After the Boston marathon bombing, I coached quite a few clients who felt angry, sad, and anxious. They felt like they couldn’t escape tragic news in the media. It seemed like there was a new tragedy every week, and they couldn’t get a break from the bad news. They were finding themselves overwhelmed with negative emotions, ruminating with worry, and generally unhappy.

I admit, there were a few times in the past month when I felt the exact same way.

So I emailed Dr. Roberto Olivardia, Clinical Instructor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, and I asked him to be a guest on the podcast to talk about ADHD and emotional hypersensitivity. As always, he was more than happy to spend some time with us to help adults with ADHD sort through these challenges.

Take a listen to this podcast to:

• Learn why people with ADHD tend to be neurologically sensitive, and how that sensitivity can transfer over into our emotions
• Listen to Roberto and I discuss our own experiences as emotionally hypersensitive adults with ADHD
• Find out what you can do to help protect yourself from being overwhelmed by your emotions

Download MP3 | Subscribe with iTunes

Feel free to comment and share your thoughts on the subject after you listen. We welcome your feedback and experiences!

Do you have a question about managing your ADHD?

Then you’re in luck! We’re accepting your ADHD management questions for the ADHDmanagement.com Podcast Series!

I invite you to call our dedicated question line at (512) 827-0505 Ext 9821 and ask us your question about managing adult ADHD.

You can remain anonymous if you wish. Simply call in and record your question, and give us a little background information about your situation.

We’ll be playing some questions and answering them on the next podcast. Remember, you can remain anonymous, so don’t be shy! Your ADHD management question could help countless others, in addition to you!

There is no charge to record a question, aside from your normal long distance charges (if applicable).

That number again is (512) 827-0505 Ext 9821. I can’t wait to hear your ADHD management question!

P.S. You can also share a funny story on our “ADD Moments” line at (512) 827-0505 Ext 6812!

It’s a common complaint that I hear from ADHD clients, and I can relate: I can’t shut my mind off when I’m in the shower. I think of things I need to take care of, items that need to go on the grocery list, even an idea for the next great novel! But with nothing to write these ideas down on, I’m rarely able to hang on to them.

Sound familiar?

Well, are you ready for this? Some absolute genius invented a waterproof notepad specifically for your shower!

AquaNotes is an environmentally friendly notepad and pencil set that sticks to your shower wall via suction cups. You can write on the paper when it’s wet, or get it wet when it’s already been written on. It’s easy to rip a sheet off the pad, and it feels like a normal sheet of paper when it’s dry. And–get this–it’s only $7.95! How can you go wrong?

I’ve been using my AquaNotes over the last week to:

• Jot down to-do list items
• Create a meeting agenda
• Make a list of things to talk to my doctor about
• Write down a song I heard on the radio that I wanted to download
• Leave cute and/or funny messages for my partner
• Remind myself to write this blog post that you’re reading right now

I highly recommend AquaNotes to all adults with ADHD. You can easily order it on Amazon and never again deal with the frustration of forgetting those great ideas you came up with in the shower.

Seriously, is AquaNotes not the best idea ever? The inventor must have thought of it in the shower.

There’s plenty of info out there about parenting a child with ADHD, but what if you, the parent, are the one with ADHD? Becca and I are both moms of kids 5 and under, and we both know what it’s like to have your ADHD intensified by the addition of a child!

Take a listen to this podcast to:

• Hear Becca and I share our own experiences and challenges — what changed for us when our kids came along?
• Find out what Becca and I advise our parent clients who are struggling to manage ADHD, and their new lives
  
• Plus, hear a few fun ‘ADD moments’ from ADHDmanagement.com readers!

Download MP3 | Subscribe with iTunes

Note: This podcast contains PG-13 language!

In the next ADHDmanagement.com podcast, I’ll be talking with psychologist Roberto Olivardia about ADHD and emotional hypersensitivity. With so much tragedy in the news lately, many adults with ADHD are finding themselves a little depressed and unable to shift out the sadness they feel in response. Roberto and I will be discussing why this happens, and what you can do about it. So stay tuned!

If you have a question about ADHD and hypersensitivity, or any question about managing ADHD, then feel free to call in and record a question for us! We just may answer your question on the podcast.

Our question line is:

(512) 827-0505 Ext 9821

Also, feel free to share a recent ADD moment with us! Again, we just might share it on the next podcast!

Our ADD moments line is:

(512) 827-0505 Ext 6812

Too many ideas!

If you’re an adult with ADHD, then chances are that at some point in your life, you’ve felt that you’re not “living up to your potential.” What a lousy way to feel about yourself! This judgment often manifests itself when you take stock of all the great ideas you’ve had that have never gone anywhere, and all the unfinished projects that you’ve started but never completed.

The overwhelming number of things that you haven’t followed through on can lead you to believe that there is something wrong with you, that you’re not as good as the people around you, or that you’re not living up to your potential.

But I’d like you to consider an alternative viewpoint…

By nature, adults with ADHD are visionaries and idea generators. If only someone would pay us to think up great ideas all day long—we’d all be rich!  But we get so many great ideas, and they come so frequently, that it would be absolutely impossible to follow through on every one of them.

Think about it: If you tried to implement every good idea you ever had, if you set into motion every project you ever thought about taking on… would you have time to eat, sleep, or even breathe right now? Probably not! But this doesn’t mean that you’re lazy, broken, or not living up to your potential.

Successful adults with ADHD know that they are always going to have great ideas that never come to fruition. And that’s okay. It’s just our nature to be constantly thinking, creating, and innovating. Many of us can’t shut off this part of ourselves even when we try. But we simply don’t have the physical or mental capability to follow through on every great idea we get, or every fantastic project we think of.

The key to feeling better about this is to realize that some things are actually worth following through on, and some are not. Let go of the guilt. Refuse to listen to that little voice in your head that tells you you’re lazy, just because you have too many good ideas to keep up with!

Don’t put pressure on yourself to do it all because that will only lead to overwhelm and burnout. Instead, ask yourself what’s practical to follow through on in the present. Not every great idea is appropriate to take action on right away. Some projects are better left on the shelf until the time is right, and some projects aren’t worth taking on at all. Keep a notebook in which you write down these great ideas and projects so that you can come back to them when—and if—you want to.

It’s also a good idea to journal about a few of your past great ideas or projects that you actually did follow through on. Let these be your motivation for moving forward. After all, it’s not that you’re incapable of following through on things, it’s just that you can’t possibly follow through on everything!

And don’t forget to acknowledge this special quality that you have. The ability to generate so many great ideas makes you a visionary!

Does this article ring true for you? Does it help you to let go of some guilt about unfinished projects or un-acted upon ideas? Tell us what you think in the comments!

The ADHDmanagement.com Podcast Series is back!

As an adult with ADHD, you know how important it is to create an environment that works with your ADHD. We’re always striving to find the best ways to improve focus, organization, and productivity. But what about at work, where you can’t necessarily control your environment?

In this podcast, I talk with ADHD Coach Jay Carter about workplace accommodations for people with ADHD. Take a listen to:

• Find out what constitutes a “reasonable accommodation” for an adult with ADHD
• Get some tips for asking your boss or human resources professional for an accommodation
• Learn about the kinds of workplace accommodations that adults with ADHD often find helpful 
  

Download MP3 | Subscribe with iTunes

And in the next ADHDmanagement.com podcast, I’ll be talking with Coach Becca Colao about parenting with ADHD. Not parenting kids with ADHD, but how to survive when YOU, the parent, is the one with ADHD! It’ll be a blast, so stay tuned!

And if you have a question about being a parent with ADHD, then feel free to call in and record a question for us! Becca and I just may answer your question on the podcast. Our question line is:

(512) 827-0505 Ext 9821

Also, feel free to share a recent ADD moment with us! Again, we just might share it on the next podcast! Our ADD moments line is:

(512) 827-0505 Ext 6812

It’s always fun to talk with my old friend Tara and discuss the topics that we, as veteran ADHD coaches, think are most important for adults who are managing ADHD.

In this show, Tara and I take a look at the role that a person’s attitude, or mindset, plays in their life. Take a listen as we consider:

• Why a person with ADHD might develop a negative mindset
• How a positive mindset can lead to more success in life, and to better ADHD management
• The small steps that you can take immediately to start building a more positive mindset

Take a listen here: Attitude, Mindset, and Adult ADHD

I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful!

It’s rare to see a story in the media (especially one on a popular network program) take such a personal approach to ADHD and the adults who have been diagnosed with it. I was pleasantly surprised to see that no one was villianized in this story; not the adults with ADHD, not the doctors who diagnose it, and not the pharmaceutical companies who make the medicines that treat it. Instead, we got a glimpse into the lives of real people, and that is refreshing.

I highly recommend taking the time to view this video, and taking the time to pass it along, too!

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Sound familiar?

This image is just one in the If my brain was an imaginary friend series at The Oatmeal. Definitely check it out for some more laughs!