Provisional Conclusions is a collection of my poetry over the years. It includes thoughts about ADHD, losing Amy, travelling, and thinking about life ina general. Please check it out!
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 19-28 – Thoughts about These Missing Posts (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
My last post here was on Friday, October 18, which means that I missed my target of “doing daily posts through the month of October”.
Which means … what exactly?
One way to look at it is to say “yep, that’s typical ADHD behavior: it sounded really exciting at the end of September and less exciting on the 18th, so I just flaked out.”
Another way to think of it is just to smile and say “well, the odds of it happening were slim anyway and wow! I got through 18 days, so that’s really pretty good!”
Both of the above have some truth to them, but neither of them feel exactly right. What happened was a combination of things. Some new things came up, some things I wanted to do took longer than I had planned, and I spent a little time reconnecting with some old friends. I feel good about being able to rearrange my priorities to support those things, even if it meant giving up some others (like this).
I think that’s an important lesson for us ADDers. Sometimes it’s OK not to follow through on something. And, yes, I know how dangerous that is to say to someone with ADHD, but that commitment didn’t affect anyone but me, and I’m OK with the change.
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 18 – ADHD and Sleep (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
Yawn… Stretch.. OK, ready to go!
It’s 2 a.m. One part of my brain is telling me to go to sleep. It told me that at 11:30, 11:45, then once more just a little after 1. I would expect it to give up, but no. It tried again just now.
It’s easy to ignore, especially since I don’t feel tired. I did back around 10:30 but that was too early to go to bed! And now that I have my second wind, I know I wouldn’t fall asleep anyway.
Sound familiar? For a lot of us ADDers, it is.
A lot has been written in the last few year about the relationship between ADHD and sleep. “Does sleep deprivation cause ADHD?” “Does ADHD cause sleep deprivation?” “Is one misdiagnosed as the other?” I haven’t read a lot about it, but what I’ve read tells me we have a way to go before we have a good answer.
One thing is clear though: for me (and a lot of others), these things are both part of me. It’s not all that important to me if I know which causes which. I need to work on both of them.
As you can see (it’s now 2:20 a.m.), I’m not there yet. But, I’m going to bed as soon as I finish this.
Really…well, one more thing. Here are a few links to get you started learning about this.
ADHD or Sleep Disorder: Are We Getting It Wrong?
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 17 – ADHD and Relationships [3 of 3] (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
This is the 3rd and final post linking to a series of articles I wrote in 2018 recapping some of the things I’ve learned hosting ADDA’s non-ADHD Partner Peer Support Group. This group is still active, and if you think it would be helpful for you, check out the list of Virtual Support Groups offered free for ADDA members.
Article 3: Actions and Additudes – 7 Relationship Strategies for Non-ADHD Partners
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 16 – Video Clip Wednesday (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
Wednesdays and Saturdays, I’m going to share with you some videos I’ve made over the last few years that are related – in one way or another – to ADHD.
Here’s a video my daughter Lisa and I made back in 2013 about my ADHD through her eyes.
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 15 – ADHD and Relationships [2 of 3] (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
This is the 2nd post linking to a series of articles I wrote in 2018 recapping some of the things I’ve learned hosting ADDA’s non-ADHD Partner Peer Support Group. This group is still active, and if you think it would be helpful for you, check out the list of Virtual Support Groups offered free for ADDA members.
Article 2: Non-ADHD Partners Ease Their Loneliness
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 14 – ADHD and Relationships [1 of 3] (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
These next 3 posts are links to a series of articles I wrote in 2018, recapping some of the things I’ve learned hosting ADDA’s non-ADHD Partner Peer Support Group. This group is still active, and if you think it would be helpful for you, check out the list of Virtual Support Groups offered free for ADDA members.
Article 1: We All Want to be Heard
Thoughts About ADHD/Day 13 – ADHD and Improv [3 of 3] (2019 ADHD Awareness Month)
October is ADHD Awareness Month and during that month, I’ll be doing daily posts to share some of what I’ve learned about ADHD. I’ll post some of my favorite books, articles and websites, as well as some of my own thoughts about living with ADHD.
In this series of 3 posts, I’m going to talk about 1) some reasons why Improv is great for those of us with ADHD, 2) how you can get up and started, and 3) some of my favorite games for ADHDers and why.
You’re ready to try some Improv but wondering which games are best for ADDers?
The following list of games are some that I think are particularly good for ADHD-wired brains. I looked for games that require you both to be present and to really intentionally focus your attention,
- Zip, Zap, Zop – the energy might come to you next, so you have to always be watching
- Mirror – you and your partner want to match as closely as possible, requires you are fully engaged
- New Choice – you might think you know where the scene is going, but it can change at any time so you have to really focus
- Speak in One Voice – this one is a lot of fun, especially when you try and speed it up
- Remember that Vacation? – you pick up clues from each other and have to be careful not to contradict
- Two-Headed Expert – a variation of One Word Story but there are only 2 of you
And finally, DOING 2 PERSON SCENES. This is where it all comes together. To be a good scene partner, you have to stay engaged and fully present the entire time, The two of you are building a world together and it really helps if you’re both build the same world.
There are a lot more Improv games out there you can try. Here’s my rule of thumb for ADHD-focused games: if you find that you can let your attention drift – even for a few seconds – and can still play the game, it probably shouldn’t be on this list.
One last word – remember that part of this is to have fun. So, if there are games you find that you enjoy but don’t meet “my” level for “ADHD-focused”, play them anyway. The community you’re building and the fun you’re having are well worth it.
