Blog

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    ADHD and Communicating: Finding the Right Words…

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Communication, Blog

      For adults with ADHD communicating can be a veritable landmine at times. Sound familiar? You are not alone. These are common communication challenges when you have ADHD. Of course, some of the challenges may be due to differences in communication styles or the difficulties the other person has in communicating. And some challenges may be due to your ADHD symptoms. That is the good news, really!  After all, it is easier to focus on an area where you have the most control, yourself. This is the focus of this article. Once you understand how your ADHD may be impacting your ability to communicate effectively you can create an action plan to help you communicate better Retrieval For adults with ADHD the filing system for…

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    ADHD and Being More Proactive, Not Reactive

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

    Do you know what is on the horizon? A common concern I hear from clients is: “I don’t know how to prioritize. So, I can plan?” If you are an adult with ADHD, planning and prioritizing may not be your strong suit. But it is possible to strengthen these muscles. While there is no easy answer or one right way to do this, the key is to review and plan on a regular basis, weekly and daily. And, as you do this consistently, the pull of immediate gratification (doing whatever catches your attention in the moment) will weaken. Below is a step by step method you can use to make this easier. Advantages of Regular Planning: And if you can do this consistently, you will…

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    ADHD and Meetings: How To Take and Use Your Notes

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, Blog

    You walk out of a meeting confident that you have all the information you need. Then later that day or days later you look at your notes. You wonder: What was I supposed to do? What does that mean? What did Joe say about that project? You just can’t remember. Yes, it is that wonky short term memory. Unless you take good notes that you can also decipher later, following up from meetings can be frustrating. At times, it can even be embarrassing, if you need to go back and ask people from the meeting: What did I say I would do? When did you say you wanted the documents? If you find yourself struggling to remember important information later, it is time to stop…

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    Summary of Causes of ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

    You may have heard in the media that poor diet, food dyes, too much sugar, environmental chemicals, poor schooling, too much TV, poor pre-natal care or poor parenting are causes of ADHD. Whew! It is possible that drug or alcohol use during pregnancy could alter the brain and may be a possible cause of ADHD. As for the other factors, while credible research has not been able to validate any of them as causes of ADHD, they definitely can exacerbate ADHD symptoms. What we do think is that ADHD is a brain based biological disorder, caused by a number of factors that affect how the brain develops and functions. And the one factor that stands out is a neurotransmitter imbalance. Neurotransmitter Imbalance As you know,…

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    ADHD and Time: 4 Steps to Getting Places on Time

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

      Time can be elusive for many with ADHD. So, it is no wonder that running late is a common problem. I bet you have had times when you felt like the man in the picture above. Maybe more often than you would like. Yet, I know you want to get to places on time because you want to be responsible and honor your commitments. It would also be nice to be grounded and present once you arrive at your destination, right? Just think of those times when you arrived someplace feeling like you had just slid into home base. How ready were you to engage in the task before you? Even if getting to places on time has felt like a fire drill up…

  • ADHD and Celebrating Successes – It’s Good for You!

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

      What did you do right last week?  Where did you fall short? Which list is longer? Unfortunately, as is true for many adults with ADHD, you may find that the latter one is longer. This may be a result of your poor memory, as well as your tendency to focus more on what you did wrong than what you did right. Is this true for you? You may not be used to celebrating when things go well. But celebrating, even the smaller victories, is important to your success. In fact, in their book, Delivered from Distraction, Drs Ned Hallowell and John Ratey list Celebrate Victories on their Top Tips for Adult ADD. They note that, …it is important to allow the victorious moments to…

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    ADHD and Performance: Putting The Odds In Your Favor

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

    Why is it that you do not follow through on the goals that are truly important to you?! If you are like most adults with ADHD you may at times scratch your head and wonder why, despite your best intentions, you don’t follow through. Though you may at times question whether this is true, it not because of lack of desire. Remember, you have already decided that the goal is one you truly want to pursue. My guess is that you have not set up your environment to support you in achieving what you want with your ADHD in mind. Time to close the gap between your intentions and actions.

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    Complementary and Alternative Treatments For ADHD

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

      Medication might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about treatment for ADHD. You might also think of therapy and ADHD Coaching as means of treatment. True, these are the standard methods of treatment, and the only ones that are fully supported by scientific research as effective treatments in the long term. And for many with ADHD these form the cornerstone of a holistic treatment plan. However, if you consider treatment as a means of reducing the ADHD symptoms that cause you to struggle in your daily life, the options available become more plentiful. You might even be surprised at some of the options I’ve included below. While others may appear to just be common sense. I certainly encourage you…

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    ADHD and Finding Solutions to Problems

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD in the Workplace, ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    When faced with a problem, it is all too easy to focus on what is wrong. After all it is a problem! And for many adults with ADHD focusing on the problem may lead to endless non-productive ruminating. Can you think of an example in your own life when a problem seemingly hijacked your brain? You may even have tried distracting yourself with a productive activity, like a project, or a non-productive activity, like watching TV.  But that was only a temporary fix. The thoughts, like the air from a window that has not been properly sealed, kept seeping back into your brain. And the problem remained! So you thought hard about how to solve the problem. Makes sense. You have a problem. You need…

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    ADHD Support: Therapists and ADHD Coaches

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    Who do you have on your team for support? J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program posits that: …with the ADHD medication as a foundation, it’s the psychosocial treatments that can come in and finish the job. However, like many adults with ADHD, you may feel the shame of years of failed accomplishments as a result of living with undiagnosed ADHD, and may be reticent to ask for help. You may even have come to believe that you are not capable of reaching your goal(s) and are ready to give up. Wherever you are in thinking about or attempting your goals, you don’t need do it alone. With help you can reach your potential. Therapy and…