The ADHD Guide to Naturally Flowing, ‘Normal’ Conversations

March 13, 2020. It was Popcorn Friday at my kids’ elementary school. I stood in front of a well-used popcorn machine that morning with two other moms and filled countless small wax paper bags for the hundreds of students at our school. Eventually, we ran out of kernels, so I quickly drove to a local store for more. On my way to check out, I snagged a lone six-pack of toilet paper sitting on an end cap. I had heard about a toilet paper shortage and hadn’t had time to make my usual Costco run. I also knew that our upcoming Spring Break would be part of a “two weeks to flatten the curve” effort for something that was being called COVID-19, and I definitely did not want to run out while we hunkered down. I felt dutifully prepared and confident when I brought that six-pack of toilet paper home.

For as long as I could remember, words were always trapped inside my head. I was always the quiet one. The silent one everyone forgot about or overlooked. At home, I spent my time alone in my room with my cats. People often talked about me as if I was deaf and could not hear them simply because I did not speak. They asked others if I could speak instead of asking me.

Dear Mandie,

Author Joan Didion, who passed away in December of last year, wrote the following in her book, “A Year of Magical Thinking,” after the unexpected, sudden death of her husband, John Dunne:

Lizzo swearing it’s her secret for success, manifestation is certainly having its moment. And after a few years of feeling so out of control, it only makes sense that a practice that teaches that you are in the driver’s seat of your own life would be trending (even above #fetapasta and #dogsoftiktok, thank you very much).

A few weeks ago I launched my startup. It took exactly 12 months from the initial idea until the moment I saw my app in the App Store. And these were some of the most challenging, fun and exciting 12 months of my whole life.Before we dive deeper, a quick disclaimer.

My battle with an eating disorder began when I was 20 years old and in nursing school. Really, I had had disordered eating from a very young age, but it didn’t become a diagnosable problem until I was 20. When I was very young, around 7 years old, my mother put me on diets, introduced obsessive thinking towards weight, calories, exercise, and constantly shamed me for my eating habits and made me feel as though the body I had wasn’t good enough.

If you’re in your mid-20s, you may never want to think about the awkwardness of your “puberty” years ever again. But did you know that many adults experience a “second puberty” in their mid-20s? As you reach the middle of your 20s, your metabolism may slow down, which can lead to changes in your body shape and size that will ultimately usher you into your “adult” body. These changes can feel difficult and unexpected, especially if you live with an eating disorder or battle body dysmorphia.

I ran. It conjures up someone sleeping rough, someone fleeing from a dangerous situation,  grabbing only a few items.

Discover how being defensive almost ruined my relationship and learn how to manage your defensiveness.

“It’s one of the great paradoxes of the human condition—we ask some variation of the question ‘How are you feeling?’ over and over, which would lead one to assume that we attach some importance to it.  And yet we never expect or desire—or provide—an honest answer.” ~Mark Brackett, Ph.D., 

Everyone is busy with work, gym, extra tasks, and house chores. These errands make it easy to forget about the small things essential for improving the overall quality of life. Nowadays, you will encounter some adults with an unfulfilling and unsustainable quality of life because of how they choose to spend their time.

The availability of information has never been higher. With the advent of the internet, there is a world of knowledge at your fingertips.

I have Crohn’s disease. I was diagnosed in February of 2021, so I am coming up on a year of clarity about my health.

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Q: Competition in my field has gotten tight over the past few years. has leveled the playing field. At my age, it’s all really overwhelming, and I don’t know if I can keep up.

Q: “My 14-year-old daughter bores easily, especially when she studies. I would like her to use other studying methods, but she really only likes and uses study guides. Do you have any tips for making study guides more fun so she doesn’t burn out?” – StudyMomHi StudyMom:It’s wonderful that your daughter found a study tool that works for her and she likes using.

Q: My son has always had an IEP for learning disabilities and ADHD, but the four-year college he’ll be attending next year is requiring a new evaluation. My friend’s daughter attends a local community college, and they accepted her testing and gave her accommodations based on her high school IEP.

January 31, 2022 COVID-19 has disproportionately damaged the lives and behaviors of children with ADHD, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.1 Though children with ADHD are no more likely than their peers to test positive for COVID-19, they are more likely to experience pandemic-related sleep problems, family conflict, fear of infection, and academic setbacks, the research found.A groundbreaking study on the broader mental health implications of the pandemic, the research examined 620 youth with ADHD and 614 individually matched controls who participated in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study to determine their risk for COVID-19 and their differing experiences with pandemic life, among other factors.Though their caregivers reported observing significantly more COVID-19 symptoms, children with ADHD were no more likely to test positive for COVID-19 than were children without the disorder.  When compared to controls, children with ADHD were more likely to break rules related to COVID-19 restrictions and to experience the following:No significant differences were found between the two groups regarding using screens, engaging in physical exercise, and following a daily schedule.The authors of the study found that children with ADHD were less responsive to protective environmental variables like parental monitoring and school engagement, and they concluded that students with ADHD may need more specialized support during in-person school.

January 26, 2022Memory is impaired in both older adults with ADHD and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, distinctions do exist; those with MCI experience a storage deficit (indicated by relatively smaller hippocampi) and those with ADHD encounter an encoding deficit (indicated by frontal lobe thinning.) This finding comes from a new study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders that also found reason to question previous findings that ADHD may be a risk factor for dementia.1ADHD is not well-recognized in older adults, in part because patients’ cognitive difficulties are often mistaken for MCI.

Pain, especially chronic pain, can make your life harder, reduce your productivity and impact numerous parts of your life. While there are medications to help manage and relieve pain, they come with unwanted side effects such as dependency and withdrawal. Natural pain relief options, on the other hand, are inexpensive, easy to try, and do […]

If we’re not challenged, we get bored — and boredom is kryptonite for a person with ADHD. Second, it must be an activity that captivates us, that enchants us, and that is in our wheelhouse.For many of us, it happens in childhood — we fall in love with an idea, with cars, with a person, with a sport, with a musical instrument, with a subject or an activity, with a figure in history, with a book, with a particular cuisine, with a place in nature, with an animal, with geometry or math proofs, with arguments or poetry, or with a single blade of saw grass — and it changes our life.[Set Your ADHD Brain on Fire]Our wheelhouse is the repository of all that we love — all the people, activities, ideas, bicycles, and bolts that combine to create our own particular garden of delights.

sleep problems are practically the rule, not the exception, for this group. It’s an issue that frustrates and concerns many parents, who come to me after they’ve run out of ideas for getting their child to fall and stay asleep.Here are some strategies — from fundamental sleep hygiene habits to ideas for quieting a racing mind and more — that I’ve found particularly helpful in getting children with ADHD to sleep soundly.[Get This Download: Sound Sleep Solutions for Kids with ADHD]Many children with ADHD have trouble slowing down their brain enough to fall asleep.

leading summer programs to explain the strategies they use to hone kids’ social, behavioral, and academic skills. Here are their tactics for you to try at home.1. Host a game or project hour. “Invite over a very small group — one or two friends — rather than a large group that’s going to overwhelm.

Not available February 22? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.Tips and strategies for overcoming ADHD challenges abound, and they often work. But what about when they don’t?Should we assume the strategy is wrong or ineffective? Or probe deeper and question whether the real problem is buried in the root cause of the challenge? This is when “aha insights” about the ADHD brain can reveal important truths and move you forward.

sensory overload is exhausting. It impacts our sense of wellbeing — we don’t seem to glide through life easily as others do. And we never know what will trigger us on any given day.The good news is there are plenty of ways to manage our sensitivities and lessen — or even prevent — sensory overload.

Q: “I have multiple checking and savings accounts for personal use and for two small businesses. I do not know a great way to keep these accounts balanced. I have been using the old-fashioned techniques of pencil and pen in my registers, but it takes me half a day to complete for all my accounts.

I recently read this article from The Child Mind Institute addressing two common conditions that often get mistaken for each other: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and trauma. As someone who has been diagnosed with both, I found it quite validating to see how similar the two are, and reflected on how they both manifest differently and similarly in my life.

Phones have made our lives a lot easier. We can communicate with people worldwide; we can do research and stay in touch with friends and families much easier now. But as convenient as modern technology is, it does come at a price. That’s where phone plans come into play. The phone you purchased came with an instruction booklet that shows different phone plans or providers that you can choose from. So what are phone plans? How do they work? What factors should be considered when selecting phone plans?

depression and anxiety, then having to be hospitalised for anorexia. Alongside those conditions though, there was always something else going on too.

download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.Interoceptive exposure therapy can be helpful in the treatment of panic and anxiety disorders and phobias.“This technique involves the planned and predictable confrontation of one’s own feared object or situation” and intentionally exposes clients to the bodily sensations they typically experience at that time (McCabe & Milosevic, 2015, p.

When people ask, “Why are you sad?” there is no answer. I shrug my shoulders. The reason is there is no reason.

It had been a long day. We had spent most of the day working outside, helping my sister get her flowerbeds ready, and I was beat. Our plan was to go home, clean up, and come back for dinner. When we got home and cleaned up, I was exhausted. She called me and asked if we were heading over. After a pause, I said, “I’m just too tired, I think we will skip tonight and catch you later in the week. I love you. Bye.” And with one sentence, I missed the last opportunity I would have to spend time with her.

January 20, 2021Just 19% of American youth diagnosed with ADHD are receiving medication treatment, according to a review and meta-analysis published in The Journal of Attention Disorders.1 Findings from the study suggest that, for every overtreated or improperly treated American youth, there are three more undertreated youths with ADHD.The study rose from a debate over whether pharmacological treatment for youths with ADHD is overused or underused in the U.S. Researchers screened more than 25,000 potentially relevant studies, and retained 36 studies of 104,305 individuals.

so ADHD,” people say. “I just can’t get it together today.”“Oooh, look, a squirrel!”“Doesn’t everyone have ADHD these days?”You’ve probably heard flip comments like these. I have.

college students (many of whom have ADHD) that there’s a tendency to skim through course syllabi.Even though most courses are on the college’s Learning Management System (LMS), it’s still important to actually read the syllabus closely before your first lecture. The few minutes spent on this will help you avoid a lot of unpleasant surprises and oversights.

Making espresso coffee at home can be a daunting task. It requires precision, practice, and the right tools. But with this guide, you’ll have all the information you need to make the best espresso coffee right in the comfort of your own home.

And if you want even more inspirational quotes for the difficult times then check out this post with quotes for when life is hard and this one with timeless tips for overcoming adversity.“Every day that we wake up is a good day. Every breath that we take is filled with hope for a better day.

January 18, 2021A Cogmed working memory training program modified for youth with ADHD improves self-esteem in participants, but it does not reliably improve ADHD symptoms, according to a recent Journal of Attention Disorders study.1Though previous research has found that working memory training programs like Cogmed improve performance on closely related working memory tasks, the duration of these gains remained unclear and benefits did not appear to extend to other domains of function. Researchers for the present study suggested that the standard Cogmed protocol for youth was potentially too taxing for the ADHD brain, and sought to explore the potential effectiveness of a modified Cogmed training program.A group of 40 youth with ADHD underwent modified Cogmed training (MCT) or treatment as usual (CON).

Not available February 17? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.Sometimes, adults with ADHD react with intense emotion when things don’t go according to expectations.

Not available January 19? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.Do you set unrealistic goals and worry about disappointing others? Are your personal expectations based on “shoulds” instead of your known strengths and interests? Does this result in shame and low self-esteem?These behaviors point to a cycle of perfectionism, an unhealthy insistence on personal flawlessness that increases anxiety and holds you back from the natural process of learning that’s part of daily living.

Managers and organizational leaders are taking notice.Looking to put a positive spin on your workplace? This ultimate guide combines research and resources into an actionable toolkit you can use to embed the principles of positive psychology in your office today.Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free. These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.Positive psychology at work addresses a range of phenomena in the work context and work–home interface.

anxiety and depression “pits”—paralyzed by thinking about all the tasks I “should” have been doing for my job and my community and church involvement—but wasn’t. Feeling so inadequate about myself. The pit was deep.

What now?The school may have ideas for managing your child’s behaviors. But management alone is not enough. To truly and effectively help a child with school behavior problems, you must teach them new skills to ultimately reduce interfering behaviors.

bad listener or worse, someone who doesn’t care. But I absolutely do care! I want to hear the rest of their story!As an extrovert, I fill the room and like to make people laugh, and two pints down I’m on a roll, ready to entertain. But by the end of my show, it feels like people sometimes are tired of me.[Read This: “The Rules of Conversation Mystify My ADHD Brain.

relaxed or at ease in the company of others.In junior high, a group of the most popular girls called each other every night to hash over the school day and gossip. My best friend was in this group, and while I was comfortable talking with her, I felt awkward talking on the phone with anyone else. For example, the first and only time I talked on the phone with “Judy” I knew I was expected to talk to her for one hour or more.

force myself to be as neurotypical as possible. I would sit and stare at a blank document for hours, reminding myself over and over about the assignment’s importance. I would force myself to be friends with people who got angry at me for being unable to read social situations because I was sure I would see those cues someday.

Missed deadlines, perpetual lateness, underestimating how long a task actually takes — people with ADHD have many admirable traits, but time management acumen is rarely one of them.This behavior is not intentional; many ADHD brains have two switches: “now” and “not now.” Couple that with weak executive functioning skills, poor working memory, and rampant time blindness, and it becomes clear why time’s not on our side.Here, ADDitude readers battle that by sharing the time-management solutions that work best for them. Try one (or all), and share your own hacks in the Comments section below.[Get This Free Download: 19 Ways to Meet Deadlines and Get Things Done]“The Waze app will tell me when to leave if I schedule a drive in advance with arrival time noted.