Blog

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    ADHD Is Not A Real Diagnosis?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

    My daughter had been through 6 hours of neurological testing over two days by a highly regarded neuropsychologist in the Boston area. When I read Lessons from Atticus: is “ADHD” a problem of not listening? written by a pediatrician, I was reminded of a remark my daughter’s former pediatrician made when I shared with him the report from the neuropsychologist indicating that she had ADHD. His response was, “She is too cute to have ADHD.” What I heard was, “ADHD is not real.” It has been almost 8 year since that appointment. Fast forward to recent years. As of late ADHD seems to have become a lightning rod for attacks from experts and non-experts alike. It is always distressing to me when I read opinions…

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    Are You An Adult With ADHD And Feeling Isolated?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

      Of course, feeling like you are the only one that ­­_________ (fill in the blank) can also leave you feeling misunderstood and alone. As an adult with ADHD you may sometimes feel this way about having ADHD. If you feel this way, you know when you are connected to others (friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances) who “get and accept you,” you just feel better, right? But have you thought about the importance of your connections in being able to reach your potential, your goals and, ultimately, your dreams? Are you connected to people the way you want? The Importance of Positive Connections We know a primary reason for maintaining positive connections is its importance to our overall well-being. We need family and friends to…

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    Willing To Give Up Comfort and Control To Manage Your ADHD?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    When my daughter recently asked if we could have a fish tank I eventually conceded because it seemed simple enough. I thought, “how hard could this be?” In my mind it would include a little water, a few fish and some flakes. Then voila! We would have pretty fish to look at. Right?! According to psychologist Noel Burch’s Four Stages of Learning model we all progress from incompetence to competence when learning a new skill. Like my experience with the fish tank, in learning to manage your ADHD you will also progress through these stages of learning. Unconscious Incompetence In the first stage, Unconscious Incompetence, “we don’t know what we don’t know.” Clearly, I was at this stage when I agreed to having a fish…

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    Increasing Follow-Through With ADHD – Dealing With Boredom

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

      I bet you’ve said to yourself plenty of times, “Why can’t I just finish this?!” I know it is particularly frustrating when it is something that is important to you, not just something you think you should do. Maybe you’ve created a plan with deadlines, no less. And there isn’t even a gremlin (inner critic) lurking about, getting in your way. But you still can’t make it to the finish line… You start. You stop. You start again. Maybe you just have a little bit more to go to finish – the last 10%. And then you might move on to something else. You may even forget about the task. When this happens you might be at a loss when trying to answer the…

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    Increasing Follow-Through With ADHD – Don’t Should Yourself

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

    Where are you not following through? In the first article of this series on follow-through I focused on “…Banishing Your Gremlin.” If you have not read this article, I would suggest going back to read it. And, if after reading that article, you are still scratching your head, wondering why you just don’t follow through, time to look further. Like many adults with ADHD, you may have many thoughts of tasks that you are not completing swirling about in your head. And, as they sit swirling, the thoughts and sense of urgency increase. What could be going on?! Should I  or Shouldn’t I? It may be time to look at your commitment to your decision. Take the case of Gayle, who decided to apply for…

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    Managing Your ADHD With The Right Tool

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    I am sure you have considered many different types of tools available to help you work with your ADHD. And you may have a difficult time deciding which of the many options to explore and eventually try and which to ignore or at least table. You may even find yourself attracted to the novelty of new technologies, new systems, new strategies… the next “shiny penny.”  As an adult with ADHD this may feed your need for stimulation, while also making the process of choosing the right tool from among the many options even more challenging. Yet coupled with the right strategy, the right tool can certainly help you. My intention in providing you this list is to help you think about how the various types…

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    Take These Three Steps to Reduce Your ADHD Symptoms

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

      I know you’ve heard before that you should… What if you also thought of these as a means to treat your ADHD and make things easier? Yes, easier. Would you want to invest more time and energy trying to improve in these areas? While medication can form the cornerstone of a treatment plan for ADHD, expanding your notion of what it means to treat your ADHD can open up the doors to include other options. Step through the threshold and see what is possible.. What Can Water Do For Your ADHD? Our brains are 85% water, and so depend on sufficient water to function well. More specific to ADHD, water facilitates the production of the neurotransmitters, specifically dopamine and norepinephrine, that are necessary for…

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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…

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    ADHD and The Power of… Pausing

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

      If you are an adult with ADHD, you probably have countless examples of times when you wish you were more intentional. Maybe you spoke or acted sooner than you would have liked – you were impulsive. Alternatively, your daily planning consisted of whatever came to mind. So, after the fact you end up thinking… For all of these instances and more I want to introduce you to the power of the pause. You will find many uses for it. Promise Managing Your Emotions Challenges managing your emotions, like anger, is one of the hallmark symptoms of ADHD. A pause can help. The first step to incorporating a pause is both acknowledging  that you are less likely to respond the way you want when you…

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    Three Keys That Will Make Managing Your ADHD Easier

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    Whether you are newly diagnosed or just deciding to tackle your ADHD in a more strategic way, congratulations! Congratulations?! Yes, I think you deserve kudos because the journey you are about to embark on is uncertain and will certainly be challenging. In spite of this, you decided to go down this path now because you want to make your life easier in the long run. There are no guarantees, of course. But with time, effort, support and compassion (for yourself) I think you can figure out which goals to pursue and how to reach them. And to make the journey of managing your ADHD easier, it will be helpful to keep these three points in mind.