Last month, I shared my frustration with my ongoing procrastination in getting started on my monthly newsletter.  As a result, I said that I would work on the next newsletter for 30 minutes each day and promised to report back to you on how I did.  In keeping my promise,  I wrote the following article; 

Being held accountable REALLY DOES work. I definitely made more of an effort to spend time on the planning and preparation of this month’s Newsletter, due to my need to keep my promise of reporting back to you.  However, I did not spend 30 minutes each day, as originally planned and I made a point of noticing why and how that happened. Here’s what I discovered. I noticed that once I got started it was not a good idea to stop after only 30 minutes due to my ongoing difficulty   transitioning both in and out, while requiring sustained mental effort, planning and forethought.  As many of us know, not exactly an “ADD- user- friendly- activity. ”  However, what I did realize was that there were several tasks that I could easily transition in and out of in 30 minutes on a daily basis that were more appropriate for scheduling in this way.  These tasks were far more automatic and required a lot less organization and thought, such as sorting through the mail on automatic pilot.  

So, in conclusion, here’s what I learned about  procrastination and how this might be helpful to some of you;    Continue reading “What I Learned About Procrastination” »

I recently had a conversation with a friend in which I shared my frustration with being “under the gun” around writing my October Newsletter.  Now, I normally follow my own advice when it comes to procrastination, and I generally stay on top of my work load for the most part, but for some reason, no matter how good my intentions, miraculously, it seems that every month, the entire month “slips by”,  leading to a lot of self imposed pressure to get it done NOW.   Sound familiar?  Well, for many of us, with ADHD,  procrastination is an ongoing dilemma that seems to plague our lives and create a lot of unnecessary stress.  On my friend’s suggestion, I decided to share my  dilemma  with you, in the hope that I will not only find a solution for myself,  but help in better understanding the thought mechanism behind procrastination and how these thoughts influence our ability to achieve our goals.   Therefore, in working on my own goal to get my Newsletter done early each month, I have decided to block out  at least 30 minutes each day to do my writing.  I will let you  know next month,  how successful I am.  Since, I am generally the one holding my clients accountable for starting and completing projects,  you,  can now hold me accountable.  I promise to report back to you next month and let you know how I did on achieving this goal.  In addition, I am dedicating this month’s Newsletter to overcoming procrastination and achieving one’s goals. 

It has long been known that circus elephants have historically been trained to stay tethered to a post by attaching heavy chains to their legs when they are very young so that when they yank or pull at these chains, they are unable to break free.  Within a short amount of time, they give up trying, having learned that it is useless.   From that moment on, they no longer need a heavy chain to hold them because anytime they feel any resistance, no matter how heavy or light the chain, they give up trying, having incorporated the belief that they cannot succeed in breaking free.  This is regardless of the fact that, as they grow into adulthood, they have more than enough strength to pull out any restraint, break any chain and tear up the entire circus tent.  Elephants are pretty smart animals, but learned helplessness and a self limiting belief system creates the exact outcome the trainers want.  The elephants give up trying.  Although individuals with ADHD are not elephants, we  can easily draw the comparison and easily understand  that the biggest obstacle to achieving success, is our own self limiting beliefs.  For anyone,  especially those with ADHD, whose  early life experiences were most likely fraught with frustration, disappointment, and perhaps failure, one can see how easy it would be to create multitudes of distortions around what is true and possible,  while creating many self  limiting beliefs.  Therefore, breaking free from these negative beliefs, is probably the single most important step in reaching one’s goals and achieving success in life.  This article explores these self defeating thought patterns and provides insight into ways to change them. Continue reading “The Biggest Obstacle in Overcoming Procrastination and Achieving One’s Goals” »

By Leslie Rouder, LCSW Cht.

There has been a lot of research lately on the relationship between ADHD and eating disorders, as well as problems with obesity that would indicate that having ADHD may predispose individuals to difficulties regulating their weight.  In fact, a study done in 2004, found that 10% of individuals with ADHD suffered from an eating disorder at some point in their life time compared to the general population of .6 to 4.5 %.  In another study done at an obesity clinic in 2005, 58% of overweight teenagers were diagnosed with ADHD as opposed to 35.7% of the general population.  In looking at these numbers one might ask, what are the reasons for these differences and what do we do about it? In answer to those questions, I have written the following article.

Aristotle once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not act, but a habit.” However, when one has ADHD, developing healthy habits can be a big challenge due to problems with self-awareness, as well as self-regulation.  The 3 biggest problem areas facing individuals with ADHD that would affect one’s ability to maintain a healthy weight are the following;

1.  Difficulty with Planning and Organization

 Eating healthy food requires planning, making the time to shop for the right foods, and making the time to prepare one’s meals.  This can be tricky for someone with ADHD, due to difficulties with executive functioning, that could impair one’s ability to plan and organize one’s meals as well as one’s time in shopping and preparing them.  Very often individuals are juggling work, family and other social obligations and find that it is just easier to eat on the run, which could lead to fast food and poor food choices. 

       2. Difficulty with Self Awareness and Regulation

Being able to identify when one is actually hungry as well as satiated means one must be mindful.  Paying attention to one’s internal messages can be a challenge in the face of the many distractions and responsibilities an individual may have.  In addition, some individuals with ADHD have a tendency to hyper- focus which may lead to skipping meals only to find themselves starving and later overeating or binge eating as a result.  Another difficulty for many individuals with ADHD is in the ability to regulate ones sleeping habits.  Since getting enough sleep is vital to maintaining a healthy weight, for those individuals with ADHD, who find it difficult to fall asleep or cannot regulate their sleeping patterns so that they are well rested, lack of sleep adds to the challenge in maintaining a healthy weight.  In addition, many individuals with ADHD will often eat while studying, watching TV, or doing some other activity, not even paying attention how much food they are eating or the amount of calories they are actually consuming.   

       3. The Use of  Food to Self-Medicate

 Food is often an easy, fast way to alleviate stress, anger, sadness, loneliness or boredom, along with several other emotions that may come up in an individual’s life.  Since food is readily available, legal and provides immediate gratification, many individuals will reach for food to alleviate many of these emotions.  Sometimes individuals tell me that food helps them to stay focused and grounded while studying or before doing a boring or difficult task.  Boredom is a big problem for individuals with ADHD and can also add to the desire to use food to alleviate these feelings. Since individuals with ADHD have low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is responsible for the reward center of the brain, many will use food to help elevate these levels, while providing them a sense of satisfaction and pleasure.  

 How does one go about addressing the above issues that lead to problems with weight regulation?  Firstly, if you have an eating disorder, do seek help from an individual who is trained in treating this problem.  Make sure that this individual is also knowledgeable about ADHD and how that diagnosis may figure into the treatment protocol.  If you have an ongoing struggle to lose weight, work on developing good organizational and planning tools.  There are many great computer programs and APPS you can put on your iPhone or android to help with meal planning and shopping while out about.  Get in the habit of meditating and developing awareness around all your activities, as well as eating.  A great book on mindfulness is Dr. Lidia Zylowsak’s book entitled The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD.    It even comes with a CD that walks you through the meditation process.  Make a rule not to eat while doing other activities. If you have a tendency to hyper focus and skip meals, set an alarm to remind yourself that it is time to take a meal break.  If you are not on medication for your ADHD already, consider trying a medication regimen, which can be very helpful in keeping one’s attention and focus as well as lessen the tendency to be impulsive. If you are on medication, make sure you take it regularly and that it is working properly. Develop a daily exercise program including some form of cardio vascular exercise.  Work with an ADHD coach or counselor that can help you develop and stick with your routine and schedule. In seeking professional help, be sure that the clinician you are working with is knowledgeable about ADHD, since developing a treatment protocol without considering the specific challenges facing these individuals, can be detrimental to obtaining a successful treatment outcome. 

 If you want more help with ADHD, sign up for my free newsletter on my website and get your free tips to Overcoming Procrastination and Achieving Your Goals.  Go to: www.addadults.net. 

By Leslie Rouder, LCSW, CHt. 

Is the thought of getting ready for the holidays causing you stress or overwhelm? Are you feeling like you don’t know where to start? Keeping your home clutter-free and organized, especially around holiday time, can help alleviate some of the stress and overwhelm you may be feeling, especially when you have ADD. 

I put together a list of 3 important things you can do to keep your home clutter-free for the holidays, as well as all year round.

1.  Set up 4 different boxes and label each box with the following labels:

• Throw Away- these are items that are no longer needed.  This includes trash, but may also include things that are broken (and cannot be repaired) or items that no longer have any worth to you.
• Give Away- these are those items that can be re-cycled to someone that you know might enjoy having them, or donated to your favorite charity.
• Short term storage –these are those items that just need to be put back in their place in your home.  They are used often and have a location that is easy to find.
• Long term storage –these are those items that you use infrequently and need to store somewhere out of the way.  This could be in closets, attics, or garages.  Make sure to label each box so that when you need these items, they are easy to locate. Continue reading “3 Clutter-Clearing Tips for the Holidays” »

By Leslie Rouder, LCSW, CHt.

When I first thought of writing this post, it was with the idea of providing people with ADD ways to get back on track after unavoidable interruptions, since I was recently asked to address this problem in my blog postings.  But the more I really started thinking about all the possible answers, the more I realized that there is no best way to get back on track if you have ADD and are interrupted.  This is because interruptions may make completing a task or project extremely difficult (and nearly impossible) for many people with ADD  to get back on track in a timely fashion. Now I understand that this is not very comforting to hear, but it is often the reality of the situation.

According to what research has shown, the average person working in an office is interrupted approximately every 8 minutes. (That’s over 50 times per day) In addition, the average person (without ADHD) takes 5 minutes to recover. That is over 4 hours a day, spent being interrupted and recovering. It would seem to me that almost anyone living in this fast paced life style (with or without ADD) might feel rather unproductive and a bit frustrated with the amount of unforeseen interruptions one encounters throughout the day. For this reason, my best advice on the idea of  unavoidable interruptions is to find ways to avoid them.

So the next question is how?

• Make a list of what it is that you need to accomplish for the day.  Keep it to no more than 3 tasks.
• Block out a segment of time that you will require to do this.
• If you are in a distracting environment and can go elsewhere, find an alternative place that you can go to, where you will not be interrupted for this segment of time.  I have a client that goes to Denny’s (drinks several cups of excellent coffee) and studies for hours.  As an alternative, she will go to the beach and study by the ocean. 
• If you are at home or in your office, turn off cell phones, or any electronics that are not necessary to the completion of your task that may distract you.  Turn the volume off of your computer so that you are not hearing when new e mails arrive.  
• If you are in your office at work or at home, delegate tasks to others for the time segment that you have blocked out.  Put up a sign on your door saying “Do Not Disturb” and explain to your fellow workers or household members that you need their help in providing you this designated amount of uninterrupted time.
• Use either ear plugs to block out noise or use static noise, background music, or TV sounds to help you stay focused.  Some people do better with no sounds, while others need background noise.
• Keep plenty of water or snacks nearby, so that you do not get distracted by feeling thirsty or hungry while completing your work.
• Some people work better alone, while others work better with a “body double”. (Someone in the room with them, which helps keep them on track) Find what works best for you and do it. 

Although there is no perfect solution to avoiding interruptions, if you use some of the above suggestions, I am sure you will be amazed at how much more productive you can be.  If there are other suggestions that you have found helpful and would like to share, please let me know.  I would love to hear how you have handled unavoidable interruptions effectively in your life.