October is Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD) Awareness Month. Many are familiar with the term “ADHD,” formerly known as “ADD.” The disorder is characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and difficulty regulating focus. However, many people are not familiar with why ADHD should be recognized and not dismissed as a made-up or exaggerated condition. This is why we have a month dedicated to bringing awareness to ADHD.
Practicing self-compassion can help you increase self-esteem, become more confident and less critical with yourself. Self-compassion is a positive self-view that involves relating to oneself with kindness and acceptance in times of difficulty, rather than criticizing, you look at your situation with compassion. Learn how to increase your self-esteem by practicing self-compassion.
Sometimes electronics can fail us. Sometimes the internet goes down. Sometimes the power blacks out. Sometimes your computer hard drive gives up the ghost. And sometimes those nifty calendars we put in the cloud that happily sync with our portable devices & home computers get eaten by server failure. What are we to do?
Something terrible happened to me on the inaugural eve of Apple’s iCloud service going live. Something catastrophic. Apple’s MobileMe servers hiccuped and ate all of my calendars.
Remember that sound Superman made when Lois Lane died in the classic 1979 movie? Mine was louder.
Sometimes electronics can fail us. Sometimes the internet goes down. Sometimes the power blacks out. Sometimes your computer hard drive gives up the ghost. And sometimes those nifty calendars we put in the cloud that happily sync with our portable devices & home computers get eaten by server failure. What are we to do?
There is a switch in our mind, sometimes cobweb covered and stiff with disuse, but it is clearly labeled MOTIVATION. Once we flick it into action, nothing can stop the ADHD adult with a purpose. We come on like an 18-wheeler charging down a mountainside without brakes.
Last week I wrote about how embarrassment can trigger ADHD clarity. I also wrote about how trauma can cause the same reaction. These shocks to our system can lift most of us into a higher state of awareness. This is one major reason why many folks who experience a close call with death often experience life-changing adjustments in attitude and purpose. Think of how lucky you are to have ADHD. You can experience this clarity of purpose almost weekly as you blunder about your life being embarrassed by your boneheaded actions.
But how long does the hyperfocus last for you? Are you able to utilize it to move your life and projects forward, or is it just another strong emotion you experience then instantly forget as you
Ohmigosh! iOS5 is available for download now? Clickity click, man!
Sometimes strong emotions like embarrassment can give an Adult with ADHD hyperfocus and clarity. Learning to take advantage of that clarity can turn ADHD from a downside into an upside. After all, think of all the opportunities you’ll have to beclown yourself in life!
Sometimes strong emotions like embarrassment can give an Adult with ADHD hyperfocus and clarity. Learning to take advantage of that clarity can turn ADHD from a downside into an upside. After all, think of all the opportunities you’ll have to beclown yourself in life!
Lots of folks have memory issues, but none with as much daily flare as adults with ADHD. If we’re not getting on the wrong bus or heading east from Cape Cod to get to California, we’re confusing meeting times AND places several times in a row. It’s almost like we’re wired to get fired.
Lots of folks have memory issues, but none with as much daily flare as adults with ADHD. If we’re not getting on the wrong bus or heading east from Cape Cod to get to California, we’re confusing meeting times and places several times in a row. It’s almost like we’re wired to get fired.
The adult with ADHD can often lose track of time, especially when becoming hyperfocused on something like expressing their opinion online. If a blog or article sets me off, I will let myself write away, but when I am done I check to make sure I haven’t written too much. Sometimes I’ll edit it down to a manageable size. Many times I’ll just delete the whole thing and move on. I have found that there are moments when the comment isn’t worth the time it would take to edit it. Not every ADHD turd can be polished into a shiny comment. Sometimes it’s just a rambling turd.
I have been blogging for nearly seven years about ADHD. In that time, I have had many, many intelligent comments made on my articles. I’ve also had some doozies. I won’t reprint them here because I don’t want to embarrass anybody, but you’ve probably seen them and scratched your head. Some of them may have even been written by me.
Do you find you and your ADHD noggin leaping out of bed at all hours of the night to work on something you left unfinished or suddenly remembered? Or perhaps you race out of bed every time you come up with a new idea that ABSOLUTELY MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIFE THAT VERY SECOND. If so, today’s article is just for you.
Do you find you and your ADHD noggin leaping out of bed at all hours of the night to work on something you left unfinished or suddenly remembered? Or perhaps you race out of bed every time you come up with a new idea that ABSOLUTELY MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIFE THAT VERY SECOND. If so, today’s article is just for you.
Believe it or not, you truly can control your ADHD impulses and avoid being arrested for breaking and entering. All it takes is a few good thumps from the School of Hard Knocks to drive the lesson home, but even an air-headed dreamer such as myself can learn to avoid catastrophic lapses of impulse control.
Sometimes when life gets crazy and your ADHD mind seems determined to make the worst of your day, finding the humor in the situation is the only remedy you have left to keeping your spirits high.
Emily Roberts MA, LPC
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