Adolescent / Adult ADHD: 5 Ways to Take Control of Your Life
Do
you struggle with feelings of powerlessness or failure because of your
ADD/ADHD? You can make positive changes and take back control of your
life.
The first step in
managing ADHD
is making a mental switch — replacing one disabling idea with a more
accurate and empowering one. "People with ADHD have to get over feeling
ashamed," explains Barbara Luther, a master coach certified by the
International Coach Federation and the director of training at the ADD
Coaching Academy. "Because lots of ADHDers struggled as students and
have had
setbacks at work
— even losing jobs — it's easy to internalize a sense of yourself as a
screw-up." It's tough to take action from that psychological spot. Here
are six ways to take back control.
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Take pride in your mind. People with ADD/ADHD
have to learn that the way their brains work is not only not their
fault, it's not even a bad thing. Though they may sometimes lose focus,
they often have other gifts. "People with ADHD often have enormous
creative energy," says Blythe Grossberg, PsyD, and author of the books Making ADD Work and Test Success. People with ADHD have to learn to appreciate the strengths
of their brains and embrace their assets and resist the critical
inclination of our culture — i.e., the inner scolding fifth-grade
teacher we carry around in our heads. Any steps you take to manage your
ADHD will give you a sense of command.
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Commit to fitness. If you've got ADHD, add one
more benefit to the long list of reasons to exercise. Edward Hallowell,
MD, and John Ratey, MD, two leading experts on ADHD and coauthors of Delivered From Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life With Attention Deficit Disorder, argue that exercise is a kind of holistic version of the medications often used to treat ADHD.
"Both children and adults who have ADD should think of physical
exercise as a mainstay of their treatment program." Though the mechanism
of exactly how exercise helps is not clear — research shows that it can boost memory and cognitive processing speed.
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Nourish your attention. Just as exercise offers people with ADHD extra benefits, so does a healthful diet.
Hallowell and Ratey report that early indications are that omega-3
oils, or fish oils, may help those with ADHD increase their focus and
concentration. Fatty fish like salmon, along with walnuts, flaxseeds,
and flaxseed oil, are good additions to an ADHD diet. They also argue on
behalf of eating protein with breakfast to avoid ups and downs and
periods of high and low energy.
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Set reasonable goals. Hallowell and Ratey warn
against overreaching — trying for perfection in terms of organization
and attention. Instead, they argue for setting a more reachable goal —
aspire to be "well enough" organized. Even if you can't be great at
focus, you can work around your ADHD effectively enough to reach all
your goals, both professional and personal.
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Seek professional counsel. Commit to educating
yourself and getting the best advice available. The more you learn about
your disorder, the more you'll be able to see the pathways through its
challenges to the success you imagine. Taking action is, in itself,
empowering.
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