ADD-ADHD Mindfulness Matters Musings

ADD - ADHD & THE RACE HORSE: WIN, PLACE OR SHOW - UP!

2008-11-24T09:43:50-05:00

How is a person with ADHD like a race horse?

Hopefully you have been to a racetrack or seen a horse race on TV. Often you will see a horse that comes out of the gate like a bat out of hell. No matter how hard the jockey tries to rein him in, to structure the pace so he can last till the end, he just can't stop the horse from flying past all the others. Half way through the race our horse is 3 lengths ahead of the rest. As they are coming around the last turn and heading for the finish line, there is no sign of our horse. Sadly, he does not finish the race because somewhere in the last quarter stretch he stumbled and hurt his ankle. The horse limped off the field as the jockey tried to understand what happened so that he could explain it to the horse's owner and trainer who were both furious and frustrated.

The next time the horse raced the same thing happened. He shot out far ahead of the other horses and went flying as fast as he could. One could almost 'see' the look of pure joy on his face. This time the jockey had a bit more luck trying to pace him for the long race. After being only 1.5 lengths ahead at the half way point he continued to pace him as best as possible. Alas, our horse came in last. Almost 2 lengths behind the rest. The horse got the signals from the jockey this time but just couldn't give 'it' up completely. 'It' of course was the excitement of rushing headlong into something he loves and perhaps even hyper-focusing along the way??

So, how is a person with ADHD like a race horse? I suppose a better question to ask would be HOW can a person with ADHD stop being like that race horse whenever we start a new, interesting and exciting project? First we have to break down the steps, parts, tasks, sections, portions... of the project. Pacing ourselves means structuring our time by writing down in our planner When and for How Long we are going to do each and every part of this project. If it is an ongoing project it means restructuring our time to include this new task into our life. Savoring the parts we like instead of rushing past them can help to continue on with the part of the 'race' that normally would lose our interest. Putting down into that planner When and under What conditions it is OK to start the next project is also helpful. Win, Place or Show, it helps to continue to show up by planning the pace and listening to that jockey in our head.
And remember, mindfulness matters!
Mindfulness Matters Coaching®

Try New Things

2008-12-27T16:33:52-05:00

I have ADHD. I am going to take a weekend workshop titled "write a book in a weekend" with Donna Kozik and Suzanne Evans. I am excited because I have been trying to write 2 books for more years then I can count. This could be it!

Being brave and knowing that ADHD makes some things a little (OK, a lot) harder, hopefully does not stop you from trying new things and growing in new directions. Just remember, having ADHD also enhances your creativity and your flow of ideas! Talking to the teacher or facilitator before signing up and telling them that you have ADHD and would like to know their experience teaching or leading the subject matter with this population, as well as any concerns you may have, allows you to reduce any fears that may be stopping you. Asking if extra time and help will be available if you need it and making those arrangements up front also allows you to bravely go where you have not gone before (thank you Gene Roddenberry).

Try it. The new year is at our front door; open it up and invite in your dreams. Have the welcome message be: "hey dreams, you are getting fulfilled this year so come on in".
Remember, mindfulness matters. Take care, smiles and cheers, judi

Mindfulness Matters Coaching

2009-02-23T08:03:35-05:00

Monday morning, too many choices, too little caffeine. Stay focused and mindful to survive and stay on track. tea - black!

ADHD & GRIEF

2009-06-22T13:26:48-04:00

I would like to offer a sincere apology to all of my readers, followers, subscribers, fans, friends and ADDers for not publishing this blog for so many months. The illness and then loss of my mother and my special aunt along with the terminal illness of my father has kept me on a plane, in flux and writing in private. Cleaning out the house of 61 years of marriage, and the belongings of a family with ADHD, along with my grief, has clogged the creative writing part of my ADHD brain as well as my heart.

Multi-tasking and balancing is more difficult when an ADDer is grieving. Prioritizing and choosing what to let go of can be difficult for people with ADHD and we have to work very hard to achieve balance. Our moods, schedules, activities, projects, tasks, joys, passions, play, work and various roles that comprise our life are all affected by our grief on a daily basis.

Like the playground "see-saw" of my childhood, everything in our life that we must balance hinges precariously on that middle point of production. Being the smallest kid in my class each year meant that the other kids were always able to hold my end of that see-saw up in the air. An ADHD coach is an amazing help in helping to form and maintain that middle "axle" that keeps you balanced.

As a child I struggled to ground myself and keep my playmates in the air. (I started see-sawing with younger kids!). As an adult and an ADHD Coach, I use mindfulness and mindfulness meditation to calm ground and balance myself.

Grief, two businesses, writing/publishing, and continual trips down south would seemingly be enough to clog the creative process. The difficulty of letting go of my parent’s possessions and my overly sentimental attachment to these historical 'mementoes' that they collected over the last 61 years has taken up way too much of my emotions and time.

ADHD and Emotions, ADHD and Possessions, ADHD and Time management, ADHD and Grief: there I've been and still am but I am also back in the world of blogging! mindfulness matters!

Mindfulness Matters Coaching®