Random ADHD Lemon #7: Extra Lemonade
Your lemonade themed ADHD & Mental Health compilation from the Substack-verse. Wrapping up August and September together!
Hello there, it’s JayJay again, and I’m FINALLY back with yet another “Random ADHD Lemon”! 🍋🥳
Due to a little mental low for the past one and a half months, I fell short on keeping up my own goal of publishing this monthly roundup format. Initially I thought its simple, there is nothing that would stop me from doing it. But yet again, I came to understand, that I can know a lot about how my ADHD brain works, and still don’t act accordingly. Building expectations in myself well knowing it will be messy.
Perfectionism aside, for this roundup I’ve taken another deep dive into the Substack-Verse. Coming prepared with an extra fresh mix just for you: some Lemon Bites, neat content for the Lemon Crate, some Hidden Limes, a treat for my German-speaking readers, and a Special Lemonade as a cherry on the top.
If you enjoy this regular (not always on time) newsletter, let me know, it would really sweeten my day!
And hey, don’t forget to support the amazing authors behind the posts I’ve shared. Leave them a like, a comment — a little appreciation goes a long way.
Alright, let’s get right to it:
🍋 Random Lemon Bites
💗 ”You'd Forget Your Head If it Wasn't Attached — Memory, ADHD and Me.” by Ordinary Therapist is a story about memory and ADHD.
😿 “why socialising drains you while everyone else seems fine” by The ADHD Journal & lina is about socialising with ADHD. Reading this made me feel seen. Must-Read!
💰 “When money doesn't work: the links with ADHD/autism” by Morgana Clementine is a story of unshaming yourself in regard to money. It might be painfully relatable for a lot of ADHDers.
🗣️ “Why Small Talk Exhausts Autistic and ADHD People” by Lovette Jallow is an important perspective from black neurodivergent women who also face racism in small talk.
🎭 “The invisible barriers that are built when shame is used as a motivator” by Meredith Carder. Another story about shame and also a list of approaches that are more reliable.
⚙😵 “When ADHD makes you care too much to function” by Kelly Banks helps by questioning the neurotypical approaches that a lot of ADHDers try desperately to make work and instead focus on healthier ways to work with your brain. Also very important lesson for relationships. Repair is part of it. Don’t try to avoid mistakes. Get comfortable with making them.
🩹 “The Hardest Chapter No One Talks About: the middle - the place that almost breaks you.” by Janki 🌻 is telling the most important lesson of the healing process: “You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just in the part that makes most people quit.”
🧠 “Mind Colonization: Autistic Knowledge, Epistemic Violence, and the Fight for Narrative Sovereignty” by Sher Griffin. I don’t have autism, but this essay still hit me. It’s about how autistic ways of thinking get mislabeled as broken when they’re actually just different, and that feels painfully familiar for ADHD too. Worth the read if you’ve ever felt like the world mistranslated your brain. (Attention: Long read, no audio overlay.)
📦 Lemon Crate
A grab bag of stuff you might like — and maybe didn’t know you needed:
🧰 Tools: “25 ADHD-Friendly Tools That Will Save Your Sanity” by TheDistractedGenius
🎧 Podcast: “The Clock is Ticking: Understanding ADHD Time Anxiety” by carmen_authenticallyadhd
❕📝 Idea keeping Method: “Stop Losing Your Brilliant Ideas” by Jan De Kesel presents his way of keeping brilliant ideas & connections with ADHD in a professional context. But this might work as well in other settings.
📚 Resources & Recommendations: “A lovingly curated list of resources for late-identified neurodivergence” by Justine Field
🎒 Back to School Roundup: “For the Love of August” by Kathryn Barbash, PsyD
🟢 Hidden Limes
What do you call great pieces that didn’t receive the attention they deserve? Hidden Limes. Here's a few zesty reads that flew under the radar. (Give ‘em some attention pretty please):
🎭3️⃣ Michael Sousa has written this wonderful underrated 3-part deep dive on ADHD & emotions: “WTF Are Emotions? (Part 1 of 3)”, “Why Emotions Hijack Your Brain (Part 2 of 3)”, and “Emotions from the Bottom-Up (Part 3 of 3)” — helpful exercises included!
🎆"I don't have ADHD" by Megan L. Hauser, Ed.D. is a Hidden Lime story of a late diagnosed ADHD woman. From denial to revelation. Wonderful and absolutely relatable for many inattentive types. I am waiting patiently for part two.
⛵ “The Quiet Revolution of Having Capacity: What Healing Actually Looks Like” by Jenny Lucas is an AuDHD story of healing and specifically building trust with your own nervous system. Long read, but its worth it.
Litte treats for my German readers:
🚀 “Ein Licht für die Stillen: Mein Weg als Geschichtenerzähler” von Segeth Adrian ist die Geschichte eines AuDHSlers als Geschichtenerzähler. Mein Fazit: Auch wenn er sich selbst erst mit einem fertigen Buch als Schriftsteller sehen möchte, ist er in meinen Augen bereits einer. (Von einem Sci-Fi Schriftsteller zum anderen Sci-Fi Schriftsteller)😉.
🏅 “Mindful Media Roundup – Sommer 2025” von Tommi Thomsen (they/them) ist ein weiterer Roundup den ich empfehlen kann.
🧃 Special Lemonade of this Edition
If you haven’t had enough of roundups yet, then check out these two by Jade Farrington that are full of important recommendations to browse through:
That’s it for this round!
As Random ADHD Lemon keeps evolving, I’d love to hear your thoughts: What should be in the next zesty issue? What’s too much? Just wanna say hi? Join the chat thread to drop feedback, ideas, or even your own writing. I’m always on the lookout for voices to feature, so if you’ve got something citrusy and chaotic (in the best way), send it my way. 🍋📝
In the meantime check out the posts linked in this round up and read some of my articles you might have missed out on. Or if you did already, maybe read them again, send some love ❤️ and share them with your family and friends.
Stay wild, neurodivergent, and as always: Lídiant Wíalë!
See you around,
JayJay out! 🎤
Check out some of my other posts:
Pictures and dividers in this post are designed in Canva by the author Justin J. Kiecker.
Thanks so much for mentioning me--that's a very kind endorsement! :D
Thank you so much for mentioning me!