How High‐Performance Sports Helped Me Manage ADHD Symptoms and Boost Research Productivity

This autoethnographic essay examines how participation in high‐performance sports became a transformative tool for managing the cognitive and emotional challenges associated with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) within the context of academic life. Drawing from my lived experience as a neurodivergent scientist, I reflect on the impact of pandemic‐induced isolation in 2020, which disrupted my long‐standing habit of physical activity and intensified my ADHD symptoms. The return to regular physical exertion through CrossFit and long‐distance running in 2021 marked a turning point in reclaiming mental clarity, emotional regulation, and research productivity. These practices provided not only a physiological outlet for excess energy but also a structured space of mental stillness in contrast to the overwhelming pace of academic demands. Through embodied discipline and the routine of early‐morning training, I discovered a sustainable strategy to navigate neurodivergence within the high‐pressure academic landscape. This narrative invites broader reflection on how personal coping strategies rooted in the body can intersect with questions of access, inclusion, and performance in scholarly environments.