344: September 2020 Q & A with Brendan Mahan

“Rather than looking at a job as just a paycheck, look at it in terms of the skills it’s teaching you.” Listen as Eric Tivers with his guest, Brendan Mahan, answer questions from the listeners in our monthly Q & A session of ADHD reWired. We are taking questions from you, the listener, about situations you want to talk through. It doesn’t matter if it’s personal or professional; we are here to give you our perspective and see if we can help you find some answers. 

Ben starts off the questions with one about strategies to keep the novelty of a new job from wearing off. Another question is about how to keep from losing motivation and productivity at work, and Ella has a question for Brendan about the wall of awful; she wants to know how to find the door. Another listener wants to know where to look for a career counselor for someone with ADHD, and Richard wants to know how to become good at being a morning person.

Listen as Eric and Brendan coach Bri on how to keep her new job when she has been fired from so many, Shalene has a question about knowing she has ADHD but not having been diagnosed, and the best way to find a provider. Zora would like to know how to motivate herself to exercise at home. To finish this episode, a listener asks some questions around her ADHD meds, raising her blood pressure, and what she can do about it.

Please note that when we discuss medications, we can only address personal experience. Anytime you have been prescribed a drug, you should reach out to your provider regarding your symptoms and experiences. Not all medications are useful for all people. There are various options, and you’ll need individual help to determine which medicines are right for you.

We covered a wide range of topics, and we provide some creative takeaways no matter what stage you’re in with your diagnosis. Listen in as we discuss your questions and the struggle we still have dealing with our ADHD.

Your Resources:

• ADHD Essentials Podcast with Brendan Mahan

You’ll learn:

• [01:57] Welcome to our monthly Q & A with Brendan Mahan.
• [02:49] Eric shares a crazy dream he had last night.
• [03:48] Brendan interprets Eric’s dream.
• [05:22] Ben has a question about strategy when the novelty wears off of his new job.
• [06:36] Eric addresses this question with some strategies he can use.
• [08:16] Brendan says to connect with people who are doing what he is doing to have someone to talk to for motivation.
• [11:18] The next question is about losing motivation and productivity at work.
• [11:18] Brendan speaks about some things that have worked for him.
• [12:47] Eric discusses how he deals with this issue.
• [15:40] Brendan talks about how he plans his week.
• [16:47] Ella has a question around the wall of awful; she wants to find the door out.
• [17:27] Brendan describes the wall of awful and how to get past it.
• [20:27] Ella walks through a scenario so that the guys can help her find the door.
• [27:13] Are there many career counselors for people with ADHD?
• [27:23] Eric refers them to his friend that is a career counselor and gives a shout out.
• [28:25] Richards asks what good ways to want to become a morning person are.
• [28:34] Brendan says to get a dog because then you are forced to get up.
• [29:02] Eric gives his thoughts to Richard.
• [31:24] Bri has a question about a new job and how to stop her fear of losing the job.
• [33:06] Eric speaks about having 21 jobs before he was 21 and shares his insights.
• [34:38] Bri shares that she was recently diagnosed with ADHD and had a visual disability.
• [36:14] Brendan jumps in to help Bri like her job.
• [37:59] “Rather than looking at a job as just a paycheck, look at it in terms of the skills it’s teaching you.”
• [41:36] Eric shares about a book he has read recently.
• [46:01] Eric tells Bri to have an open discussion with her boss about her inability to be on time.
• [48:03] In ADHD and life, keep trying things.
• [51:30] Shalene wants suggestions for people who know they have ADHD but have never been officially diagnosed.
• [52:12] Brendan breaks the question down for Shalene.
• [53:21] Eric speaks about how to find a provider to diagnose her ADHD.
• [55:25] If ADHD is one of like ten specialties, they don’t specialize in ADHD.
• [55:34] Zora asks how to motivate herself, to work out at home and how boring it is to be stuck at home.
• [55:51] Brendan says to buy a sandbag and explains why.
• [56:44] Eric talks about joining the Peloton movement.
• [58:30] Hunter asks for recent bio hacks/exercise routines/that you have been experimenting with?
• [59:18] Brendan shares his Monkii Ball and what he uses it for.
• [1:01:57] A listener is having issues with their ADHD meds that are increasing their blood pressure.
• [1:02:44] Eric discusses some things the listener can do number one is talking to your doctor.
• [1:03:22] What is a positive and healthy way to include our significant others in our short- and long-term planning when they have an aversion to planning?
• [1:03:31] Brendan says to talk to them in advance and ask them what they want to be included in.
• [1:04:45] Matthew has a habit of buying things off Amazon and has issues returning the items.
• [1:05:10] Eric gives his tips for returning items.
• [1:06:26] Brendan shares that he has trained himself to stop and wait until the next day and see if he still wants it.
• [1:07:23] Thank you, Brendon, for being on the show!
• [1:08:41] If you are a regular listener, consider becoming a patron by clicking on our Patreon tab at www.ADHDreWired.com