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ADD – AD/HD: Trying Harder Can Be A Recipe for Trouble!

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Today is one of those days when trying harder just seems to make things worse. I spent most of the morning trying harder, to no avail. My laptop crashed this morning. I was really upset, as I imagine many of you might be, too. I wanted a quick fix, which was just not going to happen, of course. As I got more and more wound up, I realized what I needed to do. I needed to take a step back and think. When I took a step back, I realized that none of the issues involved in not having my laptop were insurmountable. I called the tech support. They promised to come soon, really. In the mean time I’ll do the best I can in…

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ADD Foibles: Oops, Did I Misread That?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Ok, just for the record, I do not really follow sports and am not much of a spectator, unless I’m watching my daughter. So, why I am reading Sports business daily? Good question, thanks for asking. I am interested in the human interest side of sports. You know, like following the exploits of A-Rod and Madonna… In this case, it was the reporting about Major League players and their use of stimulants for AD/HD, as reported in this article that caught my attention. And you know, it is hard to catch my attention… As I was preparing to write this blog, I realized that I had misread the article. So then I decided that I was going to use the article, anyway. There is nothing…

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“Laugh Therapy”: ADD – AD/HD

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

I love to laugh. People who know me can attest to the fact my laugh can be, well, loud. Laughing is healthy, as long as it isn’t done to avoid a serious issue or to demean someone else. It certainly is a great way to reduce stress. So, go ahead and laugh at yourself, humorous ideas and life’s absurdities, but, please, do not laugh at other people. Having ADD, I have many opportunities to laugh at myself, and I take full advantage of them. Here is part of a recent conversation between my daughter and me: G: What are we going to do on my day off from school? Marla: What day off? G: Tomorrow… Marla: Really, you don’t have school tomorrow? G: Remember… Marla:…

ADD, College and Success: Is There A Blueprint?
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ADD, College and Success: Is There A Blueprint?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

As the needs of each student are unique, it is impossible to offer a step by step plan. However, there are critical steps, which increase a student’s chance for success in college. As the architect of their future, college students with ADHD need to know themselves well (Field and Hoffman, 1994). How they come to know themselves is the focus of this article. The process starts with questions about their future. “What do I want my life to look like 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years from now? That is, what are my dreams? When I achieve my dreams how will my life look different from now?” Dreams are the foundation of this process of getting to know themselves, as they provide…

Does Your Life Feel Like A Trip to The Mall?
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Does Your Life Feel Like A Trip to The Mall?

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

When I walk into a mall, which I do not do very often, I almost immediately become overwhelmed. How do you respond when you are flooded by so many choices? Do you walk into every store, and buy whatever catches your eye? And then you get home and beat yourself up for spending too much money. But you do not know what to return, so you keep it all. Alternatively, do you feel incapable of making any choice? You may walk into every store in the mall. But besieged by so many choices, you don’t buy anything. This is my usual m.o.! Mega Mall of Life These two approaches to making decisions about commitments are common for many with ADHD.

Are You Trying To Defy The Law of Physics?!
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Are You Trying To Defy The Law of Physics?!

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

If you have been following my writing for a while, you know that I think quite a bit about values and their relationship to Adults with ADHD being able to reach their goals. One of my recent goals, admittedly short term, was to ensure that my daughter enjoyed her birthday. But, rather than actively planning, I thought about it and thought about it…until the day finally arrived. It was 5:00 am the day of her birthday, and I literally bounded out of my chair to go to the 24 hr store. In spite of the fact that I was inundated with work, I was able to pull off the morning celebration. What finally prompted me to get into motion? I reminded myself of the importance…

ADHD and The Two Key Steps To Creating The Change You Want
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ADHD and The Two Key Steps To Creating The Change You Want

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

As you are reading this you are thinking you should change. someone wants you to change. you want someone else to change because you think it will make your life better (and maybe theirs). you are getting ready to make changes so some aspect of your life is better. you are in the process of making changes, and wondering if you are doing it right. Perhaps, these changes are related to your ADHD. Change is something we think about all the time. Sometimes we act, and other times we just continue thinking… It is normal But When Are We Ready? I would like my eating habits to be better. I don’t consistently eat as well (read, nutritious meals) as I would like.  And, if the…

Are You Motivated? Answer These Questions To Find Out
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Are You Motivated? Answer These Questions To Find Out

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

 As I’ve written about in the past, both eating and exercising can be part of a holistic treatment plan for ADHD . Last week in my article, The Two Key Steps To Creating The Change You Want I shared with you a bit about my challenges with eating well. This is not the case with exercise, though. Over the last two years I have been able to consistently exercise. Though I have fallen off the wagon, of course, I have been able to resume within a short amount of time. I know that both are “good for me.” In both cases, I know the vital behaviors that that will give me the greatest leverage and allow me to persist. See last week’s article for more…

ADHD and Decision Making: Stopping The Fire Drills
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ADHD and Decision Making: Stopping The Fire Drills

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

Some rights reserved by Freakazoid! As adults with ADHD many of us think fast and have too many thoughts at once. So, it is no wonder that making decisions can feel overwhelming. Consequently, when we feel overwhelmed, we may delay making decisions. Some decisions may even remain on the back burner indefinitely because we do not have a strategy. Other times we are forced to make a decision at the last minute, compromising our ability to arrive at an optimal solution. True, the stimuli we get from having to complete tasks at the last minute may help us to get things done. This leads some of us to believe that we operate best this way. After all, we completed the paper, report, yard work, etc….

The Power of Putting On The Brakes
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The Power of Putting On The Brakes

ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

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 fair amount of time trying to get something done or, alternatively, trying to decide what that something should be. Usually, I just ended up wasting time. And the pressure just kept building – I could not think coherently. It took me a long time. But I have figured out that…