Practical Advice for Proactive Adults with ADHD
The definition of transition is a “Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another”.
Adults with ADHD can find transitions difficult, as it requires a large amount of energy and effort to disengage from one activity and move attention to the next. Changing gears like this and shifting focus can leave you feeling irritated, fatigued or scattered.
Transitions happen every day and come in a range of sizes. [Read more…]
There is a behaviour among ADHDers that I haven’t heard being talked about much, but it’s actually quite wide spread. In fact, it’s so common that I have given it a name: Hibernation.
When things get stressful, ADDers retreat from life and…hibernate. They withdraw into the safety of their homes and don’t answer the phone, respond to emails or engage in any productive activities. They might do activities that calm them and block out reality, like lie on the sofa and watch back-to-back movies, hyper-focus on video games, read mindless novels, etc. This time isn’t pleasant though, because there is a huge amount of anxiety, fear and shame about the issues being avoided. [Read more…]
Does this sound familiar? You come home from a great trip, drop your bags down and then go and relax on the sofa. Or maybe you pet your cat, or take a shower or have a snack. You might do a variety of things, but I bet you don’t unpack your suitcase!
Your suitcan sit innocently for days, or weeks, exactly where you put it when you first got home.
Over the next few days and weeks, when you need something from your case, you lift the lid and take that one item out. Your toiletries on one day, your favorite jeans the next day. Until finally, the belongings that are left aren’t things you use regularly. Which means your suitcase stays untouched for weeks.
Having a half-unpacked suitcase isn’t the end of the world. However, it doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. Here is a quick checklist to help you unpack in record-breaking time.
Can you have ADD and ADHD?
Great question! The answer is yes…and no.
Let’s start with,
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…]
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…]
When you have ADHD, one of the worst tasks imaginable is… housework. It is boring and mundane, 2 things that people with ADHD hate the most. When you don’t enjoy something there is lots of potential for procrastination and distraction, and a two hour job can drag on all day.
Theoretically housework is not difficult; people without ADHD seem to be able to do it effortlessly, which only makes you feel worse! Now in addition to the piles of dishes and clothes, there is also guilt and shame too.
ADHD characteristics do make housework hard, but not impossible. Here is a winning ADHD friendly formula that makes housework interesting and even fun. [Read more…]
The summer I was 18 years old, me and my friend Claire got a job at the local soap factory. The factory hired students every summer to help them prepare their Christmas orders. Our job was to stand at the end of a conveyor belt and put trays containing an assortment of soaps into gift boxes, one tray per box.
As part of the interview process we had been given a dexterity test to check that we could move our hands quickly. However, that first day, while our head and hands were getting use to this new task, our hands didn’t seem to be moving fast enough.
I remember feeling really overwhelmed every time I looked down the conveyor belt. As far as the eye could see there were gray trays filled with pretty soaps heading towards us. We had to keep moving fast otherwise there would be a log jam.
[Read more…]
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is never pleasant, but when you have ADHD, it can strike louder and harder. During the first half of your cycle, you probably feel ‘normal’, clear headed and productive. Then, as your period gets closer, you begin to feel like Mr. Hyde.
Beside the regular physical symptoms of PMS such as:
Acne
Changes in sleep patterns
Dizziness
Fluid retention
Headaches
Hot flashes
Nausea
Zero energy
Your ADHD symptoms can get much worse, and you can find it difficult to: [Read more…]
Waking up at a particular time can be very difficult when you have ADHD and it can cause huge problems, such as being late for work, flights, interviews or lectures.
If you have difficulty waking up, don’t just see it as a morning problem; instead, look your sleep habits as a whole. Everything is connected and if you can’t wake up, it could be because:
[Read more…]
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