For me, the power of coaching college students is seeing them as creative, resourceful and whole just as they are. This means that I do not need to fix them. In fact, holding them 100% responsible for taking the actions necessary to reach their goals and have the life they envision will help them develop their own innate skills. Do you remember the facts below? Maybe not…
Are you an adult with ADHD? Do you get overwhelmed by your To Do List or do you consider it just a useful tool? I hope that you fall in the later group. However, I know that for some The List, as I will refer to it, has an ominous power over them. I am sure that you have heard or even said some of the following comments. “I have so many things on my list! I can’t talk now. I am crazy busy.” When you become overwhelmed by The List, remember that you created it. So, you can change it at any time. Really, you can.
For people who have ADHD, you know how great it is or certainly can imagine how great it might be to have people in your life who understand ADHD. What does it mean to understand ADHD? First, of course, acknowledging that ADHD exist in adults Understanding that ADHD is caused by biological factors and has a genetic basis Knowing that people with ADHD because of their cognitive differences can be highly creative, energetic and productive Realizing that treatment (structure, exercise, coaching, medication…) is about helping people with ADHD create the life they want, not fixing them Standing firm in the belief that people with ADHD are not deficient.
While dealing with the challenges of ADHD you are likely to experience many different emotions and feelings. Yet, I often hear from clients some variation of the following when they are talking about their feelings. “But this is coaching, so I probably shouldn’t go into this too much.” Somewhere along the way many of us got the message that taking care of our feelings and moving toward our goals are incompatible. Not true.
A few months ago I wrote about making the decision to take medication to manage your ADHD symptoms in What Is The Truth About Medication? . Then a few weeks ago I received the comments below from Pierre de Villiers, who, as with his earlier comments, has graciously allowed me to share them with you. ….the medication does not solve the problems of everyday ADHD in terms of learning the coping mechanisms and adapting to social norms. Therefore, medication has a place, but the individual needs to realise that the medication impacts one part of the ADHD complex and that he would still have to accept ownership of his/her condition and learn the skill set to cope with ADHD and utilise the positives of ADHD/ADD…
When I walk into a mall, which I do not do very often, I almost immediately become overwhelmed. How do you respond when you are flooded by so many choices? Do you walk into every store, and buy whatever catches your eye? And then you get home and beat yourself up for spending too much money. But you do not know what to return, so you keep it all. Alternatively, do you feel incapable of making any choice? You may walk into every store in the mall. But besieged by so many choices, you don’t buy anything. This is my usual m.o.! Mega Mall of Life These two approaches to making decisions about commitments are common for many with ADHD.
If you have been following my writing for a while, you know that I think quite a bit about values and their relationship to Adults with ADHD being able to reach their goals. One of my recent goals, admittedly short term, was to ensure that my daughter enjoyed her birthday. But, rather than actively planning, I thought about it and thought about it…until the day finally arrived. It was 5:00 am the day of her birthday, and I literally bounded out of my chair to go to the 24 hr store. In spite of the fact that I was inundated with work, I was able to pull off the morning celebration. What finally prompted me to get into motion? I reminded myself of the importance…
(originally published May 13, 2011, updated August 7, 2020) We all want to minimize our challenges, of course. No doubt, our lives would just flow better if there were fewer boulders in the way. After all, you’re reading this article because that is what you want. Specifically, you want to minimize the detours you need to take because of your ADHD challenges. What if you could use your strengths to manage your ADHD? Though, like many who are trying to figure out how to manage their ADHD, you may assume you are broken. If this is your perspective, you might be focusing your time and energy on trying to fix yourself. Because that’s what you do when something is broken. You fix it, right? Here’s…
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…
As I’ve written about in the past, both eating and exercising can be part of a holistic treatment plan for ADHD . Last week in my article, The Two Key Steps To Creating The Change You Want I shared with you a bit about my challenges with eating well. This is not the case with exercise, though. Over the last two years I have been able to consistently exercise. Though I have fallen off the wagon, of course, I have been able to resume within a short amount of time. I know that both are “good for me.” In both cases, I know the vital behaviors that that will give me the greatest leverage and allow me to persist. See last week’s article for more…