Adult ADHD

  • Rules and Accountability Stifle Me – I Have ADHD!

    ByMarla Cummins Blog

    You may find yourself reticent to adopting rules and structure for yourself because doing so may feel like it, well, just hems you in. For adults with ADHD too much structure can feel stifling, to be sure. And imposing the wrong kind of structure certainly may get in the way of your creative process. But the right kind and amount of rules and structure can also help you accomplish what is important to you. And rather than restricting you, they can free you from the stress, overwhelm and decision paralysis you may feel at times. This Is The Way I’ve Always Been In addition to, perhaps, feeling as though rules will box you in, you may also think you are just not cut out for…

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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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    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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    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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    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…

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    ADHD and The Super Fuel for Follow Through

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Time Management, Blog

      I bet you can think of at least one task on your plate right now that you have very little interest in tackling. And some, even you, may assume that, if you are not following through, it must not be important to you. Not true! For adults with ADHD there are many explanations for losing interest in a task that has value for you. This last explanation is often overlooked. But, for adults with ADHD, this is one of the most critical steps in making it easier to follow through on a obligation ADHD and Interest For adults with ADHD, interest can serve as the jet fuel that propels you forward. You’ve probably had occasions when you were so interested in a task that…

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    Is This Normal or Do I Have Undiagnosed ADHD?

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Symptoms & Diagnosis, Blog

      Below is an excerpt from a letter that I recently received (and was given permission to post) along with my response. I decided to include it here, as it is such a common question and might be of interest to you, too.   Hi Marla, I’ve really been identifying with everything you and your testimonials have been saying on your website, but I’ve never been diagnosed myself. For years as a university student I have constantly struggled with mastering my procrastination on assignments and study, and I’ve realised recently it seems to stem from this impulsivity, this tendency to immediately act on every thought I have. All the issues you are talking about that adults with ADHD have to deal with, I feel that…

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    ADHD And Support You Can Afford

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

      While my hope is that every adult with ADHD who wants help can get support, I also know that investing in 1-1 ADHD Coaching can be too much of a reach for some. In part I know this from the emails I’ve received and conversations I’ve had with prospective clients who say or write something along the lines of: So, when I heard such a comment again recently, I thought about what I have done in situations where I get that queasy feeling in my gut just thinking about spending money for support, whether it is coaching, a class or a group. After all, I know I owe a great deal of my success to the help I’ve received from other professionals Just Do…

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    ADHD Treatment: An Interactive Guide For Making Decisions

    ByMarla Cummins ADHD Treatment Options, Blog

    You may think of medication when you think of treatment for ADHD. Most people do. But, if you have ADHD and want to manage it successfully so you can reach your goals, you should know that  medication alone will likely not be effective. That’s right. In order to effectively treat your ADHD, you need to create a holistic treatment plan . And what is that, you may be wondering. To answer that question I’ve created a free 43 page interactive PDF workbook, Treatment Options for ADHD Workbook:  A Guide to Exploring and Making Decisions About Treating Your ADHD. Best practices for using the  guide: Take your time. Follow your interest. You can skip around to different sections easily by clicking on the bookmarks. You can…