I have had prospects and new clients say to me that they wish they had known about ADD Coaching sooner.
When I heard this again, recently, I began thinking about the usefulness of mirrors.
Of course, in the most literal sense, most of us are glad that we have them to save us from the embarrassment of going out in public with spinach still in our teeth or toothpaste on the corner of our mouth.
But for many with ADHD, having different types of “mirrors” also provides us with the tools we need to manage our challenges
Getting the Feedback You Need
For example, it is not always easy to figure out what is going on when you procrastinate. Are you resisting doing an activity because:
- you do not like it?
- it is not important to you?
- you are lacking an important skill to be able to accomplish it?
- you need more accountability and support?
How about impulsivity, a common challenge for some with ADHD? If this is your challenge, is it just your unique ADHD brain wiring or is there something else going on that is contributing to your impulsivity?
We know that distractibility is one of the hallmark symptoms of ADHD. How do you counter this in different situations?
How about how you perceive various situations? We all have our blind spots. How do you spot yours?
In all of the above examples, having an objective outsider, a mirror, can help us to form a full and accurate picture. This is important because, if we don’t have an accurate picture, we can’t come up with the solution that will work best for us.
Who is your mirror?
The Time Warp
Sometimes there are DIY ways to obtain an accurate picture.
You may struggle with time management. Time is elusive for you; you know there is now and not now.
Part of your challenge may lie in your ability to estimate time. You can build this muscle over time by getting a picture of how long it takes you to accomplish your current tasks.
Try this.
- Choose an area that is challenging for you, like writing a report or preparing for meeting.
- Break the task into “chunks.”
- Make an educated guess at the maximum amount of time each chunk may take you.
- Set aside that amount of time to do each part.
- Log the actual time it takes you.
- Repeat Step 5 a few times until you feel you have an accurate estimate.
Medication Log
Another example of a DIY solution is a Medication Log.
When you start taking medication, you may not know if it is working quite right. Try keeping a medication log so that you can see the impact of your medication.
Having an a accurate picture will also help you to work with your prescribing practitioner in figuring out the right medication and timing of when to take it.
ADDed Perspectives Bottom Line
If you feel like you are looking in a funny mirror when it comes to your ADHD symptoms, try getting accurate feedback before jumping to a solution.
Sometimes we can collect the information ourselves, like with time logs or medication logs. Other times it helpful to have an outside observer to help us complete the picture when we can’t quite see it from our vantage point.