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When you have ADHD, it is easy to forget that your ADHD is just one aspect of you. You spend so much mental energy thinking about how to manage your unwanted ADHD traits, you can forget that you are a whole person made up of many parts. We have lots of incredible body parts: eyes, ears, skeleton, etc. Each of which is nothing short of a miracle. All we have to do, once in awhile, is to get a check-up, so that our body can continue working miracles every day.

Once a year, it’s good to have a health blitz and take care of any health concerns that have been bothering you, as well as routine health appointments that might have been forgotten.

This time of year is perfect to do your health blitz, as the weather is mild and sunny, making hopping around town to various doctors’ offices quite pleasant. It’s not nearly as enjoyable when it’s cold and snowy outside.

There are six steps for your health blitz:

1a. From head to toe, write down which of these doctors you need to visit. It’s recommended that you visit each one at least once a year and the dentist twice a year.

• Optician
• Dentist
• Gynecologist
• General doctor (for an annual check-up)

1b. You might have special health needs, so if you do, add these doctors to your list. For example, a podiatrist for your feet, a dermatologist if you have any worries about moles, etc.

1c. Your list might include alternative practitioners, such as a chiropractor or acupuncturist.
If you haven’t been for a long time, don’t feel guilty or ashamed. It’s better to visit now and address the problem head-on than to feel bad every time the thought enters your mind.

2. Now you have a list of the doctors and practitioners to visit. If you have a doctor who you like, then write their telephone number on your list. If you have a doctor that you don’t enjoy visiting, whether it’s because the receptionist is rude or the doctor’s style doesn’t resonate with you, it’s time to find a new one.

The best way to find a new professional is to ask people in your life who they visit and can recommend. If you have one professional you enjoy working with, ask them to recommend someone in the field you are looking for.

3. Once you have got the numbers of everyone you need to see, sit down with a cup of tea and pick up the phone. Think beforehand what the best time of day is for you. You might like to go straight after work or at lunch time.
It’s probably not a good idea to see everyone in a week – you will be worn out! However, you could make a personal goal to see one doctor a week until you have seen everyone.

4. Once you have your appointments scheduled, start to jot down the questions you want to ask each doctor. This is so you don’t have to rely on your memory when you are face-to-face with your doctor.

5. Take something fun to do in the waiting room. It could be a gossip magazine to read or a Sudoku puzzle, whatever is fun for you. Waiting times can be long, so have something interesting and compelling to take the edge off any boredom.

6. Once you have seen everyone you will feel so good. There might be a few follow-ups that you need to go to, for example if you need new glasses. However, generally you will find you are in tip-top condition and all set for another year!!!

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!!!

Kitty is really enjoying her new home. The thing she likes best is going outside and having the freedom to roam. Being the smart cat that she is, she has me believe she doesn’t actually roam very far (as an overprotective cat mom this pleases me greatly). She stays on the deck, goes under a big fir tree and hangs out in the flower bed.

However… the cat is out of the bag (pardon the pun) as, whenever I run into my new neighbours they inform me of all the places they have seen her. For example, the lady six houses down with the beautiful golden lab tells me Kitty likes relaxing on her deck, and the lady with the huge lawn watches Kitty chase birds in her garden. Today though, I found out about the most surprising and cheeky behavior. Next door to me lives the “black belt” in the cat community… Blue. He is a similar size to Kitty, same grey colour, but he is short-haired. He is REALLY tough. I know this because he goes out even in the most freezing cold weather, the sort that has Kitty running from after merely sniffing the air. He bears war wounds on his face from previous battles, and no living being is too large for him to take on, including me. He regularly hisses at me when I walk out on my deck.

But today, Blue’s owner told me that Kitty likes to go into her house and eat Blue’s food. Kitty has no shame, or fear! It seems the highly expensive prescribed food that the vet wants her to eat for her health just isn’t cutting it with Kitty’s taste buds. She is willing to risk… who knows what… in order to get some tasty “normal” cat food. I am off to the vets in a second.

When we turn the page on our calendars to June, I feel summer has definitely arrived! I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t enjoy summer. The long sunny days and the opportunity to do things that are only possible in the warmer weather means it’s a happy and fun session.

Yesterday, I played my first tennis game and even in Montreal’s unpredictable weather, it’s now safe to plant summer flowers without Mr. Frost coming for a visit. When I am at home, I can leave the door open for Kitty to run in and out of the house so she can participate in her favorite summer activity… watching birds.

My cat, Kitty, arrived safely home from the vets after spending a whole week there following emergency surgery. When she returned home, she was so incredibly happy to be back. I watched her as she went into every room, sniffing furniture and checking that everything was as she left it. Then she jumped onto my bed (which she also considers her bed) and she slept for two days… a sure sign she was experiencing sheer joy and relief to be back in her familiar and safe environment!

The photo is of Kitty with her “accessory”… a cone collar to stop her from eating her stitches.

After less than 2 months on a wheat free diet Kitty is like a kitten again. She is jumping (yes her jump came back!) and running around for no apparent reason besides the sheer fun of it. Every time I open a cupboard or fridge door, she appears, as if by magic. She pokes her head into the new space to check nothing exciting is going on in there since she last did her inspection.

While she has lost a small amount of weight, it has clearly made a huge difference in Kitty’s enjoyment in life and her energy levels.

Kitty News… unfortunately she has been under the weather again (she has lost her ability to jump) so I made an appointment for her at the vets.  With the possible diagnoses looking very gloomy…  a tumour, arthritis, and some other weird hip disorder that would mean being referred to an orthopaedic vet (yes really) I did what any loving Cat Mum does and order every available test. Poor Kitty had blood work, an upsetting exam and an x-ray that involved a general anaesthetic.
The verdict, while very reassuring, was one that a causal lay person, such as you or I could have made…she is over weight and has to lose 3lbs.
Poor Kitty, and poor me, how on earth am I going to get her to lose a quarter of her body weight, when she would rather watch toy mice fly over head than chase them, and has been on diet food for the last 2 years with no effect. Hmmm, I am going to start the research process.