approach your tasks and present yourself to match your neurotypical peers\u2014which can negatively impact your mental health.<\/p>\n<p>On this week\u2019s episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fshop-links.co%2F1819082853740315711%3Fu1%3DSTMSLS-1057375&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fmasking-neurodivergent%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/the-well-good-podcast\/id1557769801\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\"><em>The Well+Good Podcast<\/em><\/a>, Well+Good\u2019s director of podcasts Taylor Camille facilitates a discussion between two experts in the neurodiversity space who are helping others understand how their brains work: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elliemidds\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elliemidds\/?\">Ellie Middleton<\/a>, founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weareunmasked.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.weareunmasked.com\/\">We Are Unmasked<\/a> and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FUNMASKED-Ultimate-Guide-Autism-Neurodivergence-ebook%2Fdp%2FB0C84X6K5L%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx9712-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fmasking-neurodivergent%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fmasking-neurodivergent%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/UNMASKED-Ultimate-Guide-Autism-Neurodivergence-ebook\/dp\/B0C84X6K5L\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\"><em>Unmasked: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD, Autism, and Neurodivergence<\/em><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drhamdanimd.com\/about-me\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.drhamdanimd.com\/about-me\">Sasha Hamdani, MD,<\/a> a psychiatrist with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and founder of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefocusgenie.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.thefocusgenie.com\/\">Focus Genie<\/a>. The wide-ranging conversation touched on the ways neurodiverse people can thrive at work, and what accommodations can be made to help them get there.<\/p>\n<p><em>Listen to the full episode here:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border-radius: 12px;\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/5l5g8XgATIpTCtZwnSlvdT?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/neurodiversity-at-work\/id1557769801?i=1000632585600\" height=\"175\" frameborder=\"0\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" allow=\"encrypted-media\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/masking-neurodivergent\/\" current-title=\"Are You Masking Your Neurodivergence at Work? Here\u2019s How To Tell\u2014And Why It Matters\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Editorial-Podcast-Episode137-425x285_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-04-25\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/masking-neurodivergent\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/masking-neurodivergent\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img decoding=\"async\" :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/masking-neurodivergent\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\" class=\" js-inline-lazy-load\" src=\"\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>What is masking and why does it happen?<\/h2>\n<p>Masking is &#8220;covering up your neurodivergent traits to appear more typical,&#8221; says Middleton, who is autistic and has ADHD. How it looks varies. You might find yourself holding eye contact when it feels uncomfortable or unnatural, for example, or mimicking someone else&#8217;s workflow or speech patterns.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Hamdani says that some level of masking is normal and might be necessary as you move through the day, like learning the ropes of a new job or creating a separation between your work and home life. People often also mask, whether intentionally or not, as a means of survival and safety; to hide their differences in order to pass in an environment that might not be supportive to their needs.<\/p>\n<p>But the effort it takes to mask can be debilitating. While nearly everyone hides parts of who they are at work, &#8220;I think the difference with neurodivergent folks is the extent to what you&#8217;re covering up and the drain that it&#8217;s having on you [because] it&#8217;s literally forcing yourself to be and work in ways that are the opposite of the right way for your brain,&#8221; says Middleton.<\/p>\n<p>Operating like this for long stretches of time can chip away at your sense of self and fuel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/sasha-hamdani-burnout\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/sasha-hamdani-burnout\/\">burnout<\/a>, depression, and anxiety, adds Dr. Hamdani. For her part, she says masking constantly made her feel like she &#8220;didn&#8217;t know who she was at her base.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;[Masking] is forcing yourself to be and work in ways that are the opposite of the right way for your brain.&#8221;\u2014Ellie Middleton, author and activist<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1126219 size-full js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"\" width=\"1170\" height=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Editorial-Podcast-Episode-137-Inset_falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Middleton has lived this experience. In a previous job, she felt like she had to act in order to survive at work. &#8220;I would be Ellie the customer service advisor and it was almost a character that I was playing because I was like, &#8216;That&#8217;s just what I need to do to survive here&#8217; and not realizing that when I went home I was like, &#8216;Oh my goodness, I&#8217;m so tired and I need to lie in a dark room and I can&#8217;t even speak anymore,'&#8221; she says. &#8220;[I didn&#8217;t realize] that everybody else wasn&#8217;t so drained when they went home from work.&#8221; Even if she seemed fine on the outside, she was suffering.<\/p>\n<h2>How to advocate for yourself if you find that you&#8217;re masking at work<\/h2>\n<p>Depending on your workplace, you may not have the option to resist masking entirely. Try to take note of how you feel at work and whether masking is particularly damaging and draining to you.\u00a0Middleton and Dr. Hamadani say it can be helpful to figure out what you need to bring your authentic self to work and thrive, and then come up with a proactive way to get it without sharing your diagnosis if you don&#8217;t want to.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you\u2019re not able to focus in a bustling open office plan and would prefer to go somewhere quieter, Dr. Hamdani recommends saying something proactive to your manager like: &#8220;I\u2019ve noticed I work best in a more quiet environment, and it\u2019d [be great] if I could use some headphones to mute some of the noise because I\u2019ll know I\u2019ll be able to focus more on the task at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the possible shifts are made, it can make work a much more manageable and pleasant experience. Middleton says that she\u2019s not able to sit at a desk all day, but that she can be work &#8220;like a Ferrari&#8221; in two hour chunks. What does that entail? Rather than trying to power through the whole day, she portions her work into manageable blocks that includes walks and gym visits in between to focus and calm her.<\/p>\n<p>Looking for more intel about how to navigate being neurodivergent in the workplace? Listen to the full episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fshop-links.co%2F1823480106742379266%3Fu1%3DSTMSLS-1126193&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fmasking-neurodivergent%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/neurodiversity-at-work\/id1557769801?i=1000632585600\" data-type=\"affiliateLink\"><em>The Well+Good Podcast<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At Well+Good, we spend our days talking to and learning from the most interesting people in wellness\u2014experts, thought-leaders, and celebrities. Now, we\u2019re inviting you to join the conversation. Welcome to the Well+Good podcast, your guide to finding the habits and practices that fit your frequency. Read More Many workplaces encourage their employees to bring their &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}