How you take care of yourself and your body is very telling of your self-esteem. If you abuse your body in any way, with food, drink or drugs it could be a sign of low self-esteem. This is where the phrase ‘fake it till you make it’ is perfect. You don’t have to wait until your self-esteem is higher to stop abusing your body. Start to treat it beautifully now and your esteem will rise. Nourish your body with healthy yummy food; give yourself permission to buy the strawberries, even if it isn’t a special occasion. A glass of wine with dinner or a cold beer on a hot day is great, but everything in moderation. It’s easy to wash down the stresses of the day with large quantities of alcohol but it’s not a good way to appreciate your body. If you take drugs to feel ‘normal’ there are lots of others ways to do that than to harm your body in this way.

When you start to take care of and appreciate your body, you will notice lots of many nice rewards. You will have more energy, both mental and physical. You will feel happier on a daily basis, and a sense of peace, because as much as one part has enjoyed the drink, drugs or extra food,  the other part of you was feeling guilty and knew it wasn’t a good thing.

A great way to appreciate your body is to find an exercise that you love to do and then do it every day. Not only will you start to feel healthier and notice physical changes in your body when you exercise your body naturally craves healthy foods and water and so it makes moving away from the unhealthy substances much easier.

Start to take care of your body today and notice how much better feel about yourself inside and out.

The general public is often surprised to learn about Adult ADHD. While most people are aware children have ADHD, they don’t realize it also affects adults. One third of children with ADD do grow out of it, while the rest of the population carry ADHD into adulthood.

Information on ADHD is growing all the time, and since little was known about it 30 years ago it is understandable why many adults didn’t realize they had it until adulthood.

A common way adults discover they have ADHD is that their school-aged child is diagnosed with ADHD. The parent then realizes that the ADHD characteristics that their child is presenting with are also characteristics that they also have . This leads them get an official diagnosis too.

Another group of adults realize that they experience challenges in life and they feel different from everyone else. After doing some research, stumbling across an article or hearing a snippet on the news about ADHD symptoms they will promptly get a diagnosis.

Reactions to discovering you have ADHD vary dramatically, but usually fall into 2 groups. Some adults feel very relieved finally they understand why they are the way they are.Others feel angry that it took them so many years of struggling with life before they realized what it was it. Usually whatever the initial reaction, everyone wants the same thing  which is to learn how they can live their best life.

Some adults have known since childhood that they have ADHD. However what they are now experience are different challenges. Learning skills on how to do well in school, are now replaced with the need to learn how to do well in a work environment, manage a household and take care of finances etc.

While there is often much negative thinking around Adult ADHD, there are also many wonderful gifts too. Once some of the negative aspects are managed ( which can do done with or without medication) then your wonderful gifts can shine through. This blog is a great place to learn about Adult ADHD as well as how to mange it and lead and full, rich and joyful life.

The official  definition of ADHD is described as a “Disruptive Behavior Disorder” where high levels of inattention, hyperactivity or a combination are constantly present in an individual.  Adult ADHD symptoms are different to that of a  child with ADHD. However please don’t be scared, the official term sounds MUCH worse than reality.

Here are 5 key ADHD symptoms that adults with ADHD experience:

1. Inability to Concentrate.

Lack of concentration has many implications. For example, losing track of conversations can mean important information is missed. Distractedness has implications at work and study. As well as missing information, you can experience resistance to things that need a deep level of concentration. This trait can cause tension in relationships as people can misinterpret it as lack of interest.

2. Lack of organization

Problems in planning tasks, personal organization and time management can result in labels being given such as “lazy” or “lacking in self-discipline” and “disorganized”. Often arriving late, hurried and ill-prepared, over committing and leaving tasks unfinished, the sufferer may feel unorganized and overwhelmed with resulting low self-esteem. ADHD adults find it hard to set up and stay with a routine.

3. Poor memory and Forgetfulness.

Memory and forgetfulness  can result in important possessions, such as passports, wallets and purses, laptops and palm pilots being lost or misplaced. Attending meetings, appointments and lectures punctually can be a real problem; sometimes they can be forgotten altogether.

4. Confusion and trouble thinking clearly

Adults with ADHD find it hard to perform up to their intellectual capability. There are difficulties with intense learning situations such as lectures and in-depth reading. There can be errors in spelling and math. Because of the tendency to become side-tracked, information can go unseen, resulting in mistakes at work. Often it can be difficult to maintain a job.

5. Depression and low self esteem.

Because the world is set up for people without ADHD, life can be challenging, and depression, anxiety and low self-esteem are often features in a person with ADHD.

As you are reading this list of ADHD symptoms please don’t feel depressed. There are many ways to manage your symptoms and lead a rich and wonderful life and this blog has lots of great ways to do this.

What simple tool do both business coach and ADHD coach recommend to get projects completed?

In a recent conversation with my good friend and expert business coach Marcia Hoeck, we realized that we both use the same tool to help our clients to take action and complete projects. Can you guess what that is? Write lists! In the 21st century it’s hard to believe that something so simple can really be that effective, but it is.

Adults with ADHD find starting and carrying out projects from start to finish challenging. Often, the very thought of starting on a big project is very daunting and anxiety provoking, so it never gets started. A simple way to stop the procrastination and overwhelm is to write a list of all the steps.  Take a simple piece of paper and pen and write down all the steps that you can think of.

For example if you wanted to write a book, your list might look something like this:
1)      decide on a topic for the book.
2)      brain storm content ideas
3)      organize information into chapters
etc…

You might not know all of the steps at the start of the project, but once you start working on the tasks new information appears and the additional steps become more clear. If one of the steps on your list still feels daunting, then that is a sign that the step can be broken down further still.

When you have your list, you can type it up on your computer, stick it on the wall, or another safe place where you won’t lose it and then start on the first step. Once you have completed the first step you will feel so good and that ‘feel good factor’ will propel you forward to take action on the next step.

Because so many people with ADHD are entrepreneurs, Marica Hoeck and I have a website dedicated to this topic. Check it out at http://www.workingwithadhd.com/

Goal setting is a wonderful tool for adults with ADHD as this keeps you focused on what is important in your life.

Without goals your natural default position is to be fighting fires every day and you lose control of your time. Here are the top ten reasons to set goals when you have ADHD

If you would like to listen to this week’s article, click here.

When you have ADHD, one of the worst tasks imaginable is… housework. Not only is it boring and mundane, it also provides ample opportunity for procrastination and distraction to take place. What could be a two-hour cleaning spree could take all day. However, even though housework, such as cleaning and tidying, taking the trash out, etc. is not a pleasant prospect, it does need to be done, both from a health and safety standpoint, and for your mental and emotional well-being. You feel much better when you have a clean and tidy house. So how can you make it more interesting and even fun? Below is a winning formula!!!

1. Get a piece of paper and a pen and write down every room that needs attention. For example:
   • Bedroom
   • Bathroom
   • Kitchen
   • Living Room

   You don’t need to write down what you need to do in each room as that will be obvious once you are there.

   By each room on your list, write down the number 10. (This stands for ten minutes.)

2. Now go to the first room on the list, set your timer for 10 minutes and blitz. Do what needs to be done. It could be changing the linens on the bed, putting clothes away, vacuuming, etc. Start and then keep moving until the timer rings and the 10 minutes is up. A golden rule is don’t leave the room you are working in (even for a second) during those 10 minutes. If you find an item that belongs in another room, put it by the door to be moved when the 10 minutes is up. This keeps your mind focused on the tasks in hand and minimizes the risk of distraction.
3. When the timer goes off, stop what you are doing, even if you are in the middle of a task. This might be hard because our mind craves completion. However, it’s because you DO stop and move from room to room that you remain motivated and energized. This is why this technique works so well. When the timer goes off, put a line through the 10 for the room you have just finished and then move to the second room.
4. Do the same for each room on the list. This technique is so powerful that it keeps you on your toes. 10 minutes does not allow you to get bored. It creates a sort of race between you and the timer and keeps you motivated to keep going and not procrastinate.
5. When you have finished all the rooms on your list (maximum 5 rooms), have a mini break. Drink some water and then start again at the beginning of your list and spend another 10 minutes in each room. By then you should have 5 clean and shiny rooms.

When you have finished, sit down for a rest and a cup of tea and flip through a magazine as a treat… you earned it!!!