First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who joined us for the 2nd Annual Virtual AD/HD Conference earlier this month! This year's conference was fun, educational, and inspiring, with over 500 people in attendance. So a big thanks to all of you for making it a fantastic event!
The conference inspired a lot of people to start making positive changes in their lives, and so today I'm going to talk about creating personal change when you have ADD.
I'll be the first to tell you that ADD offers many gifts. I've never met an adult with AD/HD who wasn't creative, compassionate, and driven, in one form or another. We hold in abundance many qualities that the rest of world sometimes seems to lack.
But while ADD has its upside, there is no denying that many of us often find ourselves out of sync with the rest of the world. Our time management skills are usually poor. Our abilities to prioritize and organize often need work. And a host of other challenges present themselves when an adult with ADD tries to thrive in a world full of non-ADDers.
Like everyone else, there are things about ourselves that we find we need to change. If it were easy to change old habits and thought patterns, there would be no need for therapists, coaches, or self-help books. Life would be simple. And it would be boring.
When positive, personal changes are made, like sharpening time management skills or adapting techniques for better focus, the result is a renewed sense of confidence and an increase in the options that are available to us. I've always thought of change as a 4-part process:
1. Education
It's information that inspires change. Becoming educated about ADD and the way it can affect adults is the first step to identifying changes that need to be made. This stage can last quite a long time before the next step is undertaken. Knowledge is like a seed, and the mind, all by itself, is a fertile garden.
2. Awareness
Self-awareness is key when making personal change. It's impossible to change that which we are not aware of. An adult with ADD must practice self-awareness in all areas of life to determine what's working, and what isn't. This is a time when one begins to realize that certain behaviors and actions have propelled you forward, and others have held you back.
3. Reframing
It's important to realize that every person always does the best they can. No one purposefully under-performs, under-achieves, or disappoints. When you give yourself enough credit to explore why you might do certain things the way you do, you can reframe your behaviors and actions with the understanding that they are there for a reason, and not because you are inadequate.
4. Action
The action step often happens on its own. When an adult with ADD gains knowledge, practices awareness, and realizes the positive reasons that change needs to take place, action will unconsciously follow.
Change is something that we will practice our entire lives. Real, lasting change takes time, and can't be rushed.
How have you created positive change in your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
One of the ways to deal with my racing brain was to make up committees as a child. After the diagnoses, close to 50 years later, lots of quirkly things I've done makes so much sense and I have been to organize my thoughts into different personas.
Fascinating process.
My site below
Posted by: Ossie | Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 06:41 AM