Posts

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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 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.

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    What To Do When You Think “I Can’t Do This… Until I Do That”

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

    I bet you have those days when you are trying to decide what to do, but you can’t… It starts to feel a little like a runaway train. Eventually, you get so overwhelmed by thoughts of everything you could or “should” do, you end up falling back on old bad habits. And not really setting your intentions for the day. One common type of thinking for adults with ADHD that leads to indecision paralysis  is, “I can’t do this… until I do that.” I Can’t This… Until I Do That.” At times it can be really hard for adults with ADHD to get started, especially when you fall into the thinking of “I can’t do this… until I do that,”  like these two examples: You…

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    4 Ways to Make Decisions When You Are Stuck

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

      Imagine you need to make a decision about buying a car. So, you start mulling it over. I should buy a Rav 4. No, the Subaru Forester has better safety rating. But the Rav 4 has a third row. Maybe I should look at the CRV. You know, they are all gas eaters. I need to really look at a hybrid, like the Prius. But it is really not going to have enough room when we travel. I do like the style of the Rav 4… And it starts to feel like a game of pinball in your head. And, though you keep pondering this for a few days, you are no closer to a decision. Then you get caught up in work and…

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    ADHD and The Mindset For Success

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

    After reading Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success I’ve spent a great deal of time pondering the impact of adopting a particular mindset. I have always said that I’m not very good at drawing, math or singing and a whole host of other activities. At some point I convinced myself that I can’t clap to a beat. So, now I don’t clap. Really. When I share this with someone a version of the following conversation might ensue. Other person: “Sure, you can clap.” Me: “No, really, I can’t clap.” Other Person: “Give it a try…” Me: “No, I can’t try. I can’t clap.” Somewhere along the way I adopted a fixed mindset when it comes clapping. What if I had embraced a…

  • Managing Your ADHD While Managing Life’s Ups and Downs

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

      “Seems like a lot of work. Maybe I’m tired–it’s getting late–but I’d like things to be easier not harder. I feel I’ll never catch-up. Maybe that’s where I’m stuck – Does it matter?” I received this comment in response to a recent article, 5 Steps To Working With Your ADHD – Without The Struggle. I think all of us, especially adults with ADHD, can really empathize with this reader! Even though making changes may make things easier in the long run, it can take a lot of work to make them happen. And how about those times when life throws us curve balls – things at work are rocky, you’re going through a hard time in your relationship, your kids are going through a…

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    ADHD and Strengthening Your Willpower – You Can Do It!

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Tools & Strategies, Blog

    Learning how to manage your willpower will help you work with your ADHD. Really. You may be thinking, “I don’t want to hear this. I’m tired of hearing that I just need more willpower. I have ADHD!” Hang with me for a bit. I’m not talking about the version of willpower where you  are told to “just try harder” or “just do it.” That won’t work for you. Because the challenges you experience exerting self control  when you want, willpower, have to do with your brain wiring. But there are strategies you can learn in order strengthen, conserve and use your willpower when you want. And these same strategies will help you manage your ADHD. What is Willpower? Psychologist Roy Baumeister, author of Willpower, and…

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    ADHD And Steps To A Growth Mindset

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Emotional Regulation, Blog

    If you have not read my last post, ADHD and The Mindset For Success, I suggest giving that a read before continuing on. In that post I shared a little bit about the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. And suggested that having a growth mindset is a key part of working effectively with your ADHD. I’m pretty sure most of you will buy into this suggestion. But just buying into the idea is certainly not enough to be able to develop one. You knew that… If you are interested, though, there are steps you can take to develop a growth mindset. Change Your Internal Dialogue What kind of internal dialogue do you have now? When things go wrong for you does…