Join the ADHD reWired Podcast Family every second Tuesday of the month for a Live Q&A! In this Q&A episode, you’ll hear Eric, Barb, Brendan, Will, MJ, Moira, and Roxie answer your ADHD-related questions!
What you’ll hear in this episode:
- What are some tips for managing ADHD and exercise post-surgery?
- Moira talks about her recovery process from falling off a cliff and brain injury.
- Find different ways to take care of yourself.
- Recovery takes time.
- As the weeks go by, new shiny habits fall off. Any advice for sticking to making progress on weight loss?
- What’s your “Why”?
- Go slowly.
- It may be helpful to think more of what you want to add to your diet instead of what you want to take out.
- Start with the supermarket.
- Think about the health of the gut microbiome.
- Make it fun and do things that make you feel good.
- My partner and I have ADHD and we have a young child with ADHD. While they’re too young for a diagnosis, what resources can we use, where can we start exploring, and what are habits we can start building now so they don’t have to struggle like I did?
- Be mindful of shame and be compassionate.
- “My child is not giving me a hard time, they are having a hard time.”
- Try your best to stay out of wor-st-case scenario thinking.
- Mentioned here: ADHD Essentials: Brendan’s Parent Coaching Groups
- Focus on connection, communication, and anxiety management.
- Look at the motivation of what your child is doing instead of the outcomes.
- Model repairing and model owning your mistakes.
- Do you have advice about disclosing ADHD in the workplace?
- Mentioned here: 399 | Workplace Accommodations: Do I Need to Disclose? with Kat Hoyer
- Don’t disclose your ADHD, do disclose what you need to be successful.
- Mentioned here: Job Accommodation Network: JAN “Ask JAN”
- Mentioned here: Rough Cut! Reflections from Day 3 of the International Conference on ADHD 2021
- What are your best home-hacks?
- Cleaning and decluttering are not the same thing.
- Take a picture of your workspace, then share it. Then, after you’ve finished cleaning, take a picture when you’re done!
- Mentioned here: https://www.adultstudyhall.com
- Keep it simple, like one load of laundry, because that is easier to start and get to “done”.
- Store cleaning supplies everywhere you need them. For example, if you have more than one bathroom, keep cleaning supplies in both bathrooms.
- If you can, consider a cleaning service.
- Baskets are a great way to keep clutter contained.
- Don’t live alone? Split up your cleaning duties.
- Start small and start cleaning for five minutes – you may be surprised how much you can get done! Gamify the cleaning!
- If you start cleaning and it turns out to be a project, add it to your task list and find a way you can be reminded to finish.
- If I am not diagnosed yet, what do I need to prepare for my ADHD evaluation to make sure my symptoms get taken seriously, especially if I did fine in school and was a gifted kid?
- Have a bullet point of things you want to share with the evaluator.
- It’s OK to share that you are concerned that your symptoms may not be taken seriously.
- A good evaluator will ask good questions and will help you tell your story to be able to come up with a diagnosis.
- Mentioned here: The One About Diagnosis – ADHD Friendly Lifestyle
- Why has it been observed that women are more commonly misdiagnosed than men?
- Is the practice of improv helpful for building skills to manage ADHD? What could this target be?
- Accepting “what is” and seeing what we can actually do about our situations. For example: When something unexpected happens, how do we accept that as it is, and identify what can we do and problem-solve around this?”
- Improv can open us to more growth-mindset thinking.
- Life is not a script. Life is improv! The more we can adapt to what’s thrown at us, the better we’re going to do.
- Might the practice of improv be helpful for folks with ADHD who are verbal processors?
- Mentioned here: 27: Improv to Improve Communication and Relationships
- Mentioned here: Improvement Through Improv with Rachel Hamilton
- I am a single parent. My child is accident prone and has a lot of energy. After being diagnosed at 5-years old, I was forced by my child’s school to start medication. Nothing has happened. How else can I help my now 6-year old?
- If you are asking how you can help your kids, you are already on the right track.
- In the United States: schools are not allowed to force your kid to take medication.
- Find therapists who specialize in ADHD.
- Keep communication open with teachers and daycares.
- Mentioned here: CHADD
- You are the best advocate for your child.
As we reflect on 2021, Eric asks:
What can you do, and what do you want to do in 2022 to help rewire your ADHD beyond learning about it? What are the actions you want to take that will make the biggest difference in the lives of yourselves, of your family, where you work, and your communities?
