Posts
I recently published my first article on EzineArticles.com. The article was about 5 strategies for successfully living with ADHD. Please read the excerpt below:
"If you recently were diagnosed with ADHD then you may be confused. You probably are asking a multitude of questions such as "What is ADHD?", "Does this mean I am disabled?", or "How will this affect my life?" For adults, receiving this diagnosis can be even more confusing. After all, this is a child's disease, right? I was diagnosed at 27 years old. I found these 5 steps critical to successfully living with ADHD."
You can read the full article on EzineArticles.com at ADHD - 5 Steps to Successful Living.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
ADHD Book Review: Answers To Distraction
ADHD brings with it a multitude of questions. When I was first diagnosed, I questioned everything about my life. I wanted to know, “Would I have to be on medicine for the rest of my life?”, “Which of my habits and traits are due to ADHD?”, “Will I be able to hold a job?”, “Will I be able to lead a successful life?” The third book in our list answers many of these questions. Read full article entitled ADHD Book Review: Answers To Distraction.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
You are NOT the Only One with ADHD!
Being diagnosed with ADHD can be similar to being diagnosed with any major disease. Often, a diagnosis of ADHD can make you feel isolated and alone. Dr. Kenny Handelman recently released some international statistics on ADHD. Dr. Handelman found that an average of 3.5% of the world's workforce has ADHD. The numbers vary by country from 2.7% to over 12%. I found this article very interesting because it proves that ADHD is not as isolated as once believed. You can read Dr. Handelman's complete article here.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Top 10 ADHD Artiles on Associated Content
I am very vocal about the level of ignorance surrounding ADHD. I recently was searching through ADHD articles on Associated Content. Associated Content is a site for freelance writers. Upon submission every article is reviewed by an editor. Editorial review is why I enjoy this site so much. I found articles that were very educational and some that obviously were written by a very ignorant person. I recently wrote an article reviewing the top 10 ADHD articles on Associated Content. Click here to read the article.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
ADHD and Planning
Planning especially prioritizing is difficult for most people. Few are born natural planners. Doubt me? Just take a walk through the self help section of your local bookstore. Teaching people to prioritize, plan, and manage projects is a multi-billion dollar industry. When you add ADHD the equation becomes much more complicated.
I have struggled with organization and time management most of my adult life. Long before I was diagnosed with ADHD. I did not understand why time management was so difficult. I went to the same classes as my co-workers. I bought the same planning systems. Yet, months later many were experiencing organizational success and my planner was gathering dust on a shelf.
I searched everywhere for an answer. I bought additional books. My personal self help library is over 500 books. I bought any planning system I could think of. Each time they would work for a short period of time but eventually would sit on the shelf. It was not until several years later that I would be diagnosed. It was like a light bulb clicked in my head. It was the missing piece of the organizational puzzle.
I have focused much of my ADHD research into the area of planning, organization, and time management. I have went from feeling like a failure and rarely finishing a project to being well on the way to my college degree and a successful professional. I am not any better than anyone else with ADHD. I just resigned myself to one fact, "my mind works differently and conventional systems do not work".
If the mold does not fit, change the mold.
Once I realized that conventional organizational systems did not work, I decide to devise my own system. I did not throw out what I had learned about conventional systems. I decided to merely tailor the existing systems. It is definently a work in progress. I would like to share with you my knowledge as it stands today, what I have learned, what has worked, and what has not. I call them my truths to ADHD planning.
Space does not allow me to explain each ADHD Planning Truth in one posting. I already tried and it would end up a book. Instead, I am making this the first in a series. I have listed each of the ADHD truths below. I will explain each truth in detail with a following article.
ADHD Planning Truths:
I have struggled with organization and time management most of my adult life. Long before I was diagnosed with ADHD. I did not understand why time management was so difficult. I went to the same classes as my co-workers. I bought the same planning systems. Yet, months later many were experiencing organizational success and my planner was gathering dust on a shelf.
I searched everywhere for an answer. I bought additional books. My personal self help library is over 500 books. I bought any planning system I could think of. Each time they would work for a short period of time but eventually would sit on the shelf. It was not until several years later that I would be diagnosed. It was like a light bulb clicked in my head. It was the missing piece of the organizational puzzle.
I have focused much of my ADHD research into the area of planning, organization, and time management. I have went from feeling like a failure and rarely finishing a project to being well on the way to my college degree and a successful professional. I am not any better than anyone else with ADHD. I just resigned myself to one fact, "my mind works differently and conventional systems do not work".
If the mold does not fit, change the mold.
Once I realized that conventional organizational systems did not work, I decide to devise my own system. I did not throw out what I had learned about conventional systems. I decided to merely tailor the existing systems. It is definently a work in progress. I would like to share with you my knowledge as it stands today, what I have learned, what has worked, and what has not. I call them my truths to ADHD planning.
Space does not allow me to explain each ADHD Planning Truth in one posting. I already tried and it would end up a book. Instead, I am making this the first in a series. I have listed each of the ADHD truths below. I will explain each truth in detail with a following article.
ADHD Planning Truths:
- ADHD is not a mental disorder
- Quit Trying to Focus
- Keep a Master Task List
- Free flow is important
- Daily Planning will Kill You
- Change Things Up
- The System is Never Finished
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
MySpace for ADHD!!
Social networking is crucial for human development. Everyone wants to have friends and feel those connections. A fact that has led to the growth of social networks such as Myspace.com, ning.com, etc. But, people do not want to just connect. They want to connect with people with who they share common ground.
People with ADHD are no different. Infact, we often have a heightened desire for human connections. Many doctors and researchers speculate this is because people with ADHD have difficulty in social situations. You think! Ok, I was being sarcastic. But, I find it funny that people making treatement regimes often do not have the condition. Oops, getting off track again. Anyway, ADHD causes our minds to constantly want to get to the point, get done, and get on to the next thing. The basis of the attention deficits belief. We do not naturally make small talk well.
No one realizes this more than people with ADHD. That is why one such person, an author who has ADHD started Adder World. Adder World was started by Bryan Hutchinson author of One Boy's Struggle: A Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD. Bryan has created a site where ADHD can be openly discussed without judgement or misconceptions.
I have come to greatly value my interactions on Adder World. I have met some wonderful people on this new social website. I have been able to speak directly with some very knowledgeable ADHD practitioners. My friends list includes Nancy Ratey an accomplished author and ADHD practitioner but also the wife of John Ratey. I personally credit John Ratey's book Driven to Distraction for changing my life.
Adder World provides motivation. Once you enter the site, it does not take long for you to realize the heights of achievment that can come with ADHD and the level of compassion for your fellow man that it fosters. Everyone on ADHD is more than willing to answer questions. Sometimes you may have to wait a little while, hey we do have ADHD after all and are juggling many projects. But, you will see how positive most people with ADHD are.
Whether you personally have ADHD, have a friend with the condition, think you may have ADHD, or want to support your spouse come on by. You will learn more about the condition, how other people are coping with it, and make some friends that will bend over backwards to help. Feel free to add me to your friends list.
People with ADHD are no different. Infact, we often have a heightened desire for human connections. Many doctors and researchers speculate this is because people with ADHD have difficulty in social situations. You think! Ok, I was being sarcastic. But, I find it funny that people making treatement regimes often do not have the condition. Oops, getting off track again. Anyway, ADHD causes our minds to constantly want to get to the point, get done, and get on to the next thing. The basis of the attention deficits belief. We do not naturally make small talk well.
No one realizes this more than people with ADHD. That is why one such person, an author who has ADHD started Adder World. Adder World was started by Bryan Hutchinson author of One Boy's Struggle: A Memoir: Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD. Bryan has created a site where ADHD can be openly discussed without judgement or misconceptions.
I have come to greatly value my interactions on Adder World. I have met some wonderful people on this new social website. I have been able to speak directly with some very knowledgeable ADHD practitioners. My friends list includes Nancy Ratey an accomplished author and ADHD practitioner but also the wife of John Ratey. I personally credit John Ratey's book Driven to Distraction for changing my life.
Adder World provides motivation. Once you enter the site, it does not take long for you to realize the heights of achievment that can come with ADHD and the level of compassion for your fellow man that it fosters. Everyone on ADHD is more than willing to answer questions. Sometimes you may have to wait a little while, hey we do have ADHD after all and are juggling many projects. But, you will see how positive most people with ADHD are.
Whether you personally have ADHD, have a friend with the condition, think you may have ADHD, or want to support your spouse come on by. You will learn more about the condition, how other people are coping with it, and make some friends that will bend over backwards to help. Feel free to add me to your friends list.
A View of an ADHD Life
Many people think that they know what ADHD is. After all, is it not an inability to pay attention? Such a hurtful misconception has led to even more dangerous stereotypes. The most dangerous is that ADHD is a disability. ADHD is a very valuable gift. If a person learns to manage the challenges and accentuate the positives. That is why I started this blog.
Many people with ADHD are reluctant to talk about it. This reluctance allows the general populations view to go unchallenged. I am not saying that most people are stupid or incapable of understanding ADHD. ADHD is just a very complex disease and many publications on the subject are made from a very clinical point of view.
I want to continue reversing this trend. Thankfully, this trend is changing. In recent years, we have seen more celebrities be open about their own diagnosis. In 2008 Ty Pennington reported that he had been diagnosed with ADHD in college. I am very open about my own diagnosis. I also have seen the blessing that openness can bring. People do not pity you or look down on you. Instead, I have had them say things like "Man, I did not know someone with ADHD could do so well" or "that explains why you can handle so many projects". Remaining open about ADHD and explaining how it feels will educate other people.
I see this blog as the greatest level of transparency. I want to give everyone a complete view of an ADHD life. This blog will not be a clinical or research view of ADHD. I want to share as much of my life as possible. No, I will not post anything about my sex life, etc. But, I will post the different projects I am working on, how I educate myself about this condition, resources that I find helpful, and any personal coping mechanisms that I develop.
I believe that regular readers will be surprised. They will be surprised at the level of motivation that comes with ADHD. How much this condition pushes a person to "push the envelope" living on the outer edge of his/her abilities. Oh, we are so much more than attention deficits. I hope you will walk with me and let me know what you think.
Many people with ADHD are reluctant to talk about it. This reluctance allows the general populations view to go unchallenged. I am not saying that most people are stupid or incapable of understanding ADHD. ADHD is just a very complex disease and many publications on the subject are made from a very clinical point of view.
I want to continue reversing this trend. Thankfully, this trend is changing. In recent years, we have seen more celebrities be open about their own diagnosis. In 2008 Ty Pennington reported that he had been diagnosed with ADHD in college. I am very open about my own diagnosis. I also have seen the blessing that openness can bring. People do not pity you or look down on you. Instead, I have had them say things like "Man, I did not know someone with ADHD could do so well" or "that explains why you can handle so many projects". Remaining open about ADHD and explaining how it feels will educate other people.
I see this blog as the greatest level of transparency. I want to give everyone a complete view of an ADHD life. This blog will not be a clinical or research view of ADHD. I want to share as much of my life as possible. No, I will not post anything about my sex life, etc. But, I will post the different projects I am working on, how I educate myself about this condition, resources that I find helpful, and any personal coping mechanisms that I develop.
I believe that regular readers will be surprised. They will be surprised at the level of motivation that comes with ADHD. How much this condition pushes a person to "push the envelope" living on the outer edge of his/her abilities. Oh, we are so much more than attention deficits. I hope you will walk with me and let me know what you think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)