Adult ADHD - Part 2

The ADHD Traveler’s Checklist

I got a great question this week,

“Do you have any helpful info to help the ADD person plan and PACK for a trip? It’s hellish for me.”

Actually, I do!!

Many ADHDers have a love/hate relationship with travel and the holidays. Some love the adventure and novelty; others hate the disruption to their daily routine.

Even ADHDers who love going on trips can find the planning and preparation involved challenging. In order to have an enjoyable, stress free trip with minimal unexpected surprises, some planning and attention to details are helpful. Since both of those can be tricky when you are living with ADHD, I created a list to help you! [Read more…]

Filed Under: ADHD Treatment, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog

Can you have ADD and ADHD?

By Jacqueline Sinfield 7 Comments

Can you have ADD and ADHD?

Great question! The answer is yes…and no.

Let’s start with,

‘No it’s not possible to have both ADD and ADHD.’

If someone told you, ‘I have Chickenpox and Chickenpox,’ it would sound strange because they are telling you something twice.

The same is true if you say, ‘I have ADD and ADHD’ because they are two names for the same condition. [Read more…]

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Symptoms, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog

5 Ways ‘Eating a Frog’ Helps Your Productivity

By Jacqueline Sinfield 4 Comments

Have you noticed how important the first hour of your workday is? It sets the tone for the rest of your workday in terms of your productivity and mood.

If you check Facebook, chat to co-workers, get busy doing easy but low value tasks, you can trick yourself into believing you are busy. However, by mid-morning you might notice an uneasy feeling sneaking up on you. There is a sense that your day is slipping away, and you still have some important tasks looming.

In contrast, on days when you dive into the most important task first, you feel empowered. When you cross it off your to-do list, you feel a rush of positive emotions, and they can stay with you for the rest of the day.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Symptoms, ADHD Treatment, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog

Do Your Thoughts Stop You Taking Action?

By Jacqueline Sinfield 9 Comments

Are you constantly second guessing yourself? Do you question your ability to do a task even though other people know you are capable of it? This happens to so many people with ADHD. It results in procrastination, feelings of resistance and ambiguity, anxiety, guilt and emotional torment. It’s a classic case of getting in your own way.

If this happens to you, the long term goal is to increase your self-esteem. Then, you will believe in yourself and the resistance will disperse. In the meantime, here are 5 things you can do right now to start taking action and meet your deadlines.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog

How is Adult ADD Different from Adult ADHD?

By Jacqueline Sinfield 3 Comments

This article answers a blog reader’s question:

I have adult ADD. How does that differ from adult ADHD?

It’s a great question and one that lots of people are curious or confused about.

To answer it fully, we need to break it down into 3 sub questions.

What difference is there in the terms ADD and ADHD?
What is the difference between Inattentive ADHD and Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD?
What is the difference between childhood and adult ADHD?

Let’s start with the ADD/ ADHD question first.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Untapped Brilliance Blog

How to Design Your ADHD Friendly Summer

By Jacqueline Sinfield 3 Comments

Do you plan your summer? Or does it just unfold? In her Happier podcast, Gretch Rubin talks about designing your summer. She believes in making the summer months distinct so that they stand out from rest of the year. When you embrace the summer months and take advantage of what they offer, you create memories to carry with you when the weather turns cold and grey.

Gretchen makes a great point that summer doesn’t have to be about going into relaxation mode. It is really about creating a change from your regular day to day life to make sure summer is special.

This is good news for someone living with ADHD as the idea of unstructured ‘relaxing’ time can feel like a form of torture (this is why weekends can leave you feeling blah).
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Untapped Brilliance Blog

ADHD and Don’t Break the Chain!

By Jacqueline Sinfield 4 Comments

Motivation is the urge ‘to do’ something. Lots of people with ADHD, find they don’t feel motivated to take action until a deadline is looming.

Then there is a sense of urgency, as they race against the clock. The neurotransmitter dopamine is released so they can focus and prioritize. Everything unrelated to goal is blocked out until the task is completed.

When the project is finish they breathe a sigh of relief, feel victorious and vow never to let that happen again. And really mean it! However, when the next project comes along, getting started is just as difficult.

Creating a deadlines for yourself before the actual deadline sounds like a good way round this, but you know these aren’t a ‘real’ so these personal deadlines don’t provide the same motivation.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Treatment, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog

ADHD and The 5 Second Rule

By Jacqueline Sinfield 4 Comments

Have you heard of the 5 Second Rule? It is a powerful metacognition technique that overrides the brain’s tendency to squash your good ideas and intentions. By using the 5 Second Rule, you can break the habit loop and start acting on things you have been meaning to do for years.

The 5 Second Rule was discovered by Mel Robbins when her life was spiraling downwards.

Through a series of unfortunate events Mel wasn’t working. Her husband owned a pizza restaurant and while it had won awards and looked successful on the outside, he was working exceptional long hours just to keep it afloat. They were struggling for money and had to accept a loan from her dad to pay their mortgage.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Untapped Brilliance Blog

Why does Time Travel Differently When You Have ADHD?

By Jacqueline Sinfield 13 Comments

Have you noticed how time plays tricks on you? It can whiz by so fast or it plods along incredibly slowly; leaving you bored and restless.

Ironically, time perception doesn’t run like clockwork. It changes and is distorted by situations, emotions and even your age.

I have a memory of sitting next to my grandma telling her how excited I was for Christmas, but how it was taking a really long time to arrive. My Grandma laughed and said, “When you get to my age, you won’t have that problem, time travels very fast for me.” This was a very strange concept for my 8 year old brain.

Time perception is a subjective thing that is studied by psychologists and neuroscientists. For our other senses like touch, taste, smell, sight, etc., we have specialized sensory receptors. But there are no specialized sensory receptors for time.