ADD "To Do" Checklist

The Checklist

Read! Start with one of the many books out there with a balanced view. "Driven To Distraction", by Dr. Edward Hallowell, "Out of the Fog", by Dr. Peter Murphy and Suzanne LeVert, or "Adult AD/HD", by Michele Novotni and Thomas A. Whiteman. All three will give you a clear overview of how ADD affects someone’s life.

Go online. Start with http://www.add.org, the website of the National Attention Disorder Association. This group has as it’s focus helping adults understand ADD, and has a wealth of resources to help on the journey of discovery. Also consider visiting Dr. Daniel Amen’s site, http://www.brainplace.com, and taking the online ADD and ADD subtype tests. While not a diagnosis, these surveys can help you decide if you need to research further. An incredible survey for women is found at http://www.addvance.com. For younger members of the family, head to http://www.chadd.org.

Talk to your family–your parents, your siblings, your other relatives when you were young. With the background information you’ve gathered from your reading and web-surfing, examine your childhood through their eyes. If you can excavate any old report cards, all the better! Now that you have a pile of paper, put it into a notebook or file folder! NOW! Don’t worry about it’s exact organization at the moment. The notebook/folder is to corral what you’ve gathered in one spot.

Make a beginning decision: Does what’s been described seem like these authors and doctors have been following you around, invisibly, for several years? (no, they are not Romulans with cloaking devices!) If the answer to that is yes, talk to your physician about what you’ve discovered, and ask for a referral to a psychiatrist who is familiar with adult ADD. Many are familiar with ADD in childhood, however, ADD in adults is only recently being more and more recognized, so do yourself the courtesy of finding the best help available. Schedule an appointment with the psychiatrist. A competent evaluation will include a detailed family and personal history, academic and employment history, psychiatric history, and current functioning. If you have read the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, version 4), you will probably find that some of the questions you will be asked are familiar. That’s because the DSM-IV is the current main guideline set for helping to diagnose adults who may be suffering from ADD. There are a host of other diagnostic screening tools out there, too. There is currently no blood test, however. There are brain scans occasionally being used, depending on the area of the country in which you live and your own doctor’s comfort in using them. Once through the diagnostic process, with probably a prescription in hand, go straight to the pharmacy and fill it. With the information you’ve already started to gather, you can continue your research about how different medications work. A great site to begin this research is http://www.about.com/add. Realize that the medications have been evolving for adults rapidly, and, while the first medication might not be the optimal one for you, there is one out there that at the correct dosage will clear away the “fog” in your brain! Dell M01M mugen power 4800

Keep reading. There is a selection of possibilities at http://www.addragonflycoaching.com/Recommendedresources.html, as well as at many of the sites you will visit. The better educated you are about ADD, the better you will understand how to harness the power of it, while minimizing the negative effects Educate your family, your friends, your doctor, your acquaintances! This is one of the best ways to get the daily support you will need, as well as helping them to better understand that you’re not lazy, or a ditz, or any of the other negative things we hear. You ARE someone who can function at a high, productive level with understanding, an occasional reminder, and help in areas where you just don’t function as well. A doctor that allows you to discuss medication options, dosage levels, the whys and whats of the process, is one to keep. On the other hand, one who dictates and negates any of your suggestions is one to leave immediately! Realize that the medication is NOT a magic bullet. It doesn’t suddenly “cure” you of ADD, any more than glasses “cure” you of nearsightedness. Free dating adult site adultfriendfinder cater for quality singles.

Continue to seek guidance and help from a competent therapist who understands ADD. Be open to their suggestions, even if they might sound, at first, to be at odds with what you view as your strengths. ADDers don’t really see themselves clearly, and a therapist is a great help.

Hire a coach. Why? You already have a physician and a therapist. What’s a coach going to do? S/he will be your best friend, allowing you to vent when life resembles dropped spaghetti, celebrates with you when you have a wonderful win, nags you when you need to do something you don’t like, and helps you build the systems that give you the ability to succeed! A coach that has been trained to work with ADDers, that possibly even has ADD too, is the absolute best. Interview several, and pick the one that resonates or fits you best. A coach doesn’t prescribe, except maybe to exercise more and get outside in the sun as a great, free way to help yourself.

Realize and remind yourself that what has gone before was BD. Before Diagnosis. With the help of your therapist or coach, look back at the issues of “I always did..... , I never could.... , I can’t do....” The therapist is the better choice for sensitive issues. The coach is a great choice for helping you examine previous work or productivity glitches, and seeing the good, discarding the hurt. The basic point is “California Driving Rules”: If it’s behind you, it doesn’t count! You can’t go back and change whatever happened. You can examine the why and the what ifs, but you can’t change the outcome. You can learn from the examination of the situation, reframe it to a learning experience, then go forward, sans the emotional and mental baggage. Get free essays online, written.

Give yourself time off each day. Several times. This needn’t be hours. A ten minute break every hour helps reset your productivity to a high level! One client of mine was resistant to the idea, so for a week, he did a quick run up the fire stairs in his building once an hour. During our next session, he mentioned that he felt better, could concentrate and produce more effectively when he did his quick run. He also noticed that no one in the office even noticed he was gone for those few minutes. What they DID notice was that his productivity was climbing! Find a spot in your home that’s your solitude spot. Somewhere you can go, allow yourself to transition from work mode to home mode. Relax, read, listen to music, stare at a wall, meditate, write, or whatever creates sanctuary for you. Mine is a fat, overstuffed chair in a corner of my office. When stress and I start battling, I head for the chair, put my feet up, and read or listen to a tape. After a chapter or a tape, I’m back up working, much more balanced and productive!

Exercise. Yoga, aerobics, weight training, tai chi, swimming, skiing, whatever you enjoy--get out and do it! If nothing else, it increases the endorphins in your brain, making you feel better. It also helps balance the serotonin and dopamine levels, making you more alert! It needn’t be a formal class. Walking the dog every evening is exercise, and a great way to transition! 

Pay attention to your diet. Protein creates the glucose that our brains need to function. Therefore, have some protein in every meal, whether it be a burger, yogurt, cottage cheese, fish, or whatever. It also keeps the drowsies after lunch at bay. Overdoing the coffee, soda pop, sugar, etc., only creates havoc and the opportunity for a sudden drop in your energy and alertness levels when you least need them!

Realize that if you have had a wonderful win, or an exciting, rewarding day, that there’s a chance of “rebound”. This is what it’s called when you’ve had a great day, a big raise, a wonderful vacation, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, you’re feeling down. It’s normal! This is one of those combined conditioning and neurochemical responses. The conditioning is saying “You didn’t really deserve that because.....” (also called the ye olde guilt trip). The neurochemicals are scrambled because the great feeling caused a rush of the good ones, and when you used those up, bingo--a slump. The great thing is that doing something–especially something physical–will rebalance the neurochemicals and help you truly celebrate the positive. As for the negative self-talk, examine why it showed up, re-frame it to fit reality (You deserved that promotion because you’ve worked overtime for 3 years to get the project in on time and under budget!), then go on. If the negativity returns, replace the negative picture in your mind with the one of the positive, true reality!

Enjoy your ADD! It allows you to think outside the box, joining the ranks of innovative engineers, politicians, artists, actors, theologians, and others who have enriched all our lives because they dared to be true to themselves, harness their unique brain power, and accomplish something that everyone else said couldn’t be done!

 copyright 12/2003 DragonFly Coaching _________________________________________________________________________

For another checklist, written by a wonderful woman with an incredible sense of humor, please go to ADD "To Do" Checklist Cynthia Hammer of ADDults of Washington State Attention Deficit Disorder Resources (ADD Resources) PO Box 7804,Tacoma, WA 98406, Msg. Tel. 253-759-5085, E-mail: addadhd@attbi.com, Web site:  www.addult.org. We have free public meetings on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at Jackson Hall, 314 MLK Jr. Way, Tacoma