Have you ever forgotten an appointment or neglected to cancel a subscription?
You're not alone! We've all been there once in our lives. Mistakes like these happen to everyone occasionally.
However, for some people, this forgetfulness becomes a recurring pattern.
If you frequently misplace items, forget cancellation deadlines, or struggle to remember how to complete tasks, you might be facing the challenges associated with ADHD tax. This term refers to the emotional and financial costs linked with ADHD traits.
If you find yourself dealing with ADHD tax, help is available. Consider reaching out to a mental health counsellor or ADHD coach in Canada. Use this blog as a guide to understand ADHD tax, recognize its signs, and learn how to cope effectively.
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental and neurodivergent condition affecting how individuals interact with the world. It influences the brain areas that control hyperactivity, impulsivity, and attention.
People with ADHD may identify key traits such as difficulty focusing, elevated anxiety about waiting, challenges with rejection, disorganization, and trouble planning.
Taking that first step to seek ADHD therapy or coaching can be intimidating, but your coach or therapist can help you recognize your strengths, build self-awareness, and develop effective strategies for success.
What Is ADHD Tax?
You likely understand what traditional taxes are—financial obligations we all need to handle each year. ADHD tax, however, involves the unique financial and emotional costs associated with ADHD traits, such as forgetfulness, executive functioning challenges, and impulsivity.
For example, missing a loan payment deadline can lead to thousands of dollars in unnecessary interest. Additionally, impulsively buying items you won’t use can contribute to financial stress.
Beyond monetary costs, ADHD tax involves other burdens. ADHDers often identify as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and may face compounded challenges stemming from societal discrimination against both 2SLGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent individuals.
Additional costs may include feelings of shame and guilt associated with being neurodivergent, challenges with unemployment, strained relationships, and diminished self-esteem.
Prevalence of ADHD Tax
Since ADHD tax is tied to ADHD traits, its prevalence likely mirrors that of ADHD itself. Although rates vary by location, approximately 366.33 million people worldwide are diagnosed with ADHD, accounting for about 5% of the global population.
In Canada, the Canadian Centre for ADHD Awareness reports that 5% to 9% of children and 3% to 5% of adults live with ADHD. It's reasonable to estimate that the prevalence of ADHD tax is similar to that of ADHD.
The Connection Between ADHD Traits and ADHD Tax
Signs of ADHD tax closely relate to ADHD traits. When you find yourself facing ADHD tax, it's essential to identify the underlying causes. Common reasons for experiencing ADHD tax include:
Procrastination: Delaying actions like canceling a subscription or completing tasks.
Task Paralysis: Feeling overwhelmed with the decisions, which makes it hard to start a task or make choices.
Forgetfulness: Neglecting to cancel important cancellation dates.
Impulsivity: Making unplanned purchases without considering the consequences.
Time Agnosia: Struggling to gauge how much time has passed, leading to underestimating how current actions affect future decisions.
The Financial and Emotional Toll of ADHD Tax
You might experience financial and emotional costs tied to your ADHD traits. While the way these manifest varies from person to person, common signs may include:
Losing Things: Forgetting critical information or struggling with organization can lead to losing valuable items. You then have to deal with the financial costs of replacing these valuable items and the emotional costs of the stress associated with this.
High Debt: Forgetfulness and disorganization can result in unpaid credit card balances, leading to interest charges and accumulated debt. Impulsivity also causes impulse spending, which incurs more debt, further complicating your financial situation.
Employment Challenges: Higher unemployment rates and lower salaries are common among ADHDer's. The challenges with managing deadlines, punctuality, motivation, and organization can significantly impact an ADHDers job performance, often leading to job loss.
Academic Difficulties: ADHDers may struggle academically, often leading to lower graduation rates due to the challenges posed by ADHD tax and a lack of neurodiversity-affirming education.
Hyperfixation: While hyperfixation can lead to productivity, it can also create financial burdens when pursuing hobbies. For example, collecting coins can cause significant spending.
Relationship Issues: Financial issues linked to ADHD can strain personal relationships. After all, money problems are a leading cause of relationship breakdowns. Additionally, rejection-sensitive dysphoria may heighten the need for reassurance, putting pressure on relationships.
Low Self-Esteem: The world is designed for neurotypicals, which can often foster feelings of inadequacy among neurodivergent individuals. Misconceptions that ADHDers are simply lazy can lead to masking behaviours, resulting in a lack of self-acceptance and low self-esteem.
Ways to Cope With ADHD Tax
If you've found this blog, you're likely seeking strategies to cope with ADHD tax. With a better understanding of what ADHD tax entails, you can recognize when it shows up in your life and explore effective coping techniques.
Here are some practical tips developed by neurodivergent individuals for others in the community:
Make a List: Before shopping, list the items you already own to avoid unnecessary purchases.
Ask for Help: Request reminders for cancellations from friends or for the support of an ADHD coach to learn effective coping strategies.
Do the Task Right Away: If possible, complete tasks immediately to reduce the risk of forgetting them later.
Take a Break: When considering a purchase, leave the item in your shopping cart overnight. If you're in the store, walk away for a bit. After an hour, evaluate if the item is truly necessary.
Join Support Groups: The emotional costs of ADHD can be as challenging as the financial ones. Support groups create a community where you learn strategies to cope and realize you're not alone.
Create an ADHD-Friendly Environment: Organize your strategies to support your routines. Keep medications in a designated spot to remind yourself to take them.
Seek Accommodations: ADHD can be considered a disability. If ADHD impacts your work or school experience, don't hesitate to request accommodations.
Start Small: Overcoming debt may seem daunting, but you can start small, such as cancelling one subscription or saving a little each month to chip away at your debt.
Track your Expenses: Monitoring monthly spending can help identify impulse buying and facilitate sound financial decisions.
Utilize a Calendar: Use a calendar and set multiple alarms to remind you of deadlines or cancellations, ensuring you stay on task.
Leverage Your Strengths: If you excel in certain areas, cultivate your work or home environment to leverage these strengths.
Use the STOP Method: Pause before making online purchases. Reflect on your overall spending before deciding whether you truly need the item.
Access Free Resources: Utilize apps like Google Calendar for tracking deadlines. Seek financial resources like @ellyce.fulmore for guidance toward financial independence.
Practice Positive Affirmations: Navigating a world that overlooks neurodivergence can be exhausting. Affirmations like “I deserve accommodations” or “I accept myself as I am. My brain operates differently, and that’s okay,” can improve self-esteem and self-acceptance.
Find Neurodiversity-Affirming Therapy: If you need additional support, seek a therapist who understands and validates your identity and helps you address your ADHD challenges.
Book a Free Consultation With Blue Sky Learning
Are you experiencing the emotional and financial impacts of ADHD tax? Looking for effective strategies to manage these challenges?
Considering booking a free 20-minute consultation with one of Blue Sky Learning's expert ADHD coaches or therapists to create a personalized plan tailored to your unique needs.
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