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Motivation? What's that?

6/10/2021

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Getting Things Done with ADHD

Do you have trouble getting started? What about finishing undone things? As an ADHD coach, the four words I hear routinely are: “I HAVE NO MOTIVATION!” 

Here are a few definitions of motivation:
  • The desire or enthusiasm to accomplish a task or achieve something.
  • The act or process of giving someone a reason to do something.
  • The mental processes that arouse, sustain, and direct human behavior.

Low motivation is often connected with tasks that we find boring and unstimulating. Some of the most challenging tasks are ones we do sitting down.

This might include schoolwork, work for our job, or anything we need to plan and organize. In the past year, adults and young people have been doing work remotely from home. This adds another layer of challenge, since home often has the connotation of letting down or kicking back. We are not moving our bodies or socializing in the same way we did before the pandemic. All the lines are blurred, and we flounder in a sea of sameness!

Individuals with ADHD can struggle with motivation due to a shortage of a brain chemical, a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Psychologist Russell Barkley states that we have lower dopamine levels than the average population. Dopamine has been called the chemical of motivation or the “feel-good chemical.” We experience higher dopamine levels when we are doing something we love, engaging in areas of strength, rewarding ourselves, or exercising. ADHD medication provides dopamine, which affects the part of the brain responsible for planning and organizing.

ADHD medicine isn’t a cure-all, however. Even when taking medication, we can have problems mustering the motivation necessary to complete tasks of low interest to us. Why? Certain tasks have strong emotional tags attached to them, says Tamara Rosier, a psychologist and ADHD coach. We may dislike doing laundry or paying the bills, for instance, because we have left wet clothes in the washer before or forgotten to make a payment.

The truth is sometimes we do have more motivation than others. We may wait around to feel motivated in order to start a task.

What could we accomplish if we had a foolproof plan in place – one that could help us launch into action, motivated or not? The sky would be the limit, right?

Here are a few ideas!
  • Make sure to take your medication, including a bumper dose if needed.
  • Always do your most difficult task at your best time of day. 
  • Break tasks down into small segments, working no more than 25 minutes at a time (unless, of course, you are hyper focusing).
  • Know (exactly) what you are going to work on at a certain time. 
  • Think ahead, so that you will have whatever you need for the task.
  • Create your own ADHD-friendly working environment.
  • Use a standing desk and move while you work.
  • Interest equals focus, so add interest to your task.
  • Have something to look forward to, every day.
  • Exercise.
  • Get out in the fresh air.
  • Do some tasks off-site, such as at a library or in your car.
  • Simulate the rhythm and characteristics of your school or workday as much as possible.
  • Alternate the boring with the stimulating.
  • Reward yourself with open-ended tasks when you are done.

​One of the most helpful things you can do is to work with an ADHD coach. You can set up your day in a way that is brain friendly. This will boost productivity! Discovering how you work best is empowering and gives you a sense of control. 

Does motivation help? Of course! And with a plan in place, you can move forward, no matter what! This puts you in the driver’s seat!

Ready to create your own motivation plan? Talk to an ADHD coach, and take the first step toward getting things done.

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Boring is Better When you have ADHD

4/5/2021

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WAIT! WHAT?????

People with ADHD only spring to life when excitement sizzles and chaos abounds. How could boring be better?

Let me give you one example:

I have a friend with ADHD whose mother-in-law was having a birthday. Despite the challenges of shopping amid coronavirus shutdowns, she managed to buy and wrap a birthday present AHEAD of time. When her husband asked if she had bought anything for his mother, she proudly went to the closet and retrieved a beautifully wrapped present. It went without saying that her husband was very happy!

When I complimented her on planning ahead, my friend shared that her success hadn’t brought as much fulfilment as she had expected. “It was great to be ready to go,” she said, “but it was also a little boring. There was no last-minute flurry of activity, playing beat the clock. The gift was ready to go but it felt—well—so normal!’’

What’s wrong with normal?

So why did having the gift ready ahead of time feel boring?

When we have ADHD, it is easy to be reactionary. Ideas come at us like tennis balls. Everything we need to do seems equally important. Our thinking is often scattered, and we can have trouble prioritizing. Without a plan in place, we’re like the person who jumped on a horse and rode off in all directions at once!

Our minds don’t always operate at the same, steady pace as many people who don’t have ADHD. What’s ‘normal’ for them may feel mind-numbingly mundane to us.

Do we thrive on chaos?

Sometimes, we leave everything to the last minute because it cranks up the  adrenaline. The resulting shot of dopamine—a feel-good chemical in the brain—puts us in a state of high stimulation. Being in this crisis state causes us to focus.

Living amid chaos may feel comfortable (even normal) for us, but it carries a big price tag. We become exhausted, let people down, and forget important dates. Others can view us as scatterbrained or space cadets!

Most of us living with ADHD already have enough stress. Admittedly, interest equals focus, but how could we find that focus in creative ways? Are there ways to get things done that do not deplete our energy but rather energize us? 

Could there be another way?

What if you and I could pace ourselves, so that we actually had time left over for fun?

I have found that creating small-scale deadlines can be motivating. For example, if I have dishes to wash (boring!) I might do it in 15-minute breaks between clients  (stimulating!). Having the deadline of an arriving client forces me to get into action quickly. Limiting the time frame seems to make the boring task more doable.

Like my friend, you may discover that that being ahead of the game feels just “too normal.” If so, I would encourage you to consider that less stress equals less burnout, which leaves more energy for what matters most.
People who have good treatment for ADHD do not have to depend on last-minute drama in order get the job done.

Boring can be better! Take the first step toward a stress-free life. Talk to an expert, today!
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​What Gifts Will You Unwrap This Year?

2/7/2021

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The best presents may be ones you give to yourself!

Many of us enjoy giving away nice gifts, whether for birthdays, Valentine’s Day, or other occasions. But how often do we do the same for ourselves? The right gift can make a huge difference, especially when it’s tailored to you!
I was so proud of a client who told me this year she planned to buy and wrap gifts for herself so that she actually got what she wanted!

Explore Your Options

What gifts might you give yourself this year? Perhaps your focus might be on getting more sleep, eating better or exercising. It might be connecting with friends that you lost touch with. Maybe it’s going back to school or getting the business support that you need. It might be hiring a coach or an organizer to support you in this Covid-19 Era, or stepping forward to get an ADHD diagnosis.

Celebrate Your Successes

What do you feel good about as you think over the past year? It is important to celebrate successes, big and small. One client mentioned with each new year that she likes to do her own personal satisfaction inventory. After reviewing the past year, start looking forward. What would you like to say about your life one month from now, three months from now, or six months from now?

Befriend Baby Steps

Many people with ADHD shy away from goal-setting because they feel it to be overwhelming and unattainable. We might have not met goals that we set in the past, so we avoid making new ones. When you start with the big picture and work backward, you can break goals down into manageable steps. Plus, you don’t have to go it alone. Having objective and positive support, such as a coach, can make all of the difference in the world!

Consider One Word

What gift will you unwrap this year? One way to narrow your focus is to ask yourself what is missing in your life. I like to choose a word that represents what I need most. If you are someone who wants to work on exercise and eating right, your word may be “health.” If you have retired from a job and want to figure out what is next, your word might be “explore.” If you know that you want to move forward in your life but are afraid, your word might be "fearless". If you have been feeling isolated at home this year, your word may be “connect.” If you know that you need support in managing your ADHD, your word might be “partnership.”

Choosing a word can motivate us because it represents our “why.” It’s the reason we are doing something. This helps us to prioritize and to remember what is most important at this time.

Act on the Word

As you think about the upcoming day, consider your word. If your word is “health,” is there something in your day that represents that word? Exercise? Making a doctor’s appointment? Going to the health food store? A word narrows our focus and helps us move towards our goals.
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What Will you Choose?

Like my friend, will you choose to wrap a few gifts for yourself this year, so that you actually get what you want? If you are not sure what you want, a coach can support you in figuring it out.
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You can move forward this year!

Find support in creating a customized plan for success - Talk to an Expert!
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"ADD" Happy to your Holiday!

12/23/2020

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Being Intentional when you have ADHD

Can you picture this? Sipping hot chocolate by a roaring fire, hearing carolers sing, attending holiday concerts, and being lifted heavenward by candlelit services. Dressing up for parties, giving perfectly wrapped gifts, baking enviable Christmas cookies, and cutting down that perfect tree on a cold winter day. Gathering with friends in your fashionable home, entertaining with ease, baking mouthwatering meals, and mailing pictures of your smiling family in matching holiday clothes. 

This vision of the holidays is like a Hallmark card, but the reality might not be... especially when you have ADHD!
I’m reminded of a wonderful mom who tucked carefully designed Christmas cards into a diaper bag on the way to the post office, only to find them unmailed the following February! Or a friend who got so tired baking Christmas cookies that she laid down in front of the oven to take a catnap while the cookies were baking! Then there was my granddaughter who opened each day of her Advent calendar on day 1, so she could get the chocolate behind each window!

All kidding aside, a holiday such as Christmas can be daunting, especially when you struggle with planning and organization on a good day! The extras of shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking, decorating, cleaning, and entertaining can lead to overwhelm!

This year many are suffering from the unending ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are anxious and do not feel safe. The financial impact has been enormous. Working from home is a major stressor, especially when supervising children learning virtually. There is less structure and many more distractions. This is hard for everyone, but especially for those of us with ADHD.

Covid has caused us to rethink everything as we struggle to find the “new normal” this holiday season. Many of the events that bring joy are cancelled this year. We desperately seek the comfort and familiarity of rituals and traditions that give our lives meaning…especially when living with uncertainty. We long for connection and to engage with what lifts us out of the ordinary!

How can we create experience a holiday that is memorable?

Choose what matters most!

Thinking back over the years, what have you enjoyed most about the holidays? Do you have a Christmas memory that stands out? Some of my happiest memories have been the years we hosted Christmas parties. There were friends gathered together, great food, games, the singing of Christmas carols, and having a white elephant gift exchange. 

That will not happen this year, but what threads from this memory can I make happen today? There was a sense of community and togetherness. We played group games, shared great food, and we heard wonderful Christmas music. What might have to change in order to experience or re-create those things?

What if I could simplify the holiday by ordering take-out, so that I would not cooking and doing dishes all day? What if we planned some fun games? Why couldn’t we sing Christmas carols, even with our own family? What if I were less stressed, so that I could actually play with my grandchildren and watch them enjoy their new toys?

As life changes, so does the need to adjust perspective. This can lead to new traditions that serve us better today.
What aspects of the holiday mean the most to you and what will it take to make them happen?

Listen to your heart!

Some of us know how to make the holiday special for others, but we don’t have a clue how to make it special for ourselves. We can make changes that reflect what we value most.

This resource, “Create a Better Holiday,” challenges us to be intentional about the holiday we want to create.
Consider these questions:
  • What activities make you happy?
  • What activities relax you?
  • What activities bring back wonderful memories?
  • What activities make me you connected spiritually?
  • What activities are always fun?
A friend of mine said that one of her best Christmases ever was spent watching holiday movies all day long!
How will you choose to spend your time at this wonderful, yet vulnerable time of year? It is ok to do something that pleases you! You are no more or less important than anyone else. You matter!

By being intentional, you can “ADD” happy to your holiday!

Find support this holiday season from a certified ADHD coach. Schedule a free consultation today.
 

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The Brain Doesn't Have a Wheelchair

11/1/2020

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ADHD may be invisible, but its impact is real

Just because you can’t see inside the brain of people with ADHD doesn’t mean that they aren’t struggling in significant ways!

As I was traveling after a surgery that didn’t allow me to walk long distances, I got a glimpse of what life looks like from a wheelchair. For one thing, you are at the mercy of the person wheeling you. Secondly, it’s obvious to all that you have a physical problem going on. At least at the airport, most people make way for you, realizing that you have a problem.

That doesn’t happen for people who have ADHD.

Bystanders often have a hard time understanding why a person with ADHD is often late, procrastinates, seems disorganized, forgets important things, or acts flighty. They might conclude that the person is lazy or is using ADHD as an excuse. There’s a landmark book whose title speaks to this: “You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?!” by Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo. Having ADHD is not an excuse, but it is an explanation. 

You may have heard the phrase, “the brain doesn’t have a wheelchair.” In daily life, we can’t open up the front of a person’s brain to see the struggles going on inside. But invisible disabilities can be just as crippling as those needing a wheelchair.

The challenges that people with ADHD face are due to cognitive impairment. That is, the person has trouble with the part of the brain responsible for various thought processes. It is sort of like having a company without a CEO. ADHD researcher Dr. Thomas Brown likens it to having an orchestra without a conductor.

Outwardly, this might look like being “scattered.” People with ADHD might have trouble getting started, staying with a task long enough to finish it, or being able to stop doing one thing to start another. They may impulsively jump from thing to thing, struggle with doing homework or paperwork and have thousands of unfinished projects.
 
We now have accommodations by law that are designed to protect people with ADHD. This is because cognitive functioning—the ability to think—is now seen as affecting a major life activity, just like walking or seeing.
The ability to think, plan, or organize is necessary for various areas of life on a daily basis. Challenges in this area shows up in school, on the job, and at home.

Secondary students who have ADHD often struggle with paying attention, following directions, and completing homework assignments. College students might wrestle with managing time and breaking long-term projects into smaller, more achievable tasks. Working adults may grapple with being on time or meeting project deadlines. Entrepreneurs or homemakers with ADHD may lament their difficulty using time effectively in an unstructured environment.  
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Just because others can’t see your disability doesn’t mean you have to limp through life. Find support and encouragement from a certified ADHD coach. Set up a free consultation.

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Stop Cursing Your ADHD Weaknesses

10/5/2020

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START LEADING WITH YOUR STRENGTHS!

As a person with ADHD, do you know what your strengths are? If so, how much time each day do you spend using and developing those strengths?

Most of us have heard that we should develop our weaknesses in order to get stronger. The authors of the book, Now Discover Your Strengths, disagree. Authors Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham claim that most of us have little sense of our talents, much less the ability to build our lives around them. As a result, we become experts in our weaknesses while our strengths go untapped.

The Gallup organization studied the psychological profiles of more than 2 million people over the course of 25 years. In doing so, they discovered 34 signature talents—or strengths—among participants. This study led them to create an online assessment that could measure an individual’s “talent DNA.” The CliftonStrengths assessment (formerly StrengthsFinder), was designed to help people identify their unique abilities, so they could do more of what they naturally do best.

People who have the opportunity to use their strengths are three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life, according to Gallup.

If knowing one’s strengths could benefit anyone, how much more might it benefit the adult or child with ADHD? As a life coach, I often ask people what their strengths are. Most answer by laying out all of their weaknesses!

Many people with ADHD have heard negative messages all of their lives. These critical words often become a defining factor in one’s life, harming self-image. Sometimes, the sheer struggle of living with ADHD on a daily basis can make a person feel “less than.”

So, let me encourage you to consider your strengths. What are they? And what would life look like, if you were able to fully use them?
 
Stop cursing your weaknesses and start enjoying your strengths. Find support from an encouraging coach. Set up a free consultation today.
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Runaway Emotions

7/30/2020

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Why is it so hard to manage moods when you have ADHD?

Ever lose your temper, going from zero to sixty? Do you get stuck, unable to muster up the motivation to get into action?  Ever try to understand directions and give up because you are so frustrated?

You are not alone! Feelings are frequent and intense for people with ADHD. They can last longer and get in the way of everyday life. We get overwhelmed by them, which makes it hard to control them. We feel at their mercy. According to ADHD expert Dr. Thomas Brown, processing emotion is a brain thing. The brain networks responsible for regulating emotion do not work as well for people with ADHD.  The traits of ADHD, such as impulsivity and hyperactivity, influence how well we can manage troublesome emotions. We aren’t always aware of what we are feeling, which makes dealing with it more difficult.

We can get focused in on one aspect of a situation, without taking into account all of the relevant information, which keeps us stuck. We can react instantly, flying off the handle, saying things that we don’t mean. We can procrastinate and get overwhelmed because we don’t know how to break down a project, due to challenges with executive function and memory.

The strong feelings that we have triggers the sympathetic nervous system, and we experience the fight or flight response. The amygdala, the emotional brain, is responsible for keeping us safe. The body perceives all threats as being dangerous, whether real or perceived, and reacts accordingly.

ADHD psychologist Ari Tuckman states, “People with ADHD have challenges knowing the appropriate emotion, as well as feeling it in the right intensity.”

What Can You Do About It?

Fortunately, we can learn how to better understand and manage our emotions. How we respond to emotions is important, because it influences how we act.  Our thoughts affect our feelings, which in turn influence our actions. When you feel  strong emotions, try one or more of the following suggestions. Over time, practicing these techniques can help improve your emotional intelligence.

Pause. Pressing the “pause” button creates distance between the feeling and the action. It helps you process what has happened, countering impulsivity. Try counting backwards as a way to hit “pause.”

Practice diaphragmatic breathing. Deep abdominal breathing calms the stress response. This will override the intense feelings and help to activate the logical, problem solving part of the brain. Bringing more oxygen to the brain sends a calming message to the body, and back again to the brain. Diaphragmatic breathing causes endorphins to release and slows your heart rate. Consider a meditation app, such as Calm (www.calm.com).

Acknowledge and label the feeling. Feelings aren’t right or wrong; they just are. Identify the emotions as best you can. Labeling the feeling shifts brain activity from the primitive emotional brain to the rational part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. 

Find ways to distract yourself. You want to create distance between yourself and the challenging situation. Walk away, drive somewhere, call a friend to vent, read, watch a video or read your favorite author, seek sensory stimulation with fidgets, etc.

Do something that always makes you feel good. This could be a using a talent or engaging with a hobby or volunteer activity. Connect with your strengths, and do the thing that you know you are good at.

Exercise. Move, shake out the tension, and discharge the stress. Twenty minutes of an aerobic activity equals an hour and a half of a stimulant medication, says John Ratey, MD.

Make a plan. Have a plan in place, so that you know what to do in the heat of the moment.

Find a therapist. Consider working with a therapist to help you understand and manage your emotions. Therapy can help to reframe the past, building self-esteem.

Address the ADHD Layer of Your Emotions

Many people with ADHD are also creative people, who tend to be very sensitive to the world and experience the world through their emotions.

There are upsides to this, because these highly sensitive people are empathic and intuitive. The downside is that feeling intense feelings can be overwhelming, and we need a lot more time to process them.

Trying to tame the emotional tiger without addressing its underlying struggles is like putting a bandage on a leg that needs a brace.

Here are some suggestions for addressing the ADHD layer of emotional regulation.

Get the ADHD diagnosis. Self-management is difficult if your brain is offline. Make sure that you are aware of any coexisting conditions, such as anxiety or depression. These need to be treated, as well, in order to modulate emotion successfully.

Take your medication. Medication can make a huge difference. If your ADHD symptoms are under control, you are less frustrated and not working so hard to get through the day.

Take downtime. Give yourself space to relax, instead of doing everything back-to- back. Living with ADHD is stressful.

Have a signal. Choose a trusted friend and come up with a signal that your friend can use if you are showing signs of having a meltdown. Creating a visual cue can help alert you that it’s time for you to push the “pause” button.

Consider your comfort zone. Forewarned is forearmed. If you struggle with ambient sound and are meeting for a family event in a loud restaurant, bring earbuds, or choose to sit it out.

Hire a coach. Coaches troubleshoot the daily challenges of ADHD, helping you to plan, organize, manage time, break down projects, etc. You will understand where your ADHD shows up and develop tips, tools, and strategies to manage it. Your frustration level will go down as you build transferrable skills.

If you’d like help moving from the emotional roller-coaster to solid ground, consider scheduling a session with an ADHD coach. 
 
Sources
--Understand Your Brain, Get More Done, Ari Tuckman, PhD., MBA
--Exaggerated Emotions: How and Why ADHD Triggers Intense Emotions, Thomas Brown, Ph.D., ADDitude Magazine.
--Five Simple Lessons for Social and Emotional Learning for Adults, Elena Aguilar
--How to Manage Emotions More Effectively, Margarita Tartakovsky, MS, Psych Central.
--Helpful vs. Harmful Ways to Manage Emotions, Mental Health America, mhanational.org .


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Cooped-Up with COVID: S.M.A.R.T. Goals

6/1/2020

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What is the purpose of a goal? Goals give us a sense of direction and helps us to focus on what is really important.  They can motivate us and lead to personal satisfaction. You may have heard of SMART goals.  SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measure-able, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.  The idea is that if you follow these guidelines to reach your goals, you will be smart!

Let’s take a look at each part:

SPECIFIC means you have a narrow focus and are well defined.  You are clear about the what, the when and the how of your task.
MEASURE-ABLE means that you have a way to track progress. What will be the evidence that you are making progress?
ACHIEVABLE means that the task is do-able and not too ambitious.  Do you have the tools and resources to accomplish this task in a reasonable time frame?
REALISTIC means that your goal is relevant to you, in keeping with your values and where you want to go.
TIMELY means that you can pace yourself in order to meet the deadline.
 
Why is setting and reaching goals so difficult when you have ADHD? 
People with ADHD struggle with impairments in several areas of executive functioning or brain management system areas. This has an impact on how well we can accomplish certain tasks, such as planning prioritizing, organizing, paying attention, remembering details as well as controlling emotional reactions.
For some, goals can create a sense of stress and pressure.  Not succeeding in the past can reinforce a sense of failure.

Let’s look at S.M.A.R.T goals again to see the challenges for Individuals with ADHD:

Specific:  It is very difficult to narrow down focus as we have trouble “selecting.” Each task that we see has equal importance, making it difficult to prioritize. Too broad of a focus leads to overwhelm.
Measurable:  This speaks to the difficulty many have in being able to break down a task incrementally, estimate a time frame, decide the order you will do it in (sequence) and to pace. The timing circuitry of the brain plays a role here, according to researcher Russell Barkley.
Achievable:  We may not know how to approach a task in a way that builds in success. We struggle with planning, not being able to look ahead enough to consider the resources and materials we may need. Because of this we may not reach the goal in time
Realistic:  We are not always clear on what task to do or why we want to do it.  Make sure the goal is important to you and in keeping with what you value.  Sometimes we get pulled into other people’s goals and priorities
Timely:  Struggles with time management can cause us to miss the deadline.  We have a hard time sustaining focus and being distracted pulls us away from the task at hand. We are not always aware where we lose time so we don’t always meet the deadline, or cross the finish line.
 
SMART Goals the ADHD way!

Can people with ADHD reach goals?  The answer is a resounding YES!  What will help?  The single tool that supports achieving goals is partnership.

The Power of Partnership:  Because we struggle with executive skills, having a person who can act as a buddy double can make a huge difference.  That person can help you to break-down the steps to a task so that you actually get started.   It is almost as if you have a second brain!  A buddy can also help you do a task and help you to pace. Sometimes a person sitting at a table or in a room with you, will actually help you to stay on track. This person can be a family member, a friend, a teacher, or an ADHD coach.  Make sure the person you choose is positive and supportive of you. 

Partnership works because we have to be intentional in scheduling a time to meet, it sidesteps meltdowns because we understand instead of wonder what we have to do,  it helps to motivate, it adds interest to what we have to focus on, it helps us sustain attention and pace, supports us in completing the goal on time, gives gentle accountability and provides social interaction.  We know that executive skills are enhanced by positive emotion.

Other Ideas

Write it down: Write down what time you will do the task in your daily planner.
Time it:  Set a timer when you do the task so that it has a beginning and an end. You will gain a sense of time awareness.
Get it Ready:  Have tools and resources in place before you start a task.
Try Mind-mapping:  Mind-mapping is a creative way to brainstorm a task, all on one piece of paper. You have a central topic and brainstorm your tasks with what looks like spokes coming out of a wheel.  From there you estimate each spoke.  Then you go around the map to help you to see what order you want to do the steps. Once the steps are numbered you can create a list of the tasks in order with their time estimates alongside of each. Knowing how long each step takes will help you in scheduling when you will do it.  The final step is writing it down in a daily plan.

Approach goals the smart way.  With the right supports in place, people with ADHD can be among the most successful!
 
For partnership in reaching your goals, Contact Cheryl today!

Sources:
What is Executive Function? 7 Deficits Tied to ADHD- Russell Barkley, Ph.D, ADDitudemag.com

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Cooped Up with COVID:                          What is the Opportunity in This?

5/9/2020

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​Most of us are feeling a bit battered in this Covid-19 era. Our lives have changed significantly. We may be working from home—or be out of work entirely. Many of us are feeling the weeks of isolation and are anxious for what is to come. Our hearts are with loved ones who are essential workers. Throughout the world, people are grieving lost friends and family members.

It’s easy to see the challenges inherent in the Covid-19 crisis. But have you tried looking for the opportunities? When you’re feeling out of control, sometimes it helps to stop and look for things that you can control. Things that you can improve and make better. Therein lies the opportunity. Simply taking the first step toward making one thing better can be empowering.

As a wise person said: “We are not all in the same boat. We are in same storm with different boats.”
What is one step you could take that will improve the quality of your life today? Coaches call this a single daily action, or an SDA.

This season might be the time when you can start taking better care of yourself. You might begin working on creative projects or learning something new. You might be connecting with family and friends more regularly. You might be renewing or deepening your faith. You might be feeling the need to reach out to a mental health professional to support you through the grieving process.

How can you weather the storm of Covid-19 and emerge stronger than you were before?
Consider the words of author Louisa May Alcott, who said, “I do not fear the storm, for I have learned how to sail my ship.”

Don’t let obstacles keep you from embracing the opportunities. For support in taking the next step forward, contact Joy of Life coaching. Your first session is free!
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Cooped Up with COVID:                            What Can You Control?

4/25/2020

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​What is it that we can control in this time of uncertainty? Many of us with ADHD have felt out of control for most of our lives. Suddenly, we find ourselves at home with no set schedule. It is like a weekend that never ends! So, what CAN we control in this out-of-control time?
 
How about your schedule? At what time will you wake up, eat, and go to sleep? A good place to start is by creating morning and evening routines, even if they happen at different times than usual. 
 
How about your workplace at home? Where will it be and how will you set it up? You might need to work where it is quiet or where there is focused light.
 
How will you connect intentionally with others, now that you are at home with far less stimulation than normal? Will it be a phone call, a text, or a video chat? You might even write a note and send it snail mail.
 
How about getting outside? It might be gardening or taking a ride in the car to have a change of scenery—literally! We know that green time is alerting and enhances focus for people with ADHD.
 
How about moving your body in some way? Many of us were getting WAY more steps in on our Fitbit prior to Covid-19. Remember that the moving brain is the working brain!
 
How about taking your meds? This is especially important when trying to navigate your day while you or your children are working from home.
 
How about expressing your gratitude to a health care professional or other essential worker? Everyone could use a boost right now, and a little appreciation can go a long way.
 
How about your attitude? Victor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and author of the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, says, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. …Everything can be taken from a man but one thing—the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
 
Leave the work-from-home chaos behind. With the hands-on support of a caring coach, you can regain your sense of control. Reserve a session today.
 
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    ADHD Life Coach and Author, Cheryl Gigler, talks about how to become empowered and experience success with ADHD.

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