Executive Function Deep Dive - Cognitive Flexibity
When people say “just go with the flow,” they’re usually not asking for adaptability.
They’re demanding compliance.
For ADHD professionals, especially those navigating executive dysfunction under pressure, the cost of cognitive flexibility is rarely acknowledged and almost never supported.
This episode strips the moralism off “being flexible” and gets down to what cognitive flexibility actually is: a metabolically expensive executive function that depends on safety, structure, and recovery.
You’ll learn how the ADHD brain processes change, why sudden pivots cause shutdowns, and how to re-enter without identity collapse.
We’re not here to teach you how to bounce. We’re here to show you how to stay whole when the context shifts without warning.
In this episode:
- What cognitive flexibility actually is (and what it’s not)
- Why ADHD makes strategic shifts feel threatening - even when they’re logical
- How trauma, masking, and performance shame destroy adaptive capacity
- The dangerous cultural mythology of “go with the flow”
- What real flexibility requires: safety, scaffolds, and structural re-entry
- How to protect your identity while learning to shift gears without burning out
This one is for the professionals holding everything together...until someone changes the plan.
Ready to get more specific about your particular flavor of ADHD?
Check out the Executive Function Inventory - Where are you right now on each of the 12 executive functions. An inventory that identifies which EFs are challenges (that need to be bolstered), adaptive (you've built accommodations for yourself), and strengths (to leverage to support your challenges.
If you know, you can be intentional. https://www.mineelachand.com/adhd-adults-efi
The website: https://www.mineelachand.com/
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