Adults With ADD Benefit From The Little Rewards In Life

On Friday I had to take my little Punky to the vet. The day before she was limping a bit and didn't want to go up the stairs. Even though she often gets mistaken for a young dog, she's actually nine and a half and has a little arthritis, so we don't take chances when she walks funny.

Our regular vet was on vacation and we saw a vet on staff that we hadn't been to before. She was great, and I would definitely take the dogs to her again. But she didn't know the drill.

You see, Punky will allow herself to be poked, prodded, and stuck with needles...as long as there's a reward at the end. Punky has "trained" our regular vet to give her a treat after every difficult point in the exam. The new vet caught on pretty quickly when Punky got up from the exam to sit by the counter where the treats are. And you could almost read it on her face when the syringe for the blood test came out, "If you're gonna stick me with that thing, I'm getting another treat."

In fact, Punky even surprised me when, later that night, she thought twice about walking up the stairs to go to bed. After taking one step she turned around, trotted to the kitchen, and effectively communicated that since going up the stairs would be a little painful, she required a treat in order to do it.

That's my dog! Her direct, enterprising nature makes me proud. And, once again, I think we can learn something from Punky.

Adults with ADD are highly motivated by rewards. Sometimes, a small reward at the end of an unpleasant task is enough to get you through it. For example, you might allow yourself to:

• Buy a new book only after getting rid of 5 old ones that you no longer need
• Enjoy that expensive cup of Starbuck's coffee only on the days when you get to work on time
• Go out for dinner only after cooking 5 consecutive meals at home

I definitely wouldn't suggest this technique for larger dreams and goals, because the big things in life offer their own rewards. But rewarding yourself for the little things can go a long way.

Punky is fine, by the way. She just pulled a muscle in her knee. And this dog is a smart one--she hasn't required a treat to go up the stairs since that first night. She knows that taking treats for granted diminishes the effect of the reward when you need.

What tasks do you reward yourself for? What tasks would be easier to get through if there was a reward waiting at the end? Please share your thoughts!

Comments

[B.G.M]

i like it that you learn from your animals. my dog can teach EAT NOW and my cat could teach me SLEEP NOW. not very productive.