Random ADHD Lemon #9: November & December Recommendations
Your lemonade themed ADHD & Mental Health compilation of useful posts from the Substack-verse. Wrapping up November & December, here to remind you to drink that tea that you wanted to enjoy warm.
The Random ADHD Lemon is back for a gentle holiday season🎄🎁
Hey folks, I know I took super long for the “monthly” newsletter this time. Mental and motivational lows really hit me strong this past year. But I made it before 2025 actually vanished into the history books.
I hope everyone had a relaxed and not too overstimulating christmas, yuletide and Hanukkah, or Weihnukkah/ Chrismukkah. The holiday season can be a bit much for neurodivergent people. For those still struggling after the holidays, may it be overthinking the sentences slipped out at the dinner table, or beating yourself up for eating too much, this is your cue to blame the holidays. Just let it out. It’s ok. Happens.
I know this won’t stop the thoughts, but maybe some of the posts recommended here can guide you into a lighter mood.
Looking ahead to New Year’s Eve: Those neurodivergents and people with PTSD, don’t feel bad for needing noise cancelling and retreat. For the other neurodivergents who love the adrenaline kick of bursting crackers, please be careful out there.
Wherever you gonna spend your New Year’s, this one is for you, from a deep dive I took into Substack, so you didn’t have to. But firstly some rules:
📜 Rules of the Hot Lemon Tea
Save this post to come back to it later (or not, I won’t bite you, if you won’t come back)
Check out the posts recommended here (If they are too many, pick one by tapping wildly on your phone or mouse to see where you might land on)
Leave the creators of the linked posts a like, a comment, and/ or tell your friends about them (and about this newsletter of course)
Don’t drink your tea straight from the water cooker. Let it cool down for a bit in a mug. Unless you are that crazy. In this case ignore this rule ^^
What’s in this?
Lemon Bites are random picks of posts I find important to share with you.
Lemon Crate is a grab bag of things you might like or need.
Announcements From My Newsletter For You gives you updates on Lídiant Wíalë, like new posts, developments, announcements, and many more.
Hidden Limes are posts that need more attention. This is followed by some picks for my German-speaking readers.
Special Lemonade of this edition as a cherry on top is often another post full of recommendations about neurodivergence, mental health and co.
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
♾️ The Quiet ADHD Neurodivergence Rebellion by Thom Hartmann is about the observable shift in recognition of neurodivergence in society. A slow rebellion which might lead to a more inclusive future. Where ADHD for example isn’t a failure or weakness.
⚙ Why ADHD Makes You Feel “Behind” in Life (And Why You’re Actually Not) by ADHD Insights Quote: "I thought I started a sprint not knowing it was a marathon..”
🎨 I Know! My Art Has Potential... 😓 by me, JayJay /Justin J. Kiecker/ is an essay about art and how it can be a survival mechanism for the artsy neurodivergents.
🔋🤔🪫 You’re Not Inconsistent — You’re Paced Differently ... understanding ADHD energy days — and why your fluctuating energy is neurological, not ‘mood-swings’. by Dr Anita, CBT/ADHD therapist about energy days is a absolute must-read, especially after the holidays.
🩺 The Surge in Women Being Diagnosed with AuDHD is not a Trend. It is a Correction. by Breanne Kerr is “an editorial on diagnostic bias, gender, and the cost of being missed” that goes deep into these topics and the misconceptions of the rise of diagnoses.
🏔️ Why ADHD Hurts More When You Grow Older by ADHD 40+ (Josh) is a motivational and touching post for adults with ADHD over the age of 40.
🎭 7 habits that rewired my ADHD brain (and boosted my mental health + productivity) is a personal story by Kunal, about Adderall, addiction and lifestyle changes.
🤖 Part One: Understanding Our Role in Our ADHD Journey “How AI Can Help Us Advocate for Ourselves More Confidently” by Thriving Minds ADHD is a post about AI prompts that can help in navigating a life with ADHD. Important point though: AI cannot replace mental health professionals. It shouldn’t replace real life experiences and please be mindful in what you share with AI.
❄️ The Winter I Learned to Let the Dark Be Sacred by Brittney Walker, ExMo ADHD — this post is for those who left religion behind or could never really connect to it. For those who try to find meaning in togetherness. To live through the dark season without fear, but with warmth and kindness. Here is a qoute from this post that really moved me: “This is something humans have done since the beginning. Across cultures. Across time. Our ancestors have always marked this moment.” (its about the winter solstice).
💫 Am I autistic enough? by Laura Moore “If you think you’re autistic but a professional said you’re not, this is for you” As an ADHDer I feel like the description of what that denial of diagnosis does, is very similar to what it does to ADHDers. (This post is from july 2025, but I stumbled upon it and decided to include it here anyways)
📦 Lemon Crate
A grab bag of stuff you might like — and maybe didn’t know you needed:
📋 Guide to Regulation: Still confused about HOW to regulate?
♀️ Female Hormones: A Comprehensive Guide for Men (essential reading for ADHD) “A MUST read magazine written by Dr Asad Raffi” by Joseph Pack
💞 Relationship and Science Stuff: If They Really Love Me, Why Can’t They Just Stop Their ADHD? by Harold Robert Meyer
💊 A Guide to Stimulants: an awesome guide to stimulants by Celeste 🌱 with TL;DR section here
🎧 Holiday Special Podcast Episode: Rest and Retreat as a Neurodivergent Creative with Katherine May by Andy J. Pizza
📜 ✒ Announcements From My Newsletter For You
Podcast episode featuring me is out:
Thanks goes out to the wonderful and motivating Rhalyn Morgenroth who writes The Neurospicy Space by a Caffeinated Millennial for inviting and hosting me on her 50 Tabs Open podcast! 🙌😍
🏆 Special Thanks Corner:
This is a placeholder for contributors of my tiny lemony referral program! If you join the upcoming leader board and make it to Tier 2, you might secure a permanent spot right here for all my readers to see. (still working on this 😅 Self doubting and self sabotaging phases included.)
🟢 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):
🪫 ADHD Burnout Is Not a Personal Failure by Emily Giselle is a personal account on a quiet burnout. ADHD burnout is a thing and it can be really tough, especially if one doesn’t know. It creeps in slowly. It helps to hear from others who went through it before. You’ll feel less alone. Give this post some attention and share it along.
🫨 Am I Just Lazy? by Penry Psychology is a short and digestable post about the myth of laziness that needs to be busted. This post needs some attention and shares.
🎛️🎬 The Songs and the Voice That Never Leaves: Living with ADHD Echolalia by DENISE DORMAN is about Echolalia, a very interesting brain thing that I struggle to explain a lot, but is a daily companion of ADHD, at least for me. But this one shows, its not just me. Or how Denise put it: “What? You Mean EVERYONE Doesn’t Have This?!?”
Litte treats for my German readers:
🧃 Special Lemonade of this Edition
If you haven’t had enough of roundups yet, then check out these comprehensive and filled to the brim ones by Jade Farrington:
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!
I wish you a happy new year 🎉 and see you in January,
JayJay out! 🎤
Check out some of my other posts and newsletters:
Pictures and dividers in this post are designed in Canva by the author Justin J. Kiecker.
This roundup feels like care rather than curation. The tone makes space for low energy, mixed moods, and different nervous systems without turning it into a problem to solve. I like how you normalize pacing, retreat, and inconsistency while still offering genuinely useful pathways for connection and learning. It reads like someone saying “you’re allowed to take what you need and leave the rest,” which is rare and needed, especially after the holidays.
Alles abgespeichert, so eine tolle Sammlung! (Und eine Ehre, zum zweiten Mal included zu sein) <3