Goals are important when you have ADHD.  Goals are also often difficult to remember when you have ADHD.  Keeping your goal present and in your mind is important when you find yourself not working towards your goal.

How can you remember your goals?

Here are a few of my favorite ways to remember goals….

• Write out your goal 4 times every day.
• Make a PowerPoint slide with your goal and post it somewhere that you will see it every day. (You might want to move this around every few days so it doesn’t get lost in the background.)
• Make a daily routine to repeat your goal to yourself 3 times every morning.  Do this while sitting quietly and taking some deep breaths to really help you focus.
• Write about it each day in your journal.
• Record one action item each day in your calendar.
• Find a picture that represents success in your goal and post it somewhere that you will see it every day.
• Using that picture as your home screen on your phone can be helpful.

There must be hundreds of ways to remember goals.  Please share with us below…. how do you remember your goals?

This seems to come naturally for parents of children with ADHD, but it is equally important for adults who have (or suspect they have) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.  When you learn more about ADHD, , you can best evaluate how to manage it.  You will also be able to learn best practices that others use.  Below I have compiled some of my recommendations.

Some general tips

• Check your sources.  Be sure they are based in sound research principles.
• Beware of extremes, especially when sources are talking about “cures”.  I recently saw an article that claimed to share the “cure” to ADHD and it really concerned me.  I do not like to see people being misled.  There is not a “cure” for ADHD, but there are many different options to managing ADHD.  Remember, if something sounds to good to be true, it probably is!
• Stay current.  Research regarding ADHD is ongoing so we can learn new information over time.

Recommendations for Educating Yourself about ADHD

Below, you will find a few options for educating yourself about ADHD.  Please check them out and add your suggestions in our Comments section.

• Center for Disease Control Symptom List:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html
• Video of Dr. Russell Barkley discussing ADHD Understanding and Management:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3d1SwUXMc0
• National Resource Center on ADHD:  http://www.help4adhd.org/
• Read Dr. Thomas E. Brown’s new book, “A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults”.  You can see his Model of ADHD here:  http://www.drthomasebrown.com/brown_model/index.html
• Check out the archives of my Practical ADHD Strategies radio show and upcoming episodes to get tips and strategies about working with your ADHD.

What are your favorite ways to learn about ADHD?

The interview took place on my radio show, Practical ADHD Strategies.  You can listen in the player below.

The book has already received some great reviews…

“This book presents a highly useful and current summation of the major findings concerning ADHD and the role of executive functioning in it.  Clinicians, students, and laypeople will find here much valuable informationon the disorder, its assessment and diagnosis, and its management.”  ~Russell A. Barkley, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina

“A very intriguing read. Dr. Brown skillfully examines the diverse nature of executive functions, ADHD, and their overlap.”  ~Timothy E. Wilens, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and Director of Substance Abuse Services, Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Brown is Associate Director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders in the Dept. of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to his forthcoming book, he is the prize-winning Attention Deficit Disorder: The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults (Yale Press). He edited ADHD Comorbidities: Handbook for ADHD Complications in Children and Adults (American Psychiatric Press) and is author of the Brown ADD Scales (Pearson). He has presented symposia and workshops throughout the US and in 40 other countries. More information about Dr. Brown is available at his website: www.DrThomasEBrown.com.

Connect with Dr. Brown on Facebook and YouTube as well!  Facebook: www.facebook.com/drthomasebrown
YouTube: www.youtube.com/drthomasebrown

The 14th International ADULT ADHD Conference is coming to Detroit, Michigan

Reach Out for Connection,

Hope and Empowerment

If you’re an adult with ADHD (or you live with one) the Adult ADHD Conference is just for you! It’s the only live, in-person conference created exclusively for adults with ADHD.

It’s your chance to connect with leading ADHD experts, professionals and coaches who will provide you with trusted information, support and solutions.

This life-changing conference can be the difference between you… continuing to be frustrated…maybe even feeling helpless… from your unsuccessful attempts to overcome the challenges of your ADHD…

Or, experiencing a new sense of empowerment and hope made possible by the knowledge, support and solutions you gained from attending the Adult ADHD Conference.

There are viable solutions to dealing effectively with the challenges of your adult ADHD. And the support and solutions are yours for the taking at the 14th International Adult ADHD Conference. 

Procrastination impacts the productivity of adults and children with ADHD. Join me for an interactive session where you will learn to improve productivity in your everyday life by implementing strategies for overcoming procrastination. Each participant will develop a realistic action plan to begin overcoming their challenges immediately.

Class will be held at The Community House located at 380 South Bates Street, Birmingham, MI 48009.  Their phone number is 248.644.5832.

Register at The Community House website:  http://bit.ly/ProcrastinationADHD

Routines and checklists can help you easily manage your days, but it is easy to get overwhelmed trying to do too much at one time.  ADHD can make it difficult to efficiently finish (and even start) everyday tasks.  During this webinar, I will be sharing strategies, tricks and techniques that have been helpful for my clients when trying to make their routines more manageable.

During this webinar, you will learn…

• Why routines and checklists can help maintain calm and increase productivity (and time for fun).
• How routines can make an impact for you on a daily basis – from getting ready in the morning to paying your bills!
• Simple strategies to implement routines and checklists in your everyday life!

Register today at Attention Deficit Disorder Resources: http://bit.ly/ADHDRoutines

Setting Intentions

The biggest impact for me was when she talked about setting intentions in order to do something differently.  For example, if you want to get a certain task done today, you can increase your chances of success by declaring your intention to yourself.  I’ll take something simple to illustrate.  If I want to make sure that I plan a week’s worth of dinners today, I will start with setting my intention.  I will close my eyes and state to myself  “I intend to plan our menu for the next week by 2pm today.”

As I plan my day, this intention will be top of mind and I’ll increase my chances of meeting my intention.

Can intentions be bigger?

I think so.  At the beginning of every year we get a barrage about New Years’ Resolutions.  What if we set ONE simple, meaningful and achievable intention instead?  I have been thinking about this concept ever since hearing Dr. Schaver talk at the beginning of December.  My intention for 2013 is to create more balance between my personal and professional pursuits.  In other words, “I intend to create more balance in personal and professional aspects of my life”.  There is more work to be done to meet this intention.  I’m not sure yet of all the action steps that will lead me to more balance, but setting my intention feels like a good place to start.

Intentions and ADHD

Can you apply this concept to your ADHD challenges?  I say you can.  The key from my perspective is to set one intention for the year.  You might be tempted to make many intentions.  On a daily basis, you can do this.  If you want to set an annual intention, focusing on one will help give it the priority that you deserve.

What types of intentions can you set around your ADHD?  Here are some ideas to get you started:

• I intend to focus more during conversations.
• I intend to arrive on time.
• I intend to declutter the house.
• I intend to give more focus to each task that I tackle.

I’m curious, do you think that setting intentions can help you?  I would love to hear your comments!

If you have ADHD, then you can probably tell dozens of different stories about getting in trouble as a young child. You got time outs for not sitting in your desk. You were scolded for talking impulsively. You were criticized constantly by your parents who thought you were lazy, immature, or selfish.

Unfortunately, “getting in trouble” doesn’t end with childhood if your attention disorder persists as an adult. Now, however, the stakes are higher. Adults can be infinitely more understanding towards children than they can be towards other adults. You’ve doubtlessly felt some strain in your adult relationships whether with a spouse, significant other, parent, or employer as a direct result of your ADHD. As an adult very recently diagnosed with ADHD, I can say without hesitation that I’ve struggled to maintain balanced relationships with others. Apparently, I can be exasperating.

While it’s certainly not your fault that your behavior has been misinterpreted by others, you’ll feel and relate so much better with others if you take responsibility for your own emotions and behavior. You can ask for understanding from your loved ones, but no matter how well-intentioned they are, they can’t always give it to you. Here are some strategies I’ve employed to improve my interpersonal relationships:

Don’t feel sorry for yourself.

Especially for those of us who suffer from ADHD, we’ve had our fair share of criticism. When the criticism persists into adulthood, our first reaction is to feel discouraged, to feel sorry for ourselves. In some ways, it almost feels good to feel sorry for yourself, because you feel this sense of moral outrage at being wronged by others. I can tell you for a fact, however, that when that justified feeling subsides, you’re left with an empty sense of self-pity. It puts you in reaction mode in your dealings with others. Always having to defend yourself through self-pity becomes exhausting, and it breeds resentment in others.

Take any useful bits of criticism you receive from others and discard the rest.

When others criticize you, they’re either right, wrong, or somewhere in the middle. When assessing criticism, stop, think, and try to determine what your loved one is actually trying to get across to you. For example, say your spouse yells at you, saying, “You forgot to take the trash out AGAIN. You’re so forgetful. How could you be so selfish, when you know I have so many things going on to worry about, and taking out the trash is your ONLY responsibility?”

Sound familiar?

Here, the first step in dealing proactively with criticism is to slough off the words, phrases, and ideas that don’t really matter—the words that your spouse is using simply because she’s tired and frustrated. This includes labels like “forgetful” and “selfish.” Once you take this emotional wording out, all you’re left with is her central, neutral request—to take out the trash and to remember to do it regularly. This is not criticism. It’s a perfectly legitimate request, albeit more difficult to accomplish for those who suffer from ADHD. Still, once you’ve taken the barb of criticism out, you’ll feel much more inclined to do what your spouse asks of you and to try harder.

Communicate that you’re trying your best to listen.

For those of us who suffer from ADHD, we often do the “blank face.” While we may be listening to what our loved ones are saying, we give the appearance of being off in our own little world. For you, this is a normal habit. For others who don’t have ADHD, it’s construed as rude, selfish, and uncaring. Your suffering at being misunderstood should definitely be acknowledged, but the suffering of others around you who feel that you don’t care is just as real.

I couldn’t believe how much heartache I caused my wife whenever she’d be telling me a story, sharing with me something intimate, and I always did my “blank face.” The fact of the matter was that I was listening; my reaction time was just slower, and my body language didn’t indicate that I appreciated what she had to say. If you have ADHD, it’s very important to constantly, explicitly acknowledge to those speaking to you that you are listening to them. You can communicate this by either reminding them, “I’m listening,” or you can ask questions throughout that indicate you’re listening. On the other hand, if you’re having an ADHD moment and your attention actually did drift off, communicate this, too. Say, “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch what you said. Could you say that again?” Remind your loved ones that you’re trying. You’d be surprised by what a difference it makes to simply communicate.

Have a sense of humor. Surround yourself with those who have one, too.

Ultimately, the only way to get through ADHD hardship is to have a sense of humor. Make fun of yourself. When you take yourself too seriously, criticism becomes something negative and discouraging. Surround yourself with others who can laugh at themselves, too. Of course, you can’t always choose your loved ones, but being in the company of people who can laugh, who understand that no one is perfect, that all we can do is try, will do more to alleviate your ADHD than anything.

Good luck!

Casey Wheeler is a freelance writer whose interests include psychology, education, and personal development. You can check out more of Casey’s writing at www.onlinepsychologydegree.net.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD)­ is one of the most common disorders in childhood, affecting about 7.5 percent, according to the Mayo Clinic.  It is estimated that 50 – 75% of those children continue to have ADHD into adulthood.  But many adults with ADHD don’t even realize they have the disorder. They do know that everyday tasks—from keeping appointments and getting up in the morning, to staying focused and being productive—are a real challenge.

Adults who have ADHD have had it since childhood. The Mayo clinic states that out of every three people with ADHD, one grows out of their symptoms, one has symptoms that are less severe than when they were younger, and one has persistent and significant symptoms as an adult.

In children, the symptoms of ADHD fall into three broad categories: trouble paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. While it’s normal for all children to be inattentive, overactive and impulsive at times, these behaviors in kids with ADHD are more severe and frequent.

Symptoms

While everyone likely experiences a couple of the below symptoms from time to time, for people with ADHD, the symptoms have caused a long history of problems in their schooling and work.

According to the Mayo Clinic, adult ADHD symptoms can include:

• Trouble focusing or concentrating
• Restlessness
• Impulsivity
• Difficulty completing tasks
• Disorganization
• Frequent mood swings
• Hot temper
• Trouble coping with stress
• Unstable relationships

Impairment

When it comes to diagnosing ADHD, the notion of “significant impairment” is key. Impairment refers to the ways in which the symptoms disrupt a person’s life. For example, a person with ADHD may have trouble staying employed because of their inability to meet deadlines or stay focused, or they might have a whopping credit card bill because of impulsive spending. Still others might be failing college because of their symptoms, or have an unusually high amount of stress and conflict in their marriage. While the impairments are not required to be as significant as these examples, ADHD is diagnosed only when a person’s symptoms have significantly impaired at least two major settings in their life, such as work and family.

And since people with ADHD have had trouble ever since they were kids, if it’s gone undiagnosed, many also develop low self-esteem.

Managing ADHD

While there is no cure for ADHD, there are ways to manage it.  Treatment focuses on reducing symptoms and improving quality of life. While there is still some debate about the best treatment, combining medication and behavior modification seems to be the most effective. Coaching helps adults to set goals regarding their ADHD challenges and develop action plans to reach those goals.  From attaining better grades in college to overcoming obstacles at work to improving your personal relationships, ADHD coaching can assist adults with ADHD in moving forward.  Counseling for adults often includes psychotherapy and education about the disorder, as well as developing the skills to successfully manage daily tasks and responsibilities.

What one step can you take today to manage your ADHD?

Author’s content used under license, © 2011 Claire Communications

Start small when trying to get more organized.  Pick one room, one stack of papers or one drawer to start.  There is temptation to tackle the whole office or house at once, but this typically adds to our stress level.  If you focus on one small step, maintaining it and moving on to the next small step, we are more likely to be successful in staying organized.

Here are some small steps to get you started…

Colors

Set up simple file folders that work for you. Label them in bright colors and use them!  Color code to prioritize email by the sender. This way, you can see emails from your priority customers, family members and bosses first. Taking care of priority emails will help keep your email organized.

Schedule It

Make an appointment with yourself to organize. Spend 30 minutes or less at first. Any more time can get overwhelming. If you have ADHD and can make hyperfocus work to your advantage, you might want to plan ahead and schedule a block of a few hours in one day. Check in with yourself – how much time works best for you?

Timers

When you start organizing, set timers to sound 10 minutes before you need to move to your next assignment. Use these 10 minutes to clean up your current organizing project.

Systematize

Set up a simple system for yourself when going through mail whether at home or the office. Give yourself a few options such as File, Toss, Do and Delegate. If you have trouble setting up a system for yourself, hire a coach or partner with a friend to figure out a system that works for YOU.

Motivate

Identify a reward for yourself when you accomplish a small organizing goal. Anything that will keep you going and that is affordable for you is a good idea.

Focus

I know it can be hard to focus on eliminating disorder when you have ADHD.  You would not have this challenge if it was easy!  To limit distractions when you are getting organized, turn off your computer and don’t answer the phone.  This will help you focus on your organizing goals, which will allow you to complete them sooner.

Let me know below which of these tips you will implement to help you reach your deadlines!