#100
You probably know that studies have found a link between diet & ADHD. Kids especially are affected by the kinds of foods they eat, but even adults shouild be watching what they put into their bodies. That said, I love Cheetos. To be “good”, I’ve been buying “natural” cheetos. You laughing yet? Imagine my shock when I discovered that I got suckered in by some good marketing – good, “natural” (as the packaging described them) Cheetos do not exist. Are you reading those labels??
#99
ADHD can be hard on relationships. First, your friend/spouse/co-worker might not understand how the ADHD mind works & draw completely wrong assumptions about your behavior. Second, your low self-esteem could be sabotaging even the best relationships because you’ve come to believe that you’re just not good enough. What can you do?
1. Do not be ashamed to speak up and tell people that you have ADHD. Don’t joke about it (too much!). Ask the other person to hear you out and to reserve their judgment. Bring a printout that lists ADHD characteristics and show the other person. Plant the seed. This is just the beginning of helping educate them about ADHD and what it means to be in a relationship with someone who has it.
2. Sometimes, esp. if you are ashamed and have low self-esteem, it really is crucial to talk to a professional counselor. Some of us ADHDers have lived through years of being told we’re no good: lazy, stupid, irresponsible – those scars go deep. You need to get all that negativity OUT. Please!?
3. Always remember that ALL relationships require work. Some more than others, true, but all the same. Commit to the idea that you want to have healthy relationships. That you deserve to have them and that you can make it happen. As the other person starts “getting” you more, continue working on yourself and building yourself and the other person up. Positive synergy!! That is where it’s at! 🙂
#98
Having a hard time staying still and paying attention in class or youth group or business meetings? Get yourself a “fidget” or two. A fidget is a small object that keeps your hands busy & allows your mind to focus better. My favorite is the tangle, though for best results, I need to switch fidgets on a regular basis (to keep things fresh!) What your favorite fidget?
#97
Is your child obsessed w/certain things yet doesn’t seem to be able to complete a simple task? Here in ADHD-land we call that “hyperfocus” (unless it’s OCD and then it’s a different matter). Snapping someone out hyperfocus is no easy task, and failing to do so is not just willful disobedience on their part. Allow time for the transition & go into the situation hanging onto your temper. 🙂
People in hyperfocus mode lose all sense of time and schedules – which is terribly frustrating if YOU are on a schedule. To prevent hyperfocus from occurring, it’s a good idea to discuss ahead of time when a particular activity must come to… an end and a new one is to begin. Use a timer. Sometimes, you will physicially need to place yourself between the person in hyperfocus and the thing they are “obsessed” with ie. TV, video game, computer. Offer up something else that they enjoy to help the transition or a reward of some kind if they are able to break the focus within a certain time frame.
On the flip side, hyperfocus can lead to some amazing achievements. In adults especially if there is good direction, hyperfocus can be time of intense creativity and production. The key is to learn how to control it to make it work for you.
#96
What kid likes to do chores? ADHD or not, chores are no fun. If you want to get your kid (spouse?!) to do theirs, then make it a game or a competition. Have prizes and rewards & make a big deal when a chore is done. Be proud and brag about the completed tasks. Add some sparkle to the job & your child will be more likely to get it done. Change things up to keep the sparkle… well… sparkly. 🙂
I know that EVERY chore can’t be made fun, but maybe do something special with the ones they dislike or struggle with the most. Let me know how else you motivate your children/students/spouses. 🙂
#95
Lots of sleepless ADHDers out there by the sounds of it! I admit that I sometimes have trouble falling asleep myself. I’m going to give you MY list of dos and don’ts as well a link to an article about getting better rest at night.
Don’ts:
INCOSISTENCY WITH BEDTIME: Go to bed at a set time – not too early, not too late. If I stay up too late, I miss my window for a good night of sleep. When I let myself get too tired, I lack the power to ignore and set aside my thoughts.
NAPS: If I take even a quick power nap, I’m usually too energetic to feel compelled to go to bed and the cycle of the 3am bed-time continues. The best thing for me is to make sure I just stay awake and get to bed a bit earlier.
LATE EATING: What I battle the most is eating too late. When we eat late our bodies are busy digesting while we sleep. Those days you wake up tired, but slept all night, you might want to see when and what you ate the night before.
Do’s
GOOD MATTRESS: Make sure you have a good mattress. Good ones are costly but yet worth every penny and really help with getting quality sleep. When you figure that a person spends over 2500 hours a year in bed, investing the right mattress is pretty important.
AMBIENT NOISE: The fan is key for me. I need ambient noise in the room to soothe my mind. Find what works for you. It might be music, or guided meditation on CD or wind chimes or something. My PR manager who has ADHD as well, says that the sound of a dog cleaning itself puts her to sleep (LOL) just kidding!
EXERCISE: Get your body nice and tired. If you have a child who struggles with sleep then perhaps you’re not wearing them out enough. Too many kids spend more time watching TV and playing video games than running around – get them off the couch!
READING: Reading for most ADHD people is a challenge. Don’t know about you, but nothing puts me to sleep faster than reading material about ADHD Meds and treatments. All that medical speak. 😀 Don’t pick up something you know you’ll get sucked into. Save those Eclipse books for another time.
#94
Q&A w/Ben! ADHD is a complicated subject, controversial even, so this week I would love to get some questions from you about ADHD & try to give you some helpful answers. I’m not going to be able to give you medical advice, but I may be able to point you in the right direction. Let’s have some fun! Unleash the questions!
#92
If your child has ADHD, have you set up a meeting with your child’s teacher or at least written a note to him/her letting them know about it and explaining some of their challenges? One of the most important steps to your child’s scholastic success is a relationship of trust with your child’s teachers.
#91
Plan for a successful day tomorrow, by preparing for it tonight. Start routines that will help you have everything ready to go
in the morning. Lay out your clothes. Pack you bag. Charge you phone. Plan your breakfast. Make a to-do list of important things that need to get done the next day. Set the alarm clock and get to bed early. Have a great day tomorrow!
#90
Where would we be without calendars? I love to use the Google calendar because it’s color coordinated, fun and I can check it one my Droid, but you might want to get one of those gigantic, plastic, write-on-with-erasable-marker type calendars and hang it where everyone can see it. A great way to stay organized!
#89
The first place I like to start cleaning is my closet, getting rid of all the chalk-stained, ripped and shrunken-in-the-dryer items. Nothing worse than showing up at an event & discovering that i have a big stain on my shirt or that my socks are showing. The nice thing is that for my efforts i like to reward myself by buying NEW clothes. 😀
I am a big believer in the “dress for success” philosophy and that dressing well can be a big confidence booster. I’m way past school cliques and peer pressure, yet if what I’m wearing & how I look affects my attitude, I can only imagine ho…w kids having a closet that’s back-to-school ready is kind of a big deal. Speaking of deals, I know that money is tight for most parents, so here are some deals and coupons that I found for you guys. Now that’s love!
#88
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden
For the last week, I have been working on another book. Here’s the funny thing, I cannot spell, my grammar stinks and I struggle with reading…and this is my fifth book! Thank God for spell check and editors! Don’t let anything get in the way of you accomplishing the things you want to accomplish. Where there’s a will, there’s away! 🙂 Have a great weekend everyone!
#87
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” John Wooden
I have mentioned before that I enjoy cooking. There was a time when I thought I might turn in my cooking apron (and yes real men wear aprons) because of some real bad turkey gravy. WOW did I mess that gravy up good. I thought for sure my wife would never eat another meal I made. After my wife got over her majorly upset stomach I was surprised that she asked me a few days later what I was making for dinner. I said, “you sure you want to eat my cooking again?” She said, “So you messed up once, now you know what not to make!” When it comes to cooking I’m still a doer! 😀
#86
A very late in the day (What can i say, I’ve been working my tail off here at the YCM conference in TN. 🙂 “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”
This quote reminds me of the time I set my house on fire. I blame my wife! She had me remodel our 2nd floor bathroom years back while I was off my medication. I cut some corners because I got impatient – Oh and to top it off, I also cut a supporting beam that kept the toilet from falling through the ceiling. A couple of years later, while remodeling the kitchen, a friend who is in the construction business pointed out my “oops”! Good thing too! Looked like that toilet was getting ready to plunge through the ceiling. 😀