Blog

  • When Planning Is Overrated for Adults with ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    I’m not going to tell you planning is not important. After all, I help people both plan and learn the skills needed to plan. But too much planning can definitely get in your way, and sometimes it makes sense to just start. Now you are wondering, “When is planning too much? When should I plan and when is it better to just dig in?” Of course, there are no hard and fast answers. But the suggestions below can help guide you. Too Many Little Tasks There are times when you have a long list of small tasks such as calls, emails, errands, etc. They aren’t urgent, yet. So, they keep going to the bottom of the list because you have other, more important, things to…

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    ADHD & the 4 Strategies You Can Use Now to Reduce Your Stress

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

    It’s just too much. You have too much to do – too many people making demands, too many decisions to make, too many commitments to keep. And they may conflict with one another! You are stressed to the max. Everyone becomes overwhelmed on occasion, of course. But, in addition… your brain wiring and ADHD symptoms contributes to your overwhelm. Check out ADHD and Five Steps to Countering Overwhelm for more on this. and your stress exacerbates your ADHD Symptoms. Think about how your ability to focus, attend and regulate your emotions are compromised when you are overwhelmed. Because of your ADHD you may experience stress more acutely and more often than other people. So, if you want to create an effective solution to address your…

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    ADHD and How to Use the Right Tools for a Super Human Memory

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

     As an adult with ADHD you likely experience some sort of short and long term memory challenges. So, you may find yourself at times saying: Your brain is great for thinking and creating. But it is not what you want to rely on for remembering anything you need to recall at a specific time and place. The great news is that with the right combination of tools you can rely much less on your memory. Remembering the Hard Landscape of Your Life Yes, I know. You have been using a calendar for a long time. But you still may be making some common mistakes that get in the way of using it as efficiently as possible. You need to be able to trust that your…

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    ADHD and Avoiding Negative Thinking Traps – Part 2

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

      If you already read Part 1, you learned about 3 different types of faulty thinking and different ways your ADHD may be related to these thought patterns. In this continuation of the series we’ll look at the hypothetical case of Amir’s negative thinking traps, as well as methods he can use to address his faulty thinking. As you read about Amir, consider whether you have similar thought patterns. And hopefully, as you become curious about how your thinking about events and situations in your own life can lead you down one path or another, you will choose to manage these thoughts with one or more the suggestions below. Check out Amir’s thinking, first. Overgeneralizing When you overgeneralize you decide one bad event or situation…

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    ADHD and Avoiding Negative Thinking Traps – Part 1

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

      What comes up for you when you hear the following common phrase, “don’t believe everything you think?” It is probably something along the lines of, “Yep, heard it before. Got it. Everything I think is not necessarily true.” But have you thought about the specific implications in your life of holding on to faulty thinking? As you read below, consider whether your negative thinking: Once you understand the ways you engage in faulty thinking, you can choose to work on changing the way you think, and be free of its grips. So, you don’t stay stuck! Cognitive Distortions and ADHD True, while the degree to which people engage in faulty thinking varies, everyone engages in this type of thinking at one time or another….

  • Named a Top ADHD Blog of the Year

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    Believe it or not writing doesn’t come easy for me… At the same time, I also really like writing about topics of interest to adults with ADHD because I am able to: think through and organize my thoughts about various topics contribute to the ADHD community provide concrete strategies to help adults with ADHD leverage their strengths and manage their challenges continually learn about the ever changing landscape of ADHD get better at writing Being recognized for my writing by being named a Top ADHD Blog is not only a great honor, but it is also a good motivator, especially for those time when my mojo is just not quite there. So, thank you Healthline!

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    5 Tips You Need So ADHD Coaching Works for You

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    If you decide to pursue ADHD Coaching as part of your holistic treatment plan for your ADHD, you can anticipate it will help you effectively manage your ADHD in many ways. Inevitably, though, you will also find it challenging at times to stick with it. At some point you might even question why you decided to do it! And you may even be tempted to quit coaching before you have reached your most intensive goals. These are common responses. After all making changes is not easy! It makes sense that you would have doubts in the course of your coaching journey. But, if you know in advance about the misgiving you might have along the way, you can be more prepared to address them in…

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    Conversations & ADHD Part 2: Is Your Anger In The Driver’s Seat?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

      In Conversations & ADHD Part 1: Do They Feel Like Battlefields?, I wrote about conversations that, while they may feel like they are full of conflict, may in fact just be exchanges of different ideas. But how about when there is genuine conflict between you and others? How do you maximize the chances of constructively engaging with them while: It is not easy for most people to stay engaged in a conversation while also trying to meet the above objectives when there is conflict. And for adults with ADHD, in part because of the reasons I outlined in Part 1, it can be especially hard. Do you want to “build your muscle” so you can better handle interactions where there is conflict? Anger Ahead…

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    Conversations & ADHD Part 1: Do They Feel Like Battlefields?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

    Can you think of a recent time when you were uncomfortable initiating a conversation or bringing up a subject because you thought there might be some sort disagreement? How did you feel and what did you do? For most people the answer is, “Well, sure, they are not my favorite kind of conversations, and sometimes I try to avoid them. But they are just part of life…” But for adults with ADHD the answer may be more along the lines of: “I try to avoid those at all costs because I just don’t handle conversations where there are a lot of disagreements very well. Sometimes I just don’t know what to say because the conversation seems like a game of ping-pong. And the ball just…

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    Adult ADHD and Money – Personal Finance Part 4

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

      In the previous posts in this series covering “Adult ADHD and Money – Personal Finance” I explored the topics of emotions, values and structures to manage your money. This last topic, spending, will likely garner the most interest because it is such a pervasive and insidious problem for many adults with ADHD. If you don’t have challenges with your spending, no need to read further. But, if you do, read on to explore some of the reasons your spending challenges may be related to your ADHD and the possible workarounds for those challenges. Get Organized “Out of sight out of mind” may be a familiar refrain for you, and may apply to your spending, as well as other aspects of your life. If you…