Why Work Feels Harder During
This Transition
Work demands consistent executive function,
emotional regulation, focus, and memory - all the things ADHD already makes challenging.
Add menopause, and many women
experience a career crisis.
** What you might be experiencing **
Performance Decline:
• Missing deadlines you used to meet
• Forgetting meetings, tasks, commitments
• Taking longer to complete familiar tasks
• More mistakes and oversights
• Difficulty concentrating in meetings
• Can't multitask like before
• Projects feel overwhelming
Increased Anxiety:
• Imposter syndrome intensifies
• Fear of being 'found out' or fired
• Anxiety about performance reviews
• Worry about colleagues noticing changes
• Catastrophizing about career future
Loss of Confidence:
• Doubting abilities you've demonstrated for years • Feeling like you're 'losing your edge'
• Questioning career choices
• Considering quitting (when you used to love your job)
• Feeling defeated and incompetent
Interpersonal Challenges:
• Irritability with colleagues
• Difficulty with office politics (no energy for it)
• Withdrawn from team interactions
• Crying at work (or fighting not to)
• RSD triggered by feedback
• Sensory overwhelm in office environment
Why is this happening?
• Executive function decline affects work performance directly
• Brain fog makes complex tasks exhausting
• Memory issues create mistakes and missed commitments
• Emotional dysregulation makes workplace interactions harder
• Fatigue reduces work capacity
• Sleep disruption affects next-day performance
• Hot flashes/physical symptoms are distracting
💡 What This Means for You:
This isn't incompetence or burnout from 'not working hard enough.' Your brain is managing massive neurological and hormonal changes while trying to perform at work. That's incredibly difficult.
Workplace Accomodations & Advocacy
**Know Your Rights:**
In many countries, ADHD is protected under disability discrimination laws. You may be entitled to workplace accommodations.
**Should You Disclose?** This is personal, but consider: ✅
**Reasons to Disclose:**
• Access formal accommodations
• Legal protection if performance issues arise
• Reduced stress from hiding struggles • Potential for understanding/support
• Accommodation process requires disclosure
❌ **Reasons Not to Disclose:**
• Stigma and discrimination (real risk)
• May affect career advancement perceptions
• No legal protections in your country • Unsupportive workplace culture
• Concerns about privacy
**You can request accommodations without disclosing ADHD specifically - 'medical condition' may be sufficient.**
**🛠️ Reasonable Accommodations to Request:**
**Environmental:**
• Quiet workspace or noise-canceling headphones
• Private office or reduced open-office exposure
• Ability to work from home (reduces sensory load)
• Adjusted lighting (fluorescent lights can be overwhelming)
• Temperature control (for hot flashes)
**Schedule & Time:**
• Flexible start times (if you're not a morning person)
• Break schedule flexibility
• Adjusted deadlines when possible
• Part-time or reduced hours
• Compressed work week
**Task & Communication:**
• Written instructions (not just verbal)
• Email summaries after meetings
• Task breakdown support
• Regular check-ins with manager
• Permission to record meetings
• Priority clarification (when everything feels urgent) **Technology:**
• Task management software
• Calendar/reminder apps
• Speech-to-text software
• Timers and productivity tools
• Second monitor (reduces task-switching)
**How to Request Accommodations:**
1. Review company accommodation policy
2. Document how symptoms affect work
3. Identify specific accommodations that would help
4. Request meeting with HR or manager 5. Provide medical documentation if required
6. Follow up in writing
7. Start with a trial period for new accommodations
💡 What This Means for You:
Accommodations aren't 'special treatment' - they're adjustments that allow you to perform your job with different brain chemistry. You deserve workplace support.
Daily Work Strategies
**🧠 Managing Executive Function at Work:**
**Priority Management:**
����� Start day identifying ONE must-do task
• Use 'Eisenhower Matrix' (urgent/important quadrants)
• Ask manager for priority clarification when overwhelmed
• Postpone low-priority tasks without guilt
**Task Initiation:**
• 'Eat the frog' - hardest task first thing (while you have energy)
• Or 'easy wins first' - build momentum with quick tasks
• Use body doubling (work alongside colleague)
• Change location for different tasks
• Set timers for focused work blocks
**Memory Support:**
��� Write everything down immediately
• Set multiple reminders for important deadlines
• Email yourself action items from meetings
• Use shared team calendar
• Take photos of whiteboards/presentations
• Voice memos for capturing ideas
**Meeting Survival:**
• Doodle or fidget during meetings (helps focus)
• Request agendas in advance
• Ask for meeting notes to be shared
• Use live transcription if available
• Position yourself away from distractions
• Give yourself permission to zone out occasionally (you'll catch the important parts)
**📧 Email & Communication Management:**
**Inbox Control:**
• Process email 2-3 times daily (not constantly)
• Use 'delay send' for emotional responses
• Templates for common responses
• Unsubscribe aggressively
• Flag for follow-up rather than leaving in inbox
**Response Strategies:**
• 'I'll get back to you by [date]' buys time
• Bullet points > paragraphs (faster, clearer)
• Use Grammarly or similar for error-checking
• Don't over-explain (ADHD tendency)
**�� Energy Management:**
**Know Your Rhythm:**
��� Track energy levels throughout day
• Schedule demanding tasks during peak energy
• Admin tasks during low-energy times
• Protect breaks (they're not optional)
**Micro-Breaks:**
• 5-minute walk every hour
• Bathroom break to breathe and reset
• Stretch at desk
• Look away from screen (20-20-20 rule)
• Quick meditation or breathing exercise
**Prevent Burnout:**
• Leave work at work (if possible)
• Don't check email after hours
• Use all your vacation/sick time
• Say no to extra projects
• Protect evenings and weekends for recovery
💡 What This Means for You:
You can't work the same way during menopause as before. You need strategies that accommodate your current brain function, not strategies that demand you perform as if nothing has changed.
Navigating Career Challenges
**�� Managing Performance Reviews:
** **Before the Review:**
• Document your accomplishments (keep running list)
• Request specific feedback in advance
• Prepare for RSD (review might trigger emotional response)
• Bring notes or written responses
• Ask trusted colleague to review self-assessment
**During the Review:**
• Take notes (you might not remember everything)
• Ask clarifying questions
• Request written feedback
• Don't respond defensively in the moment
�� Thank them for feedback (even if it stings)
**After the Review:**
��� Allow yourself to feel whatever comes up
• Wait 24 hours before spiraling about criticism
• Identify one action item (not seventeen)
• Seek support from safe people
• Separate feedback from your worth
**😢 Managing RSD at Work:**
**When Criticism Hits:**
• Excuse yourself if needed ('I need a minute')
• Bathroom break for emotional regulation
• Don't respond to emails when triggered
• Process with therapist/coach/friend
• Remember: feedback isn't rejection
**Preventive Strategies:**
• Request feedback regularly (reduces surprise)
• Build relationship with manager
• Clarify expectations explicitly
• Celebrate small wins (don't wait for external validation)
**💭 When You're Considering Quitting:**
**Ask Yourself:**
• Is this job actually wrong for me, or am I in burnout?
• Am I comparing current performance to pre-menopause performance?
• Have I asked for accommodations?
• Is this menopause brain telling me to escape?
• What would need to change to make this sustainable?
**Don't make major career decisions during active crisis/burnout.**
**Options Besides Quitting:**
• Request temporary reduced hours
• Ask for different role/responsibilities
• Take medical leave (FMLA if available)
• Transfer to different department
• Shift to part-time
• Request project changes
**If You Do Need to Leave:**
• That's valid - your health matters more than any job
• Exit gracefully (don't burn bridges)
• Plan financially before resigning • Have next step identified
• Take time off if possible before new role
💡 What This Means for You:
Career struggles during menopause don't mean you're not good at your job. They mean you're trying to work with a brain in transition, and that requires adjustments, not judgment.
Career Transitions & Self-Employment
**🔄 When Traditional Employment Isn't Working:**
Some women find traditional employment unsustainable during menopause and explore alternatives.
**Alternative Work Arrangements:
** **Freelancing/Contracting:**
✅ Pros:
• Control over schedule
• Work during high-energy times
• Choose projects that interest you
• No office politics
• Work from home
❌ Cons:
• Irregular income
• Self-management required (hard with ADHD)
• No benefits
• Isolation
• Must handle all business tasks
**Part-Time Work:**
✅ Pros:
• Reduced demands
• More recovery time
• Lower stress
• May keep benefits (depending on hours)
❌ Cons:
• Reduced income
• May lose career advancement
• Might not be possible in your field
**Portfolio Career (Multiple Part-Time Roles):**
✅ Pros:
• Variety (good for ADHD)
• Reduced risk (multiple income sources)
• Flexibility
❌ Cons:
• Complex to manage
• No single employer benefits
• Administrative burden
**Self-Employment/Small Business:**
✅ Pros:
• Complete autonomy
• Design work around your brain
• Unlimited income potential
• Creative freedom
��� Cons:
• Executive function demands are HIGH
• Irregular income
• Must handle ALL business aspects
• Isolation
• No separation between work/life
**🎯 Making a Career Transition:**
**If You're Considering a Change:**
**Assess Realistically:**
• What aspects of current work are unsustainable?
• What would need to be different?
• What are your non-negotiables?
• What can you realistically manage with current brain function?
• What support would you need?
**Research Thoroughly:**
• Talk to people in the field you're considering
• Understand day-to-day realities (not just the appealing parts)
• Assess executive function demands
• Consider sensory/social requirements
• Evaluate income stability needs
**Plan Transition:**
• Build financial runway (savings for transition period)
• Start side project before leaving current role
• Gain needed skills/credentials
• Build network in new field
• Don't rush (transition during crisis rarely goes well)
**💚 Self-Compassion for Career Struggles:**
**Reframe Your Thoughts:**
❌ 'I'm failing at my career' ✅ 'I'm navigating my career during a major brain transition'
❌ 'Everyone else can handle this' ✅ 'Everyone else isn't managing ADHD and menopause simultaneously'
❌ 'I should be able to work like I used to' ✅ 'My brain has changed. My work approach needs to change too.'
��� 'I'm letting everyone down' ✅ 'I'm doing my best with the capacity I have right now'
**Remember:**
• Your career doesn't define your worth
• Struggling at work during menopause is common
• Needing accommodations isn't weakness
• It's okay if your career looks different now
• Taking care of yourself is more important than any job
• This phase is temporary - your brain will stabilize • You're not alone in this experience
💡 What This Means for You:
Career challenges during ADHD + menopause are real and significant. You may need to adjust your work situation, and that's completely valid. Your health and wellbeing matter more than career expectations.