Blog

  • 3 Ways You Can Use Planning to Prevent ADHD Overwhelm

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    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 to do better. So, you may be alternating between too much planning and not enough right now. Because you’re just not sure how to do it any other way. The good news is there is a way to get out of this stuck place. Because it really is possible to…

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    Here Are the 4 Steps ADHD Adults Use to Deal with Boredom

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

      I’m sure as an adult with ADHD you’re all too familiar with the feeling of boredom. That restless feeling, sometimes intense, when you’re just not really engaged in something interesting. And, sure, everyone experiences boredom at times. But, as an adult with ADHD, your boredom can feel incredibly excruciating, maybe even intolerable. Of course, sometimes you feel bored because the activity is, well, boring. Make sense. But the feeling of boredom for adults with ADHD can be magnified. One of the reasons is the understimulation in the prefrontal cortex of your brain because of lack of sufficient neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine. It is common to think of lack of follow-through as a consequence of boredom. And, no doubt, the fallout from not closing the loop…

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    The 4 Reasons You Need Exercise to Treat Your ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    How often do you read or hear about the importance of exercise? A lot I bet. Just turn on the TV, surf the net or read a magazine. And you’ll see that “you just need to do it!” At least that’s what the Nike mentality of exercise would have you believe, right? Yet, all those messages about the benefits of exercise may not be working their magic. No surprise. After all, if you have a lot going on right now, it might be hard to fit in one more thing. Even if it’s “good for you.” And, even if you really want to exercise, it’s not going to cut it to tell an ADHD adult to “just do it.” Because, if it were that easy,…

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    Do You Know These 5 Secrets of Thriving ADHD Entrepreneurs?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, Blog

    I’ve worked with ADHD small business owners in a broad range of industries and business types from solo entrepreneurs to small businesses with multiple employees. And I’ve also run my own coaching practice for over 10 years. So, I get what it takes to run a business. In addition to my own successful business, I’ve also been fortunate to witness my clients thrive in their’s. So, I know firsthand that this is possible for adults with ADHD. Though, I also know, if you are struggling in your business now, you may question whether this is possible for you. I get it. As you read the suggestions below notice where you are already doing well. Of course, you should keep on doing this! Also, pay attention…

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    Do Adults with ADHD Really Not Care About Others?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

    Are adults with ADHD really selfish? You and your colleagues decide how to divide up a project and agree on the deadlines. As the first deadline is fast approaching you’re feeling the pressure. Yet, you still haven’t started on it. At the meeting to discuss the project you tell them you’re not going to be able to deliver on time. They’re clearly frustrated. You make plans with your friend to meet up for lunch. And it’s on your calendar. But you get so involved in a project at work you don’t stop on time. And you’re late getting to the restaurant, again. Your significant other starts telling you about what happened at work that day. She seems clearly distressed. But you interrupt her with a…

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    How to Take Charge of Your Sleep When You Have ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    Do you struggle with getting enough sleep? If you do, it’s not surprising. As not getting enough sleep is a common challenge for ADHD adults. Maybe you have problems falling asleep, not being able to wake up in the morning or waking up too early. Alternatively, you may have some other related sleep issue. Getting sufficient sleep is obviously an important factor in being healthy and functioning well in your daily life. Because you know when you are sleep deprived you may become more easily stressed and frustrated. And this affects your relationships, as well as your ability to do your important work. In addition, lack of sleep exacerbates your ADHD symptoms. This means your ability to regulate your emotions, focus and attend is even…

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    Here Is How You Can Easily Use Meditation to Treat Your ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

      Not sure meditation can work for ADHD adults? As an ADHD adult, I know you may think you can’t pay attention. But the real challenge for you is that you pay attention to everything. And this surplus of attention makes it hard to be intentional about where you focus your attention. So, you may have a hard time getting your important work done, right? You may also have challenges regulating your emotions. If you do, you may easily become angry, excited or sad, and feel these emotions more intensely than non-ADHD adults. This emotional dysregulation can also lead you to be impulsive. If regulating your emotions is one of your challenges, you’d really like to do better. I know. These, and other challenges related…

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    Tired of Working so Hard to Fix Your ADHD?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    You are probably reading this article because, yes, you would like to fix your adult ADHD. While managing your ADHD is a lifelong journey, creating the changes to make this possible can be easier. Maybe you’d like to be more productive, have better relationships, improve your finances. What kind of changes are you trying to make right now? Whatever change you are trying to make, I bet you have tried many different strategies. I’m also guessing your efforts have been met with varying degrees of success. Yet, while you know creating change is difficult, you may still get exceedingly frustrated when it doesn’t come easily. And, because of this frustration, maybe you give up easily on a strategy before giving it enough of a chance….

  • Overwhelmed by too Many Choices? Here are the Solutions for ADHD Adults

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

      Adults with ADHD are often overwhelmed by decision-making. But having lots of options is a good thing, right? After all, it allows you to get exactly what you want. At least that is what our modern consumer culture leads us to believe. More is better, right? But what about when you account for the time, energy and stress involved in choosing between so many options? Is more still better? Many adults with ADHD struggle when attempting to choose among an overwhelming number of options. And you can clearly see this in the quote below of a current client (reprinted with permission). I’m really struggling to make any decisions in almost any scenario. Like, choosing between 2 things, choosing to get rid of something. I…

  • The 6 Steps ADHD Adults Use to Solve Just About Any Problem

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

      Problem-solving is hard for ADHD adults. Not exactly rainbows and unicorns. I know. And you may be tempted to stop reading this article right now. But, if you want to become better at handling adversity, I hope you’ll hang in there with me a bit longer. I thought of writing this article while reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. Ordinarily, I would bypass a book with this title. Because, well, it’s probably not serious enough and worthy of my time. But, as is often true when I judge a book by its cover and jump to conclusions, I was wrong. And, as I was reading Manson’s book, I thought of the myriad of ways problem-solving is hard for…