ADHD and Change: Having The Right Mindset

When people learn how to fly they do not start by climbing into the cockpit of a plane and taking off with an instructor by their side.

Can you imagine learning how to fly this way? No, of course not, because not only is it dangerous, but it is not an effective way to learn. Instead, they start with a ground training course.

When you are an adult with ADHD and are ready to move forward how do you learn to make changes in your life? You may want to learn how to:

• be more productive at work, school or home.
• create a more profitable business.
• develop better relationships.
• learn how to communicate better.
• other

You likely do not have the opportunity to start with a ground training course, though.

Making Changes Mid-Air

Instead, you need to continue to fulfill your responsibilities while learning new habits, strategies and skills.

You probably can’t take time out or even slow down the pace of your work, school or home life while you are learning how to do things differently. You need to make these changes while “flying mid-air.”

While learning by doing is an excellent way to learn, it can also be frustrating and overwhelming because you have so many other tasks on your plate already.

Acknowledging the Challenges

So, how can you make learning “mid-air ” easier?

One way is to acknowledge the challenges of creating change and planning how you will address those challenges.

• Learning new habits and unlearning old habits takes time. In order to sustain your efforts when it seems like it is not happening fast enough you will need to be patient with yourself.
• And occasionally you are going to go down the wrong road as you experiment with various changes. When you “fail”  (and you will) you will need to be willing to get up and try again.
• You may have been used to using sheer willpower to succeed in the past, and may not be accustomed to accepting help. Accepting support from family, friends and professionals may be a part of what you need now.
• As you attempt to makes changes you may also need the “buy-in” of your family and friends. So, a willingness to be open with them and have the necessary conversations is important.

Yes, change comes with its challenges, but there are ways to deal with them as they come up.

Still Needing To Triage

And sometimes you will fall back on old habits while you are trying to learn new habits.

You will put off starting that “mission critical report” until the last minute. Then cancel meetings on the day it is due so that you can finish it. And, yes, you may have stayed up until 3:00 am watching TV even though you have to be at work at 8:00.

It will feel like groundhog’s day…

It will happen. And you may wonder how you will ever move forward. How will you respond?

Hopefully, you will still believe that you can succeed; in those moments when you fall back on old habits you will chalk it up to the nature of change. You will recognize that change is not linear. You will go forward, fall back a step and even plateau at times.

ADDed Perspectives Bottom Line

But, as you discover what does not work for you, you will be closer to figuring out what does work for you.

And in time it will get better and you will move forward.

If you would like to explore how I can help you, please get in touch.