ADD – ADHD: You Don’t Have Follow The Rules!

I am not much of a “rule follower,” as many of my close friends and family members can confirm. The other day, my daughter and I were having a conversation about whether it is good to do your own thing and not be a follower. In the course of our conversation, she told me that she thought that I just did my own thing most of the time.

As I thought about this, I decided that she was only partially right. What she has not gleaned from watching me is that sometimes I will decide to take a particular action based on my understanding of the possible consequences, as my well the “rightness” or “wrongness” of the rule.

I always encourage my clients to carefully examine the possible ramifications of their choices when it comes to following the “rules of the road,” such as social, legal, academic, and work place systems. I do not want them to blindly follow a rule, nor would I encourage them to “throw caution to the wind” without thinking about the consequences.

To be sure, this can be challenging when a person with ADD has impulsive tendencies. So, it is important to have systems in place so that you can be more intentional when making choices about your actions, and not act in the “heat of the moment.” As an example, if you are upset with a colleague and know that you might say something that will have “unfortunate consequences,” you may create a habit of waiting a day so that you are able to make the best choice for yourself.

You may still decide not to follow the rules, but, hopefully, it is a well thought out decision.