(originally published May 2, 1013, Updated July 17, 2020) I know, as an adult with ADHD, you are all too familiar with what it feels like to be overwhelmed. ADHD overwhelm can seem like an ever-present companion, one you’d like to take a break from, right? But maybe you’re not sure how to do this — reduce these feelings. So, you continue to ride the waves until they inevitably come crashing down on you. And… Continue reading…
3 Ways You Can Use Planning to Prevent ADHD Overwhelm
You know planning is a good thing. But, if you’re like most adults with ADHD, when you think of planning the first thing that comes to mind might be, “Yeah, I know I should do more. But I don’t. It’s too hard.” You might also think of the adage, “If you fail to plan you are planning to fail.” And I imagine the combination of these thoughts doesn’t motivate you to want to learn how… Continue reading…
6 Ways To Reduce Overwhelm By Adding Buffer Time To Your Day
For Adults with ADHD it can feel like many days consist of putting out one fire after the next. If this is true for you, maybe you have been operating this way for a long time. So, you don’t know there is another way. But there is a way to reduce your ADHD stress. A key strategy is implementing more buffers in your day — time you need to slow down, think, center yourself and… Continue reading…
This Is the Key ADHD Adults Need to Adopt Habits Faster
Like my clients who I have worked with this past week, you may also want to… exercise regularly. get your deliverables in on time. spend quality time with family and friends. communicate clearly and in a timely manner. get enough sleep. run productive meetings. and more… Of course, these and other short term goals are likely part of a larger picture. For you that larger picture may entail growing your business, creating more… Continue reading…
ADHD & the 4 Strategies You Can Use Now to Reduce Your Stress
It’s just too much. You have too much to do – too many people making demands, too many decisions to make, too many commitments to keep. And they may conflict with one another! You are stressed to the max. Everyone becomes overwhelmed on occasion, of course. But, in addition… your brain wiring and ADHD symptoms contributes to your overwhelm. Check out ADHD and Five Steps to Countering Overwhelm for more on this. and your stress… Continue reading…
ADHD and Knowing Your Next Action Step
In my last post, I suggested using David Allen’s Six Level Model as a starting point for answering the question, “What work should I do?” And, if you’ve used this model before, you may have had an easier time answering the questions at the higher levels than at the 10,000 foot and runway levels. This should be no surprise. As an adult with ADHD creating a “big vision” typically comes easier than making more… Continue reading…
4 Ways to Make Decisions When You Are Stuck
Imagine you need to make a decision about buying a car. So, you start mulling it over. I should buy a Rav 4. No, the Subaru Forester has better safety rating. But the Rav 4 has a third row. Maybe I should look at the CRV. You know, they are all gas eaters. I need to really look at a hybrid, like the Prius. But it is really not going to have enough room… Continue reading…
ADHD and Limiting Beliefs – How to Counter Them
We all have beliefs about how things should be. And after a while we come to believe that is just the way life is. What is most problematic is when we act based on beliefs that limit us from reaching our goals. I know from my own personal experience and work over the years with clients that, if left unchecked, there are certain beliefs that can hold adults with ADHD back from successfully reaching their… Continue reading…
ADHD and Finding Solutions to Problems
When faced with a problem, it is all too easy to focus on what is wrong. After all it is a problem! And for many adults with ADHD focusing on the problem may lead to endless non-productive ruminating. Can you think of an example in your own life when a problem seemingly hijacked your brain? You may even have tried distracting yourself with a productive activity, like a project, or a non-productive activity, like watching… Continue reading…
The Power of Putting On The Brakes
I know it when I feel it. It usually begins with this odd ringing noise in my head. If it continues, it might build into this energy in my body that makes me feel like I might combust at any moment! When I get this feeling now, I recognize that I am entering the territory of overwhelm; a territory that many with ADHD visit with some regularity. In the past, I might have spent a… Continue reading…