ADHD Strategies

Let's talk about ADHD and different strategies for working with ADHD. It's important to note that this is not a one size fits all for everyone out there. Everyone is different and has different needs, ADHD can be related to stress factors and environmental factors. In addition most people that deal with ADHD often have other secondary, or sometimes primary, mental issues such as OCD, dyslexia or depression. I am not a professional, I can only talk about things I've read and my personal experiences. My advice is to find a Doctor or Physiologist who specializes in ADHD. I was lucky early on to have a teacher who had been reading up on it notice that I was struggling and needed a little extra help with certain things.

When I was a child there was very little information on ADHD and we were really starting to study it and learn about it. As I got older it seemed to become a buzzword and a lot of people thought that it just meant that you got distracted easier. And let's face, all kids get distracted easy. Some people believe that ADHD is something that you "grow out of" the truth is as you get older some people learn to deal with it. You develop strategies to help you get things done with ADHD.

Diet

There seems to be some misconception that artificial sweeteners and chemicals are the root cause of ADHD. But there have been 60 long term studies on ADHD and diet found no real difference in the need for treatment treatment. That's not to say that these things can't exasperate a condition. Stimulants found in sodas, energy drinks and diet pills can cause problems if someone is on a prescribed regimented stimulant. To much stimulant can be worse making you feel agitated or, strangely enough, tired. But a well balanced diet of fruits, veggies, and some protein can help your overall well being. This doesn't negate ADHD, but it can help decrease stress factors, fight mild depression, and help you think clearer. I've met some people who found relief by switching to a vegetarian diet while others seem to get worse.

I've tired various diets and one of the most interesting was the Zone Diet. It really did help me think clearer. I felt great, and looked younger and constantly felt like I was firing on all cylinders. But I found it difficult to keep up with. It's very regimented and for someone who can be picky about the foods they eat, it can be a very limited menu. Still it's worth a look at if your someone who can eat on a schedule and enjoy eating healthy.

Medications

I want to take as little medication as possible, but medication really can help. The most common medications for ADHD are stimulants. But getting stimulants to work is tricky. To little won't do much, and to much, as noted earlier, can be a disaster. I remember as a kid breaking pills into fourths to try and get the dosage right. But once we got it right it really helped, my mom tells a story about me being able to do a puzzle, start to finish for the first time in my entire life. I was NINE! My five year old does puzzles all the time. Medication can help. Work with your practitioner, give it time (that's the hard part), and watch out for additional stimulants like sodas, allergy medication, and diet pills.

Exercise

I like exercise, it makes me feel better. But it's hard for me to do on a consistent basis. If I'm not reading and thinking about it constantly I won't do it. But when I do it, even just a bit every couple of days I feel better and feel like I can do more. On top of that, pushing yourself physically seems to help get all those distractions out of your mind. You have to focus to hit a personal record and lifting heavy weights, or running a faster time helps you realize that a lot of things that your worried about aren't that important.

Schedules

I find schedules are important. I try to schedule time to practice playing guitar, I write down my goals and spend a certain amount of time working on them. Most of the time if I do that I'll enjoy it and want to play more but sometimes I just can't concentrate. So maybe I just noodle or play some of my favorite songs for a bit or I put the guitar down and do something else. Keeping a written list of things I want to work on helps keep me focused.

I'm planning on delving into each of these subjects a bit more in depth in the future. Click the Random ADHD tag under Post on Topics to see other post on ADHD. If you have any strategies that you have found work for you please feel free to leave them in the comments or email me. If your looking for more specific ideas please email me and I'll try to help or point you in some direction.