BRAIN DUMP

Mind clutter puts your brain in overdrive, saps your energy, and bogs you down

Do a Brain Dump - getting rid of the clutter in your mind

-get your thoughts out of your head

-let go of FOMO - fear of missing out

-get the things you need to do and thoughts that worry you out of your hea

-write them down

This will help improve focus & productivity

No right or wrong way to do a Brain Dump

Don’t worry about organizing it

You need to increase your awareness of time

Think about:

-what stopped you from completing the task?

-estimate how long it will take you to complete he task

-break it down into what needs to e done first

-then, complete the task at hand

Change your approach to getting thins done more effectively:

-Time block

-Put phone on silence

-get ready for the day before you start other things

=remember that life happen

Tracking Procrastination

Ask yourself:

-What is getting in my way?

-What have I been doing instead of -__________?

-What is it about tis particular task that is making it so difficult to get started?

Some root causes of procrastination:

-The task is boring, it’s lengthy, or it may be repetitive

—The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start

You feel like you just don’t have the energy to do it

Things to do to help you stop procrastination using Mental Flexibility:

-Engage yourself while doing a boring thing

-Chunk it down and do the first step

-Find someone to help you with accountability - a friend or a coach

-Reward yourself for your efforts

-Tell your coach, a friend, or a family member why you are avoiding the task - make it know

-Manage your energy - find the best time to work on the task

-Carve out a specific time or th first step of your task keeping your energy needs in mind

-Make it REAL - put it on the calendar and tell someone - make a commitment

Envision Your Future Self

Who is the person you want to be?

Believe that you can do it

This is the year of ME

Create a Focus

Push until you’ve gotten to where you want to be

Tiny continuous improvements

Follow SMART goals

Specific

Measurable

Achievable - being realistic about what is positive

Relevant - something that matters to you

TimeBound - time in future when you will be done

You can nvere get to where you want to go from your comfort zone

What time choices do you need to make so you can have what you really want?

Failure come from making excuses

80% of Success is showing up

Make the choice to show up for what you really want

The more you accept responsibility for your choices, the easier it gets

Stop participating in toxic talk

We are the choices we make

Make your r4esolution a non-negotiable commitment in your life

Focus on how far you’ve come, not on ow much you have left to to

Tackling Procrastination

Tackling Procrastination

Pressure can produce hyperfocus

Procrastination is a strategy that can create an environment that can get things done

Brain chemicals crank things up and help get the job done

Those brain chemicals are called adrenaline and cortisol - the ones our brain uses in survival mode, when in  distress, or when we are experiencing stress

Try to make sense of why you are procrastinating:

Ask yourself:

What is getting in my way of starting sooner?

What have I been doing instead of __________?

What is it about this particular task that is making it so tricky to get started on?

Some root causes of procrastination:

The task is boring, length or repetitive

The task is intimidating or you don’t know where to start

You feel like you don’t have it in you

Try to brainstorm ideas for how you might do thing differently

Use a key executive functioning skill:  Mental Flexibility

-Add something that can engage you while you do the boring thing

-Chunk it down - do the first step

-Find someone you can use to help with accountability - a friend or a coach

-Start a rewards system with an immediate win

-Tell your coach, a friend or a family member why you are avoiding the task -

Make it known

-Manage your energy - find a good time to work on the task

-Carve out a specific time for the first step of your task - keep your energy needs in mind

-Make it REAL - put it on the calendar and tell someone - make the commitment

ADHD & Adults

ADHD can persist into adulthood.

It is a condition with sensory overstimulation and easy distractibility.

One with ADHD may have difficulty focusing on one conversation and ignoring others.

ADHD is not a disorder, but rather a condition - it is a disability, but also a heightened ability.

Use your ADHD to your advantage and focus on the positives.

ADHD Triggers

ADHD Triggers

STRESS

Sustained anxiety decreases working memory performance, making it harder to retain new information and pay attention.

Approaching deadlines can cause anxiety, which in term leads to procrastination and the inability to focus on the work at hand, raising stress levels even more.

OVER-STIMULATION

Individuals with ADHD can experience sensory overload.  Over-stimulation makes it difficult for the brain to process what is going on.

TECHNOLOGY

Consistent stimulation from electronic devices may aggravate ADHD symptoms.  Excessive screen time harms the attention span directly, by encouraging us to cycle between multiple distractions rather than focusing on a single task.

CLUTTER

A messy home or office area could make some ADHD symptoms worse.

Piles of papers, books, laundry, or clothing are overstimulating and block you from getting anything done.

Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done

IT’S NOT ABOUT DOING MORE, IT’S ABOUT DOING THE RIGTHT THING MORE CONSISTENTLY, AND MORE EASILY.

If you have ADHD, you are constantly struggling with time management and productivity due to memory, focus regulation, motivation, time and other executive function challenges.

These challenges are due to not having the right systems in place, or not using tools that work for you.

You need to find tools that work for you.

Learn to do things differently if what you are doing is not working for you.

Learn to do things in ways that work for you.

Don’t let your days run you - you need to plan your days.

Take time to look at your calendar and to-do list at the end of each day or in the evening.

Pick out the three most important things to do first —  what are the essential things to accomplish to move you toward your goals.

Don’t try to think you can complete all you to-dos - that is too overwhelming and will set you up for failure.

Make your calendar your friend - use it!  Make sure that the things that are essential to you are on the calendar.

REMEMBER:  if it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done.

Don’t work on things that are going to keep you from achieving your goals.

What do you need?

I read an article in which the author made reference to the song by the Rolling Stones, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” - a classic recording.

Individuals with ADHD don’t always get what they want because ADHD interferes with their needs.

Trying to find balance in one’s life is challenging and takes hard work and a lot of effort.

Discover what you need as an individual and what is best for you, not anyone else.

Identify YOUR needs and figure out your definition of success for YOU.

Find people and things that can help you get what you need to be successful. But make sure you define that success for you, and not for someone else.

Study Skills

Lack of structure and the act of sitting down to study is extremely difficult for students with ADHD.

Be sure to have various places to study. One place might be a bedroom with a desk or a loft area with a desk, another could be the kitchen table, or the library. The key is to find a comfortable environment. Change up where you study.

Have a plan for which tasks need to be completed and when. Use a calendar to log your daily to-do list.

Make sure you have all the tools needed to study - paper, pen, pencil, notecards, highlighter.

Sit or stand to study - whatever works best for you.

Be in a quiet environment, use classical music as background noise, or use a noise cancellation devise.

Sensory Overload

Something I just read about was entitles “Coping with Sensory Overload.”

What is Sensory Overload?

When one or more of the 5 senses get flooded with information. The brain cannot process all the information coming in.

Individuals with ADHD can become so overwhelmed that they shut down avoiding certain social situations, becoming quiet and withdrawn, or leaving a social gathering.

Homework

Write down the assignment? Complete assignments? Turn in assignments on time? Pay attention to what is assigned? Follow the steps to get the information? Follow the steps for the assignment? Go to the portal for the assignment?

These tasks are daunting and challenging for an ADHD student.

Getting started

Procrastination

Going back to finish the assignment

Turn the assignment in

Help your child/student visualize the assignments. Break down the assignment into small, doable parts. Estimate completion time for the assignments. Block out specific times and place for doing homework. Create an area for doing homework that is distraction free. Use noise-cancelling headphones.

5 Types of Therapy

I read an interesting article discussing the 5 varieties of therapy.

It discusses each type of therapy in order for you to make an educated decision as to which type of therapy will help you to improve yourself.

The article was written by psychologist Dawn Potter, PsyD. She states that there a 5 different types of Psychotherapy, which is talk therapy.

So for individuals with depression, anxiety,, self-esteem, self-confidence, or self expression, one of the five types of psychotherapy would be of benefit to your mental health.

Thees are the five types of Psychotherapy:

1. Psychodynamic therapy

2. Behavioral therapy

3. Cognitive behavioral therapy

4. Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)

5. Humanistic therapy

   Research the five different therapies to find which one is a good fit for you.

Executive Functioning

BALANCE SIMPLICITY GOALS

Executive Functioning Skills are skills that support goal directed behaviors.

Coaching is designed to help ANYONE who has challenges with executive functioning - time management, prioritization, productivity, planning, organization, tasks, follow-through, and problem solving, as well as, sustained attention and working memory.