Natural Phenomena

"Natural Phenomena" is a project aiming to create a softer visual alternative for those who feel alienated by the dominant ADHD discourse. By combining fact-based symptom descriptions with nature-inspired imagery, it seeks to inform and promote a new understanding of the neurodivergent mind while fostering personal reflection and open interpretation.

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Public understanding of ADHD is often reduced to surface-level traits like being overly energetic or easily distracted. This limited perspective fails to reflect the neurological complexity of the condition. Much of the stigma surrounding ADHD stems from outdated and inaccurate beliefs, particularly the idea that it primarily affects hyperactive boys in childhood. As a result, the diagnostic criteria have historically been – and still largely are – based on male behavioral patterns, often overlooking how ADHD manifests in girls, particularly in light of gender-specific differences in cognitive development and societal expectations. This has led to many women and girls being misdiagnosed, misunderstood, or entirely over- looked during both assessment and treatment. Today, growing research supports a more accurate view of ADHD as a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects several key areas of brain function, especially those related to executive functioning and self-regulation. (Skoglund, 2022)

Personal Motivation

After being diagnosed with ADHD in 2021, I began actively trying to under- stand how it has influenced my life and how I might better manage its challenges. Along the way, I turned to a variety of resources – from medical texts and online forums to explainer videos and social media – hoping to find something that resonated with my experience. More often than not, though, these sources left me feeling frustrated and misrepresented. The way ADHD is most often portrayed reflects a stigmatized narrative that reduces the diagnosis to quirky or charming personality traits, and sometimes even to a superpower, rather than acknowledg- ing it as a serious disorder. When more serious portrayals do appear, the sur- rounding reactions tend to reflect persistent societal skepticism, framing ADHD as an excuse for laziness, irresponsibility, or poor self-control.

Even though research and public awareness have advanced, the diagnosis still carries such a strong identity that I struggle to see beyond it myself. I had hoped that finally receiving a diagnosis would offer relief and clarity – a way to make sense of the challenges I’ve faced throughout my life. Instead, I often find myself caught between my own lived experience and the mainstream narrative – a disconnect that has only deepened my feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy, and highlighted the clear lack of diverse, empathetic, and trustworthy communication about the symptoms I experience.

Insights

Based on thorough research, it has become clear that the current discourse on ADHD lacks nuance—particularly in its failure to represent the experiences of adult-diagnosed women who do not see themselves reflected in quirky cartoon characters. Many women, known to mask their ADHD symptoms for years, often shape their self-perception around negative societal reactions to impairments caused by a diagnosis they have not yet received—frequently resulting in pro- found emotional consequences. This highlights the need for alternative representations of ADHD.

George Lakoff and Mark Johnson argue (red. in "Metaphors we live by" 1980) that by challenging and changing the metaphors we use, we can reshape our understanding of such conditions (Lakoff, 1980). Rather than comparing individuals with ADHD to neurotypicals in terms of being “better” or “less than,” we should focus on acknowledging their challenges while fostering self-compassion and acceptance.

Research has shown that nature serves as a powerful mirror for reflection, significantly enhancing mental well-being. Even a subjective sense of connectedness to nature can increase happiness and personal growth (Zalenski, 2014; Bratman, 2012; Stone, 2024). Reframing ADHD as a natural variation of human cognition—much like the diversity found in the natural world, each with its own inherent value and purpose—while still acknowledging it as a disorder, may help foster individual reflection and emotional resilience among those who feel misrepresented in the current ADHD discourse.




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Sources:

Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249(1), 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749- 6632.2011.06400.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Skoglund, L. (2022). ADHD hos piger og kvinder: Fra dygtig pige til udbrændt kvinde. Pressto.

Stone, K. (2024, June 25). Blog - North Somerset Creative Mindfulness in Nature. Naturally Mindful. https://www.naturally-mindful.co.uk/blog/nature-as-a- mirror-reflections-on-self-discovery-and-personal-growth.

Zelenski, J. M., & Nisbet, E. K. (2014). Happiness and feeling connected: The distinct role of nature relatedness. Environment and Behavior, 46(1), 3–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916512451901.