My ADD / ADHD Blog

You have the Power!

Can you believe it's already September? It's a new month with new energy. I know that I'm sure ready for new energy and positive changes this month. I've been hearing from so many people, especially people with ADD / ADHD, that they have been more stressed and overwhelmed over these past few months than usual.

Sometimes we can't control what life throws at us and stress and overwhelm become the norm in our lives. We often feel powerless when this happens and go even deeper into this heavy feelings. We do have the power to come out of this andimprove our own lives even if we can't change some of the circumstances.

Often, making a tiny change in our own lives can make a world of difference. Adjusting and shifting our mindsets just a little bit is one of those changes that can improve our lives. Sometimes we are able to make those shifts on our own.

Many of us need something or somebody outside of ourselves to help us begin those shifts. Who or what may be different for each of us. My intention is that this newsletter acts as a spark to help you with your own shift.

Since it's a new month, my challenge for you is to think about what you want more of in your life this month.

If you accept this challenge, take it a step further and write down these things. When you write them down put them in the present tense as if they are already in your life.

Here are a few examples:

1. I am peaceful and relaxed.
2. I have a clean and organized home.
3. I am having fun and enjoying life.
4. I am healthy and well rested.
5. I am happy and successful.

Keep your list some place easily accessible and refer back to it regularly through out the month of September. Say some of the things on your list out loud. Picture or imagine what it is like to have these things in your life. Practice focusing on these things which you are ready to bring more of into your life.

Good luck! Here's to an awesome September! Let's all make it a great month. 

7th Annual ADHD Awareness Expo

Wow, I can't believe it's already August and it's been almost a month since my last blog post. I've been super busy planning and working on the 7th Annual ADHD Awareness Expo. I'm getting really excited about it too! It's going to be the best ADHD Awareness Expo yet.

We have great speakers and topics this year. We have many returning speakers and some great first time speakers this year too. Among the new speakers are Dr. Edward Hallowell, Dr. Russell Ramsay, Dr. Kirsten Milliken and Dr. Alan Graham. Dr. Edward Hallowell will be giving a Special Keynote presentation this year.

The FREE Online ADHD Awareness Expo begins on October 2, 2016 and runs until October 8, 2016. Be sure to register now for the 7th Annual ADHD Awareness Expo! 

Enough is Enough

As most of you know there has been a lot of negativity and violence in the media. I for one am standing up and speaking out that enough is enough. I'm not just talking about the actual violence itself but the media coverage. I'm also talking about people and organizations spreading the fear and negativity online through social media and email. It's not good for anybody especially people with ADD / ADHD to continuously be exposed to negativity and violence. 

If you are joining for me next week's Succeed with ADHD Telesummit you will be able to listen to my presentation Combat Negativity and Thrive with ADD / ADHD. In this presentation you will learn why it's very important for somebody with ADD / ADHD to Combat Negativity. I will also be offering some ways to combat negativity in your own life.

Remember that even if you can't control the crazy things going on in the world you can control your exposure to such things. You can eliminate or reduce the news you watch and pay attention to. You can block or unfollow people on social media who flood your feeds with negativity. You can stop supporting organizations which spread negativity. If it's right for you personally, you can also speak up and tell people enough is enough.  

Being exposed to violence, negativity and traumatic events is damaging to your mind, body and soul and you do not have to put up with it. You are in control! 

Many of us with ADD / ADHD are sensitive and empathetic people who feel the need to make changes and help others. Some people are under the false impression that they must stay informed of world events to in order improve the world or help people. I'm telling you straight out that is not the case! 

Here are some ideas to make the world a better place with out exposing yourself to all the negativity and trauma in the media. 

• Do a Random Action of Kindness for Somebody
• Join a Prayer group or Healing Circle
• Send out positive energy and thoughts to the world
• Pay it Forward
• Volunteer for an organization that focuses on improving lives
• Make a donation to a charity or a family in need
• Smile at a stranger 

Remember that in order to make the world a better place it's essential to take care of yourself first and practice proper self-care.

Tara McGillicuddy

Looking for an ADD / ADHD Coach?

I've been getting quite few email inquiries from people looking for ADD / ADHD Coaches lately. I am going to offer some resource recommendations to help people find ADD / ADHD Coaches. 

I offer 2 different ADD / ADHD Coaching programs myself:

• Adult ADD Productivity Circle
• Focused Action Email Coaching

I also have 3 great resources featuring many wonderful ADD / ADHD Coaches:

• ADHD Support Talk Radio 
• ADDClasses.com
• ADD Audio Library

Here are some directories listing ADD / ADHD Coaches:

• ADHD Coaches Organization
• ADDA Professional Directory

I hope this helps!

Good luck!

Tara McGillicuddy

Take it off your To-Do List

A theme that keeps coming up lately for many of my clients is that they have many items on their to-do list that they are not getting to. To make matters worse they are feeling badly about this and beating themselves up. Many are looking for systems and tools to get everything done. 

Learning new strategies and developing ways to be more productive makes perfect sense. What often makes even more sense to be realistic and truthful about the items on the list. Maybe it’s time to admit those items are not a priority right now and give yourself permission to take them off the list and to feel okay about doing so. 

There are some items that you can just remove and be done with. There may be other items that you can delegate to other people or automate. There will be some that you can come back and reevaluate at a later time. There will be some that can be done with improved systems and strategies. 

Whether you have an actual written to-do list or just a bunch of tasks, projects and ideas in your head, I challenge you to examine the items. Which ones can you take off? Which ones can you delegate to somebody else? Which ones can you automate? Which ones can you schedule to reevaluate next week or next month?

Remember, our priorities change. What may have been a top priority last year may not even be on the radar as a priority today. If things are not making it to the top of our priority list there are reasons for this. It’s more helpful to better understand why our priorities may have shifted instead of beating ourselves up because they have.

Tara McGillicuddy

Best ADHD Blog of 2016

I'm really excited that my blog was chosen by Healthline as one of the top ADHD Blogs of 2016. Healthline's editors selected each winner based on their reach to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high quality information. I am honored that Healthline has selected my blog as one of the Best 11 ADHD Blogs of 2016. 

Thank you so much to Healthline!

Be sure to check out the list if the Best 11 ADHD Blogs of 2016 to see the other 10 top ADHD Blogs. There are some great ADD / ADHD Blogs listed there.  

There are blogs about:

• Women with ADD / ADHD
• Parenting ADD / ADHD Children
• ADD / ADHD and Relationships
• Adult ADD / ADHD
•  and More.....

Tara McGillicuddy

Monica the Medium ADD / ADHD

In my last blog post The ADHD Psychic Indigo Connection I mentioned that I'm exploring the connection between ADD / ADHD and Indigos. Over the past couple of years I've met several Psychic Mediums and Spirit Mediums and many of them have mentioned that they also have ADD / ADHD or displayed many ADD / ADHD traits.

Some Mediums have let their ADD / ADHD traits be shown to the world by having their own reality tv shows. One of the newer shows out there about a Spirit Medium is Monica the Medium. The premise of the show is that Monica Ten-Kate is a 20 something college student who has trouble leading a normal life because she's a spirit medium who keeps getting bombarded by messages from dead people AND she just has to deliver the messages right at the moment she receives them.

Monica's problems are NOT not a result of her being a spirit medium!

Her problems result from the fact that she is a Spirit Medium who:

• Has Poor Boundaries
• Has Poor Social Skills 
• Struggles with Executive Functions
• Has Issues with Impulsivity
• Has Challenges Regulating Emotions
• Has Poor Time Management Skills
• Is in her "Own World"

Mediums do have the choice and ability to say no or not now when they receive "a message from spirit". Mediums with Ethics, Boundaries, Respect and Common Sense do not just walk up to strangers on the street, in a store or in a bathroom and ask to give them readings. Just like ethical ADHD Coaches don't walk up to complete strangers who have signs of ADD / ADHD and coach them, ethical mediums don't walk up to complete strangers and start reading them!

Monica the Medium is more of a show about a young woman who has not yet learned to manage her own life and her ADD / ADHD than a show representing typical mediums. Monica Ten-Kate does NOT represent any of the Psychic Mediums or Spirit Mediums who I know.

Tara McGillicuddy

The ADHD Psychic Indigo Connection

I read the books The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived and The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children back in 2002, not too long after they were published. At the time I was trying to learn everything about ADD / ADHD that I could. I was open minded and could relate to much of the of what was being described. It made sense to me but as an overwhelmed, anxious, stressed 28 year woman with ADD / ADHD I didn't find the books helpful. So, they went to my ADD / ADHD bookshelf and collected dust for about a decade until they were donated.

Over the past few weeks I have seen a lot of people on social media linking to the article Some Psychologists Say ADHD Sufferers Are Actually ‘Indigo Children’. The ADHD Indigo "Psychic" theory isn't really new. It's been around for at least a couple of decades. Since it's becoming popular again, I think it's time for me to begin to discuss my views and experiences. 

As an ADHD Coach and expert I can say I do believe there is a connection. I have spent the last 2 decades educating myself about ADD / ADHD and attended numerous ADD / ADHD conferences and events. I've gotten to know many people with ADD / ADHD too. I've gained an understanding from scientific and personal perspective.

Over the past 4 years I've been on a bit of spiritual journey or quest. I've taken several metaphysical type classes and attended spiritual events and conferences. Many of the Psychics, Mediums, Intuitives, and Healers that I've met have ADD / ADHD themselves. The stories many of these people tell are strikingly similar to many of the stories people with ADD / ADHD have shared too.

YES, I believe there is an ADD / ADHD "Psychic" Indigo connection. What does it mean? I'm not quite sure yet. I will be posting more on my blog as I learn. 

Tara McGillicuddy 

Planning, Productivity, Money and Medication

March was a great month on ADHD Support Talk Radio. I was joined by 4 awesome ADHD guest Experts and we had 4 shows with interesting and helpful topics. If you haven't listened yet (or would like to listen again) you can listen by clicking the links below or by subscribing to ADHD Support Talk Radio as a podcast on iTunes.

 

March 2016 ADHD Support Talk Radio Shows:

• Lynne Edris - Self-Awareness, Planning, Overwhelm and Adult ADD / ADHD
• Alan Brown - Productivity Apps and Adult ADD / ADHD
• Dana Rayburn - Money Mindset and Adult ADD / ADHD
• Rick Green - Fear, Confusion and Misunderstanding of ADD / ADHD Medication

 Thank you to my expert guests and to all my listeners!

If you have found ADHD Support Talk Radio helpful please leave a review on iTunes. Doing so will help more people find ADHD Support Talk Radio which will help more people with ADD / ADHD lead happier and more productive lives. 

I have some great guests and topics coming up in April and May! Be sure to Subscribe to ADHD Support Talk Radio as a podcast on iTunes so you can listen to all the upcoming shows.

ADHD Couples Seminar

Struggling in Your Relationship? This Seminar Can Help...

If you and your partner are struggling the way that most couples impacted by ADHD are struggling, you are likely suffering through unnecessary pain.  Did you know that:

• Research suggests that 50-80% of adults with ADHD can find treatment(s) that significantly improve their management of ADHD.  But you have to know how to optimize treatment to see these gains
• It’s not all about ADHD – and couples where one or both partners think it is will continue to struggle rather than repair their relationship – for a VERY long time
• Because of the ADHD and responses to ADHD, anger in your relationship is inevitable – until you learn very specific ways to change direction

You know that your problems won’t disappear tomorrow – if it were that easy you would have tamed them by now!  Which is why you need help from someone who has experience leading couples away from the hurt, anger and loneliness of ‘the ADHD Effect.’  Melissa Orlov's upcoming 8-week phone seminar can set you on the more loving and positive direction you seek.  I know Melissa - she has spoken at ADDClasses.com a number of times, and she has given her ADHD Effect In-Depth couples seminar by phone for more than 5 years.  It has helped many, many couples.  She says one common question she gets is "How do you know this stuff?!! Have you been a fly on our living room wall?"

I encourage you to consider registering for the upcoming session that starts this coming Monday, April 4th at 8:30pm eastern time.

How to Stop Losing Your Keys

We live in a society where shortcuts and quick fixes are the norm. Finding ways to get things done quicker and easier makes perfect sense. I’m a stronger believe in working smarter instead of only working harder. Sometimes the shortcuts and quick fixes out there do more harm than good though. Far too often they can enable us or just put a bandaid on the problem and this prevents us from finding better solutions to help us thrive.

The gadgets that can help us find our lost keys and phones are a great example. These gadgets can be a live savers for people and using using them once in awhile makes complete sense. However when we use them all the time it doesn't really help us to look at what really going on and come up with solutions. There will be items we don’t have “finders” for and we will continue to struggle with those items unless we change our behavior.

What’s a better strategy when it comes to being able to find items when you want or need them? 

Try this! 

1. When you enter or leave a room or your home, STOP!
2. Take a deep breath
3. Pay attention to your feet and feel them touching the ground.
4. Wiggle your toes!
5. In your mind picture your feet forming roots.
6. Picture those roots shooting down into the earth like tree roots.
7. Pay attention to your keys (or other item).
8. Hold them in your hand and feel them.
9. Pay attention to how they feel.
10. Take another deep breath.
11. Put your keys in their home.

Practice doing this multiple times throughout the day with you key or other items.

 I just did this twice and timed myself. The first time, I did it very quickly and it took me 17 seconds. The second time, I did it slowly and it took 30 seconds. So this is a quick and simple strategy. 

I challenge you to try this!  

Tara McGillicuddy

How to become an ADHD Coach:

I receive a lot of emails from people asking me how to become an ADHD Coach. There is no official path on how to become an ADHD Coach. The most accepted path by the professional ADHD Coaching Community is to go through an ADHD Coach training program. There are a handful of ADHD Coach Training programs out there. 

My colleague and ADHD Coaching Expert Laurie Dupar opened the International ADHD Coach Training Center this past fall. The next training session begins on March 28, 2016. If you are thinking about becoming an ADHD Coach, I highly recommend checking out the International ADHD Coach Training Center.

On the International ADHD Coach Training Center website you can sign up to receive the complimentary gifts and tools about ADHD Coaching: “Do You Have What it Takes to Be an ADHD Coach? ” and “ADHD Coaches Needed! How to Help Others with ADHD and Make a Difference ” audio. You may also schedule a FREE call with Laurie Dupar if you have questions about the International ADHD Coach Training Center.

Tara McGillicuddy 

The Importance Of Effective Self-Care For Women With ADD / ADHD

This past January I was one of 30 ADD / ADHD Experts who presented at the ADHD Women's Palooza. I spoke about "The Importance Of Effective Self-Care For Women With ADHD" It was great event and I was so honored to have been included. The live event is over but there is a Encore Package available at ADHD Women's Palooza site.

The ADHD Women's Palooza Encore Package is a great investment.

Check it out!

I have some awesome news! Linda Roggli and Terry Matlen the producers of the ADHD Women's Palooza are allowing me to share my presentation at no cost. You can watch (and listen) to it right here!

 

 ADHD Women's Palooza

The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD Book Club

Join fellow Adults with ADD / ADHD each week to discuss Adult ADD / ADHD related books. The featured book for the months of March and April is The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD: An 8-Step Program for Strengthening Attention, Managing Emotions, and Achieving Your Goals by Lidia Zylowska, MD

During the months of March and April Book Club Members will be discussing how the Book The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD: An 8-Step Program for Strengthening Attention, Managing Emotions, and Achieving Your Goals has helped them improve their lives.

Discussion Topics will include:

• Favorite Parts of the Book
• Take Away From the Book
• Strategies from the Book
• Action Steps related to the Book

This is a 2 month long discussion which you can join anytime at your own convenience. There is no schedule.. Simply go to the private Book Club page at your convenience and share your thoughts about the book with other Book Club Members.

Increase Your Productivity and Reduce Stress and Overwhelm

FREE Teleseminar

Increase Your Productivity and Reduce Stress and Overwhelm

Date: Tuesday March 1, 2016

Time: 9:00 pm EST

I invite you to join me for my FREE Teleseminar!

Productivity is often very challenging for Adults with ADD / ADHD. Stress and Overwhelm can get in the way of productivity. Sometimes the strategies and methods adults with ADD /ADHD use to get things done can create even more stress in this overwhelm too. In this 1 hour FREE Teleseminar Tara McGillicuddy will discuss strategies and techniques to both Get things Done and reduce stress and overwhelm. Tara will also leave room to answer your questions.

It's okay if you can't make the live Teleseminar! If you register before it begins you will be able to listen to a FREE Replay until 3/8/2016 If you happen to come across this blog post after 3/1/2016 you may access the Teleseminar in the ADD Audio Library.

Register now for this FREE Teleseminar at: ADDClasses.com