ADHD Behavior | Untapped Brilliance

Can you have ADD and ADHD?

Posted on April 27, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield Leave a Comment

Great question. However, it isn’t possible to have ADD and ADHD as both terms describe the same condition. It is a little confusing because over the years the official name for ADD and ADHD has changed (ADHD is currently the official and most up to date title). Here is the time line of how it happened:

In 1980, ADD described a person who had Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was the phrase used to describe someone who also experienced hyperactivity.

In 1987, the official term changed, now the term ADHD is used for anyone who was diagnosed with what was previously ADD and ADHD.

In 1994, ADHD was divided into 3 subtypes:

ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive Type: characterized by mainly inattention; people have problems focusing, completing tasks, are easily distracted and seem forgetful, disorganized, and careless.

ADHD-Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: characterized mainly by hyperactivity and impulsivity. Paying attention is not a major problem; however, you might seem to act and speak before thinking, have lots of energy and always on the go.

ADHD-Combined Type: Characteristics of both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsivity are present.

Even though ADHD is the official title, ADD and ADHD are the same thing, confusion continues because many people use ADD and ADHD interchangeably (including me). Medical journals regularly still use ADD and people who were diagnosed in the early to mind 1980′s with ADD, identify strongly with that term not ADHD, since in their mind it would mean they had hyperactivity.

If ever you find yourself a little confused in how the person you are talking to is using ADD and ADHD it’s fine to ask them to clarify how they use the terminology. That way there is no confusion.

When talking about ADHD do you use ADD, ADHD or a mixture of both?

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Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

Posted on March 23, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield 4 Comments

This week, rather than an article I wanted to show you a video.

The title is Age-Activated Attention Deficit Disorder, however it gives an insight into what life is like when you have ADHD regardless of your age. After you have watched it, send it some of the closest people in your life so they can get an understanding of what it’s like to have Adult ADHD.

Living with ADD can be challenging and no one wants to use having ADHD as an excuse. However, when your loved ones get even a glimpse of how your mind works, it helps them to understand why you operate the way you do. They can appreciate that you are trying hard, even if you don’t produce the results they hoped for. That understanding goes a long way in every relationship, whether life partner, best friend or family member or co-worker.

Remember too, there are lots of ways to help minimize your unwanted aspects of ADHD. Untapped Brilliance, How to Reach your full potential is a great place to start.

emailAge Activated Attention Deficit Disorder

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, adult, age, deficit, disorder, excuse, life, relationships, understanding

101 Things To Do

Posted on March 2, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield 4 Comments

Do you feel like you have 101 things to do and never seem get any of them done?

You aren’t alone, I do too, I really do! Perhaps, because I just celebrated my birthday and wanted to start my New Year with a clean slate. Or perhaps because the days are getting longer and Spring is just around the corner that I felt encouraged to Spring Clean.

Whatever the exact cause, I was tired of having items pop into my head, and think…oh I must do that…and then not actually doing them. I got a large piece of paper and a colourful pen and started to write all the items that came to mind. When I got to 50, I was surprised I had so many, so I challenged myself to make it to 101. It didn’t take long to get there! I walked around my home and did a mental tour of my office. I looked in my inbox for reminders and within an hour I had 101 things to do. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, I felt excited that I had everything written down and was inspired to get them done.

This week, I am challenging you to write your own list of 101 things to do so that you can do a Spring clean of your life too.

To help, I have included some of the categories that my list included. When I was writing the list I didn’t write them in categories, but afterwards I realized they naturally fell into them.

Arranging Appointments
Doctors annual check up
Routine eye exam

Organizing My Home
Declutter hall closet
Tidy book cases
Throw out 50 things

Keeping In Touch With Friends
Arranging to see people I haven’t seen for awhile
Emailing or writing to friends that don’t live locally

Work Stuff
Changes to my website
New Business cards printed

Paper Work
Changing addresses to new address book
Set up a new filing system at home

When you have your list, think of how you are going get the task done. For example, I am going to do a minimum of one per day. I know some days I will be inspired to do more. For the items that will take longer than 1 hour, I am scheduling them into my agenda.

When we are finished, not only will our lives be all caught up and up to date. Our brains will be clearer too, because aren’t we always thinking of everything we have to do. Also, there will be space for new and exciting things to come into our lives!

Happy Writing!

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Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Treatment, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, excited, life, lists, productivity, pverwhelmed, scheduling, spring, spring cleaning, tasks, to do list

Sugar and ADHD

Posted on February 3, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield 2 Comments

One urban myth that has been successfully ruled out is that sugar doesn’t cause ADHD.

However, sugar does effect how your brain functions. Since ADHD is neurological in nature, it’s interesting how to see how sugar affects our brain.

When you eat carbohydrates your body turns them into glucose (a type of sugar) and your organs (including your brain) and muscles use it for energy. Since, the neurons in the brain can’t store glucose they need a steady supply of it. Spikes in the glucose supply to the brain are bad news as they result in hyperactivity and sugar crashes.

As with fats there is good and there is bad sugar.

The bad sugar is the refined sugar in cookies, candy and soda. When you consume refined sugar, the affect is immediate your brain gets flooded with glucose and serotonin is released. Serotonin makes you feel happy. Because of large increase in blood sugar the pancreas produces large amounts of insulin, to absorb the sugar. This is when you feel the ‘crash’. You feel tired (more so than before you ate the sugar) and cannot focus.

When you eat too much sugar over time you can have problems with processing information, memory, depression and anxiety. All of which many ADHD adults are prone to have problems with.

Good sugar comes from of fruit and complex carbohydrates. Because fruit also has fiber its sugar is released at a steady speed while being digested. Complex carbohydrates are also broken down into sugar. They take longer to progress and give energy for many hours.

For some reason we think of sugar as being harmless; yet there is nothing harmless about the ailments it causes.

As well the obvious ones such as Diabetes and obesity and tooth decay there are also things that ADHD adults are already susceptible to, such as:

Hyperactivity
Anxiety
Depression
Fatigue
Insomnia
Mood swings
Drug addictions
Alcoholism

I have to admit I am a former sugar addict! I would eat little pieces of chocolate all day. It was a great way for me to have energy without the hassle of meal planning. However, I noticed my brain was really foggy and thinking took lots of effort. One month ago I stopped eating processed sugar. No more chocolate, no more deserts. The first few days were hard because I had to break the habit and the times I would normally enjoy a chunk of chocolate, I needed to remind myself I didn’t eat chocolate anymore.

After the first few days my energy became low and I felt very sad. A quick Google search told me this was normal sugar withdrawal symptoms. Now those have passed I feel amazing, both mentally and physically very strong.

When you eat a healthy diet that gives your body the chance to have a stable blood sugar throughout the day you will have increased mental focus and attention, and balanced moods.

How to get the sugar out of your diet:

1) Start with the obvious culprits. Chocolate, cakes, sugar in your coffee etc. Later on in your sugar elimination process you can cut out the hidden stuff.

2) Go Brown
Change all the white products in your cupboards to brown, for example bread, pasta, rice.

3) Eat regularly
Never go too long without food. This keeps your blood sugar in your brain stable.

4) Withdrawals
If you notice some withdrawal symptoms like me, try to stick it out. They aren’t pleasant, but the grass is greener on the other side! (also constant a doctor if you are worried)

5) Notice the benefits.
In fact, don’t just notice them, enjoy them!!

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Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, anxiety, diet, eating, fatigue, food, mood swings, sugar, withdrawl

Getting Your Zzzzz’s When You Have ADHD

Posted on January 27, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield 1 Comment

A staggering 75% of ADHD adults are unable to quiet their minds enough so they can fall asleep. Some say they become very creative and productive when most people are heading to bed. Some report to feeling so tired they have to drag themselves through the day, but then aren’t tired at bedtime. Their mind is racing as soon as their head hits the pillow and stops sleep from arriving.

Walking through life sleep deprived isn’t a pleasant experience; daily life is a struggle rather than joy. Sleep deprivation can result in symptoms that mirror your ADHD symptoms such as:

1. Anxiety

2. Difficulty concentrating

3. Forgetfulness

4. Hyperactivity

5. Increased distractibility

However, help is at hand and the solution is so easy every ADHD adult can try it. New research on insomnia (difficulty falling asleep or remaining asleep) has found that spending time in the sunlight every day aids sleep. This might sound very simplistic, but when you probe a little deeper, it makes sense.

The sun gives off a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation (sunlight). The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that hits the earth’s atmosphere can be divided into five groups. For example, Ultraviolet A, B and C, Visible range and Infrared range. The Visible range spectrum is visible to the human eye and blue light is part of this spectrum.

Our eyes need to be exposed to blue light daily as it regulates our sleep pattern. Blue light suppresses the sleep hormone melatonin. However, if we go from one man made environment to the next, house to car to office to car to house…our melatonin levels don’t change and our body doesn’t know when to sleep or when to be alert.

Conversely, you might be getting blue light when you don’t want it. TV and computers can give off blue light, which also keep you awake. So, it’s important not to do those activities near bedtime.

However, time during the day looking at the TV or computer doesn’t count towards your blue light time…nothing is as beneficial as the real thing…so get in the sunshine!

This week create a plan to be outdoors (without your shades) every day. Below are a few examples:

Go for a walk during your lunch break
Do your exercise outside rather than inside
Run errands on foot rather than driving

Then you will start to notice its benefits on your sleeping patterns.
Happy Zzzzzzz’s

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emailGetting Your Zzzzzs When You Have ADHD

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Treatment, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, anxiety, daily life, daylight, deprivation, deprive, hyperactivity, nap, productive, relax, rest, sleep, struggle

ADHD and Money

Posted on January 6, 2012 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield Leave a Comment

Money management is very difficult for ADHD adults and this results in some rather depressing statics. For example, people with ADHD have more:

Bankruptcies
Foreclosures
Credit card debit
Periods of unemployment

and do more:

Impulsive spending
Arguing with spouse about money

more so, than the average person.

They are also less likely to:

Have savings
Have a retirement plan

than there non ADHD peers. People with ADD also have lots of negative emotions connected to money. They feel guilty, ashamed, and embarrassed that they don’t earn as much as they would like, that they have debt, or overspend.

However, there are physical reasons why money management is hard for ADDer’s. The executive functioning of the brain is impaired when you have ADHD. Which means, detailed orientated work, emotional regulation, impulse control, organizing and time management are also impaired and don’t function like they do in non ADDers. If we look how these executive functions effect money management, it’s clear why problems occur. For example, money management is detailed orientated, completing taxes requires organizing, and low impulse control results in over spending.

No matter what your financial situation is, don’t feel bad about it. Negative emotions, such as guilt and shame only make you feel worse. Change is possible and the best way to turn negative emotions around is to empower yourself with knowledge. The following steps will help you to that. Here are 5 tips to help you take control of you money right now, no matter what your age:

1) Take stock
Take an honest look at your financial situation right now.
It’s better to know exactly what you are dealing with rather than have general anxiety about the unknown. Dig out your bank statements, savings, credit card bills, pension statements, etc so you know exactly what your money situation is.

2) Work with Financial professionals
They are there to help you. An accountant and financial adviser are essentials, but you might benefit from a book keeper or other professionals depending on your lifestyle. Choose them carefully. Not only do they need to be good that their job, they also need to have kind, non-judgmental personalities.

3a) Online banking
Sign up for online banking. This allows you to check your balance very easily. I recommend once a day. When you monitor your account regularly you are in touch with your money and spend less without even trying.

3b)Pay your bills online.
ADDers find this is much easier than the multi-step task of opening mail, writing a cheque, finding a stamp and remembering to post the envelop in a timely fashion.

4) Create a budget
The word budget usually fills people with dread. However, rather than a bad constraining thing, a budget allows you to spend money on the things without feeling guilty; pay bills and save for the future.

The best budget tool for ADHDers”You Need a Budget” or YNAB. This is a budget tool with a difference. It will actually get you excited about budgeting. You feel empowered and it’s fun to use. Check it out. http://budurl.com/yg7z

5) Change your views about money
Money is an emotion loaded topic. Some people love it, others hate it, yet it’s merely a tool we use to exchange goods and services with. We could use cows or bread, but money is more convenient. When you take emotion out of the topic of money it is much easier to address.

Got questions? Send me an email and I will be happy to answer them!.

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Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, adult, budget, earn, emotion, empowerment, money, money management, overspend, plan, retirement, saving, spending, tasks, tools

ADHD and Motivation

Posted on December 16, 2011 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield 1 Comment

Dr. Russell Barkley says that ADHD is more about loss of interest and motivation than attention and concentration. This makes sense, as we know ADHDers can pay attention for hours on tasks they love.

Motivation is a characteristic that makes us want to ‘do’ an activity. Unfortunately, there is lotsof moral judgement about motivation and people think lack of motivation is a sign of laziness or not caring. The good news is that in recent years studies have found evidence that motivation is more about brain chemistry, than will power. It has been found that motivation problems in people with ADHD are due to lower levels of dopamine in their brains. The larger the disruption of the dopamine pathway, the greater the ADHD symptoms and the lower the levels of motivation.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge what can you do?

1) Take good care of yourself the Untapped Brilliance way. This means, taking Omega 3 supplements, eating an ADHD friendly diet, getting enough sleep, exercising and meditating. All these activities increase the dopamine. If you need help incorporating these into your life check out Untapped Brilliance book.

2) What do you love to do? What are you highly motivated to do? When you know what those activities they are, make some changes in your life so you spend more time doing the activities you are motivated to do. Your life will become more productive and enjoyable.

3) Get creative with the activities you have to do, but don’t enjoy. Use your timer, as that creates a challenge and a sense of urgency. Set up a reward system that motivates you. For example, put one dollar in a jar every time you do X. Apply it to something that does interest you. Michael Phelps’ (Olympic Swimming Champion) Mom did this for her son. Michael hated math, but loved swimming. So she customized his math problems ‘If you swim one meter per second, how long would it take to swim 800 meters?’

When you make these changes in your life, you will definitely notice a new level of productivity and purpose in your life.

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Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, ADHD Book, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: activities, adhd, adult, changes, dopamine, interest, life, michael phelps, motivation, supplements

Embrace Your Achievements

Posted on December 9, 2011 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield Leave a Comment

A friend and I meet regularly at a coffee shop that is a 5 minute walk from where I live. Because it is so close, I always leave it to the last minute to get ready. Then as I am speed walking/running to get there I say to myself ‘I will leave earlier next time’. I always arrive at the coffee shop on time, but a feeling bit hot and my mind is racing.

The interesting thing about this situation is my friend thinks I am very punctual. She often comments on it. Yet, because I have done all that rushing and don’t feel punctual, in this situation, I shrug that compliment away.

This is what adults with ADHD experience all the time. They accomplish wonderful things, degrees, promotion, awards, perform acts of kindness, receive compliments from their nearest and dearest, but because behind the scenes things were a struggle, you shrug those compliments and achievements away.

This results in a huge disconnection between reality and how you see yourself. This disconnect stops you from building up a strong self esteem, from reaching your full potential, allowing yourself to be happy, and even the quality of people you have relationships with.

What can you do to close that gap between your perception of yourself and reality?

1) Being aware of it is always the first step to change. So pay attention to how you feel about yourself and what you do and have done.

2) Write a list of 25 accomplishments
Everyone I give this assignment to always gasps because it sounds a lot, but it encourages you to dig deep and really think about what you have done in your life so far.

3) Create a Hall of Frame
Gather together all your certificates, photos of important events and other items that symbolism your achievements. Get them framed and hang them together on a wall in your home. This is powerful because every time you walk past the wall your achievements, they are there, loud and proud. It might take time for your subconscious to process them, but when it does a new you emerges.

4) Accept all compliments
When someone gives you a compliment, simply say thank you. Don’t explain it away. Afterwards, spend a few minutes processing it. For example, if someone says ‘you have an incredible general knowledge’ your immediate thought might be, well it’s because I sit and watch TV when I have 101 more productive things to do. BUT, rather than do that, begin to own the fact that you are very knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects.

5) Change the way you talk to yourself
You probably have a constant negative voice chatting away to you all day. Telling you mean put downs on how you look, what you said, and what you did.
‘When you catch one of those thoughts, flip it around. ‘I sounded stupid’ to ‘I did a good job’. ‘You look silly in that outfit’ to ‘this is my favorite jacket’. The more you do it, the more your positive voice over rides the negative and the better you will feel about yourself.

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Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: accomplishment, achievements, add, adhd, adults, aware, change, compliments, promotion, rewards, self esteem, self worth

Interview with ADD and Loving it Star

Posted on December 2, 2011 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield Leave a Comment

While I was at the CHADD conference, I interviewed Patrick McKenna.

Patrick stars in the famous “ADHD and Loving It” documentary. As well as being incredibly funny, he is also very smart! In this interview, he explains that doing what you are naturally good at, helps your self esteem and allows you to be successful in your chosen field.

Another one of Patrick’s secret to success is to embrace and love all of who you are, including your ADD. Don’t worry about wasted time in the past . . . today is the perfect day to step forward and start implementing these suggestions.

I was particularly excited to talk to Patrick as a growing number of my clients realized they had ADD after watching the “ADHD and Loving It” documentary. They had always realized they were different, but didn’t know exactly why until watching the documentary. This is a common experience of people across North America… Patrick and his co-star Rick are changing people’s lives.

Want to see more interviews from the CHADD conference? Head over to: http://budurl.com/w9yj where myself and business partner Marcia Hoeck interview more experts.

Learn more about the FAB work Patrick is doing at Totally ADD!

emailInterview with ADD and Loving it Star

Filed Under: ADHD Behavior, Adult ADHD, Untapped Brilliance Blog Tagged: add, adhd, Adult ADHD, chadd, expert, Marcia Hoeck, patrick mckenna, secret, success

Do You Feel ‘Behind’ In Life?

Posted on November 4, 2011 Written by Jacqueline Sinfield Leave a Comment

A common complaint or worry people with ADHD is that they feel ‘behind’ in life. Their peers seem to be racing ahead and they don’t feel they are where they should be as they pass age milestones. The truth is everyone feels they are ‘behind’ in life to some degree, but people with ADHD seem to feel it more keenly. Perhaps because some things do take them longer (e.g. graduating from University because they take fewer classes each semester) or because their self esteem and confidence is lower.

In a world where the media portrayal of what normal is has us all graduating from University at 21 years old, advancing up the corporate ladder in our mid 20′s and happily married with children at 30. It’s good to know to that the world is changing and there is a new type of normal.

Working life
People no longer work Monday to Friday, 9-5 in the same job until they retire at 65 years old. Today we have more career changes than past generations. There is flex time, satellite offices and stay-at-home-dads. You can be a self made multi-millionaire in your early 20′s (for example Facebook’s Mark Zucherberg) and keep working because you love it into your 90′s.

Parenting
Traditionally, parents were of the opposite sex and had children in the ‘peak birth rate years’ of 20- 24. Now there is an increasing number of first time parents in their 40′s and it is no longer taboo to be a single parent. Elton John is the perfect example that you can be a new parent whatever our age or sexuality.

Marriage
The average age for first marriages is getting higher and higher. At the moment, it is 28 years old for men and 26 years for women.

What does this have to do with ADHD? I wanted to illustrate that the old linear way of living isn’t the norm any more. We have more freedom to make choices based on what suits us than ever before. You are never behind; there is no rule that you are a certain age when you should get married, or buy a house, or have a particular position at work.

When you free yourself from these norms you give yourself permission to live your life at a pace that works for you will thrive. When you have ADHD it’s important to do what makes you tick, to listen to your internal messages rather than any external messages. If you do this, you will experience more happiness and success than ever before.

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