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Have you noticed how powerful a naysayer can be?
They are the people who see the glass half empty, say negative and mean things about what you are doing. It’s almost as if they know when you are feeling happy, doing something fun, healthy or good for yourself, then they pull out all the stops to bring you down.
Naysayers come in different forms. Sometimes they are people who are close to you, other times, they might be an acquaintance on Facebook or a person you don’t know personally like a journalist or author.
One thing they have in common is that they can burst your bubble and get you to question what you are doing. Or worse, stop you in your tracks completely.
Remember the ALS Ice bucket challenge? Millions of people embraced it and poured icy buckets of water over themselves to raise awareness and funds for the ALS charity.
However, naysayers said:
- it’s a waste of water
- people were spending more money on the bags of ice than the donation they are making
- people are donating money to ALS, so there will be less money going to other charities
- people are behaving like sheep and all following each other
Whether you agree with the ice bucket challenge or not, a lot more people know about ALS than they did before the ice bucket challenge and millions of dollars were raised.
ADHD Naysayers
Naysayers have something to say about everything; including ADHD and this can have an impact on how you go about treating your ADHD.
First, they might not believe that ADHD is real.
Or they argue that the things that help ADHD don’t work.
A year or so ago, there were a couple of research reports that said that there were no benefits to taking Omega 3 supplements. That an individual who took these supplements were just paying for expensive urine. People started to pay more attention to those reports rather than all the other research that had found very positive effects of Omega 3, including improving memory and concentration.
It is sad because Omega 3 can be one of the easiest ways to see a big improvement in your ADHD. Clients know when they have forgotten to take their Omega 3’s for a few days because they don’t feel as good.
Another example is having a gluten-free diet. There are 1000s of people who have jumped in to say that, unless you have celiac disease, gluten-free diets are just the latest fad. Yet, I have seen a huge difference with my clients when they cut gluten from their diet. Not everyone, but a large enough majority to make me think it’s more than a fluke. The benefits include brains feeling sharper, being better able to focus; be less hyperactive, and achieving a sense of calm to having zero brain fog.
The problem is that we tend pay more attention to 1 naysayer than 100 positive reports.
A few years ago, I got into a great habit of drinking 3 liters of water a day (when you are dehydrated, it’s harder to focus). Then, I read (in a book about a completely different topic) about how silly it is that people carry water bottles with them at all times like they were in the desert. Having read that, was enough to knock me off all my good water drinking habits for almost a year. That was crazy and annoying! I had whole books about the benefits of water; yet that one comment threw out my good habit, and it took a long time to get back into my water drinking groove.
However, it taught me a valuable lesson: be aware of naysayers!
In fact, guard yourself against them and don’t listen to them!
If you are doing something that works for you and helping your ADHD, keep doing it! If something intrigues you, give it a go. If you like it, keep doing it. No matter what it is!
There are always going to be people who think it’s a silly idea, or have strong opinions that they don’t keep to themselves. However, the only thing that you need to listen to is your body. It’s the most powerful compass you have to guide you to do what is best for you. You will be healthy and so much happier if you listen to it!
What has been your experience of Naysayers? leave me a note in the comments section!
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Wow, some good information, Jacqui — so true about the Naysayers! This article brings awareness in facing this challenge in order to mentally prepare ourselves in dealing with it. So you just gave me a renewed effort to give it another try on changing my diet. I’d listened to Dr. Amen (Amen Clinics) awhile back and was so excited to eliminate the gluten and guess who told me it doesn’t work? My therapist! Also, a very close friend of mine thought ADD was not real, although I believe I convinced her after saying I could’ve wrote the book on Driven to Distraction. Thanks again for another great article!
Funny. George Carlin said the same thing about water and I stopped carrying it around.
My biggest problem has been that most people have no real ideal of ADHD and everything that goes with it.like you have said they don’t believe it’s real.its all in your mind they say.i have lived with it all my life and knew at a young age I was different naysayers do bring me down to the point I feel like giving up.they even have me more depressed than I already get.but I have learned that in a couple of days I can rise above it and get on with what I need to .its always been harder for me but I seem to be doing pretty good against all odds.
I LOVE this article. This effect, the “naysayers effect” we should call it, is enough to make my clients spend months and years, as you describe, resisting dietary change. I know I’m not immune either, if I got really honest, I could fill a page with how often I’ve been swayed. And I’m not that sway-able! This is why I often role play with my clients. You be that potentially mean person who doesn’t believe food allergies/sensitivities exist and I’ll be you. You have to have a strategy. I’ll be sending lots of people to this article. AWESOME!
Wow! This is just what I needed to hear! I have been eating paleo for almost 18 months now and the change it has made with my depression, my add and my overall health is staggering. I’ve narrowed down to gluten as being the worst culprit when it comes to my mental health. I can honestly say that when I stay 100% gluten free I feel as controlled as when I was on Ritalin. Yet, it took me awhile and several trials to really become strong in my conviction that I need to be 100% gluten free. There are SOOOO many naysayers out there regarding this! I think part of the reason is that most of us don’t personally know someone who has changed their mental health dramatically through diet alone. I hope somehow I can be a part of changing that. Thanks for spreading the news and I will do the same. 🙂
This is awesome news Mrs Ogg! Thanks so much for letting us know about your positive experience with the paleo and gluten free diet! awesome! I love what you said about you narrowing it down to gluten being the worst culprit. It so important to listen to our own body, because we are all so different.
Did you see the article about ADHD and Gluten? https://untappedbrilliance.com/adhd-and-gluten
Keep on spreading the news!!!
hugs
Jacqueline
I totally agree MRSOGG.
I went through a rough patch with my health in my early twenties and was dealing with endometriosis as well as the start of Hashimoto’s and also what I now know to be undiagnosed ADHD. It was a rough journey of medical intervention and surgery but eventually I decided to listen to my body and do my own research. As a result I went gluten free in my early 30’s and added in a variety of supplements and herbs. My thyroid issues finally started to settle down a bit but I was having wicked blood sugar swings and my ADHD symptoms seemed to be worse. I was trying to be a vegan as well at the time for environmental and ethcial reasons and wondered if maybe this was not a good idea for me. So I tried a paleo esque diet and all I can say is WOW! My thyroid is nice and calm most of the time and my brain is loving the extra fats and protein I am getting from eating meats that are as ethically raised as I can afford. I get resistance from people saying that I am making it all up and that this is better or that is better but I know my body and my mind and why would I do something that would make me feel bad just to make someone else’s life easier. Sometimes I do allow small things to go through (like cheese in a casserole or whatever) because I do not want it to be a big deal. I try not to make it a big deal by offering to bring things to share that I know I can eat but it is tough sometimes. We all need to assert ourselves kindly so that it gives others permission to do the same.