Toolkit Episode: Harnessing the Power of Positive Psychology for ADHD Women

Katherine Tiddy is a positive psychology practitioner, coach and founder of the Work Happy Project.

In this exclusive ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit interview, she shares how positive psychology can help you thrive and flourish, her experience with post-traumatic growth, the power of recognising and leveraging your strengths, and how powerful tools can help you improve resilience.

The episode centres around how positive psychology, mainly focusing on strengths and post-traumatic growth, can transform the lives of individuals, especially those with ADHD. It offers practical tools and strategies for improving mental well-being, preventing burnout, and fostering resilience.

Katherine, an expert in positive psychology, shares her journey from burnout to flourishing and discusses the transformative power of focusing on strengths. She highlights tools like journaling, mindfulness, and cognitive-based therapy to help manage negative thoughts and emphasizes the importance of resilience and self-awareness.

Katherine also touches on how positive psychology can benefit individuals with ADHD, offering practical strategies for overcoming challenges and preventing burnout.

In this interview, Kate and Katherine discuss:

• Understanding positive psychology

• Learn how positive psychology focuses on flourishing to help you progress from ‘healthy’ to ‘thriving and fulfilled’.

• Moving on from trauma

• Explore how positive psychology helps to boost wellbeing and grow after difficult life events.

• Identifying your strengths

• Find out why leveraging your strengths is so important – especially for women with ADHD.

• Managing negativity bias

• Uncover positive psychology strategies to regulate negative thought patterns and build resilience.

• Using practical tools

• Discover how powerful tools such as journaling, mindfulness and body doubling can help you manage negative biases.

  Interview timestamps

• Catherine's journey into positive psychology (2:17)

• Understanding and utilising your strengths (7:12)

• Challenges and tools for managing your negative thoughts (11:28)

• The role of positive psychology in burnout prevention (22:23)

• The impact of ADHD on positive psychology (26:52)

• The importance of self-awareness and self-compassion (32:08)

  You can take a free online assessment here: https://www.strengthsprofile.com/en-gb/products/free

  Katherine uses the Strengths Profile one with clients as clients find it more relatable and she loves the energy element that it brings in. Not just what we are good at, but what energises us - it helps you see your Strengths, Unrealised Strengths (things that energise us and we are good at, but not really using) Learned behaviours - those things that we have got very capable at and do lots but deplete our energy.

  We also have to acknowledge and manage weaknesses, but not overly!!

  We can also over and under-play strengths which come up in a lot of the work that Katherine does with people one-on-one. Our greatest strengths, over-played can become negative.

  VIA is a very well researched assessment as well:https://www.viacharacter.org/

  Connect with Katherine through her website: https://www.theworkhappyproject.co.uk/about/

Try Kate's new Apple podcast subscription, The ADHD Women's Wellbeing Toolkit, here

Have a look at some of Kate's workshops and free resources here.