[nloadhd-blog]

ADHD and school can be a struggle. Read our full article for back-to-school tips for children with ADHD!

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Is ADHD Hereditary?

I have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). My daughter also has it. I have two nephews that we know are ADHD. I’m pretty sure I have a brother who is, too. While my mother discounted the idea in a huff, I’m pretty positive that she has undiagnosed ADHD.

I have one sibling with anxiety disorder and another with depression. Is there a connection somewhere? Is ADHD hereditary? I definitely believe so.

Read the full article, ‘Is ADHD Hereditary?’

[nloadhd-blog]

[positivedoodles]

[drawing of a blue bird wearing a blue scarf saying “It’s okay to go to therapy.” in light blue text on a blue speech bubble.]

[nloadhd-blog]

me: *overthinks everything and cries*

*5 minutes later*

also me: *sees funny post and laughs* oh okay im back

[forgottengenres]

“Let me introduce you to the most evil word in the English language: ‘Just.’ Stick it near the beginning of some advice, and you can turn someone else’s vicious lifelong struggle into a trivial task they should feel ashamed for not having mastered by now.”

David Wong (via clash-official)

[nloadhd-blog]

Finding Your Motivation

Reading the article about ADHD and motivation, I felt it had been written for me. Most of the time I feel my organizational and prioritizing skills are non-existent.

The article made several good points about why those of us with ADHD have a hard time with procrastination and organization. Low levels of dopamine can be one culprit. It’s always nice to look at the science behind it all, because so often we hear we are lazy, careless and forgetful. Sometimes we start to believe all those negative things.

Several ideas are given about how to increase motivation. Some of these I found helpful. Some of them, like giving yourself a deadline, don’t work for me. 

If I have a deadline imposed by someone else, I know there are consequences for not meeting it. I do the work. A bit under the wire, maybe, but I finish. I’ve tried giving myself deadlines, but it never works. In the back of my mind I know, for example, that nothing is going to happen if I don’t clean out the garage by a certain time. My garage might get messier, but I’m not going to lose my home, or my job, or have to write a report.

My favorite piece of advice in the article was; if you can’t find any other reason to complete a task, do it because you are physically able to do so. Be grateful for your capabilities. I like that.

- Kristi

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Are pets good for ADHD? 

I’ve been thinking about getting a cat. It’s been 14 years since I last shared my home with the little balls of attitude and I miss them — and my daughter has been begging.

[nloadhd-blog]

Are pets good for ADHD? It’s a question worth asking. I’m not sure if that had anything to do with my daughter having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or if it’s just what happens to most 10 year olds when they get a pet. I didn’t mind because the dog was excellent at taking care of my daughter during panic attacks.I think a cat would help my daughter with her ADHD and anxiety, depression, and self-harm. I worry, though, that the ADHD will get in the way of actually taking care of the animal.As an adult with ADHD, I have to consider the good and the bad that having a new pet will bring.

[nloadhd-blog]

Do you have any advice or information to share? Join the conversation!

[thatadhdfeel]

That adhd feel when you have a bad headache (/any kind of pain) but you literally can't remember if you already took painkillers and you don't want to OD so you just don't take any and suffer

[intellectys]

Time management is always a struggle, but that’s okay! Hopefully some of these tips, apps, and printables will make your day a little easier.

Tips

Planning ahead: put together a schedule before you start your work. Start by writing out a list of all the tasks you need to complete and allotting times to them, and finish by putting them into a schedule of everything you need to complete.

Leave time for the little things: if you need to do it, make sure you schedule some time for it. For instance, if you need to sweep the floor,  or tidy up your workspace, make sure you schedule in fifteen minutes to make sure you get it done.

Most important first: schedule the most important assignments first and leave the least important to last. This will ensure that you put your best work into the most significant tasks, and don’t procrastinate.

Use your downtime: fifteen minutes on the bus?  In the waiting room before an appointment? Make the most of any time you have, and start to chip away at little tasks, like annotating a book or practicing flashcards.

Plan long term tasks: make sure you have a calendar or planner to look ahead. When you have large projects, look ahead so you can start to break them down into smaller segments. Planning ahead is also useful so that you can avoid piling too much work onto a busy day.

Schedule in time buffers: even if you’ve planned to the best of your ability, don’t schedule your time too tightly. Make sure that you leave a little time on each task— five to fifteen minutes, depending on the size of the assignment— so that if you go a little over, it doesn’t cause a domino effect by spilling into your next task. It also helps alleviate a little stress, as your schedule will be less rigid.

Apps and Websites

Toggl: lets you track how much time you spend on each task and project/class, and see a graphical breakdown by day, task, and week.

Trello: helpful for planning, and lets you sort tasks into lists. MaryPlethora has a great video here on how to use both as planning tools!

Pomello: a pomodoro timer which works alongside Trello to help you plan and time your tasks

Lanes.io: an excellent website which includes task lists, a to-do list, and a built-in pomodoro timer, along with gorgeous and customizable backgrounds

Google calendar: versatile online calendar for planning events and projects, with a to-do list and shareable calendars

Time Tracker: records your browsing and lets you know how much time you spend on each website to help manage procrastination

Printables

Schedule printables

Weekly planners from @intellectus

Daily printable from @aescademic

Daily planner from @arystudies

To-do list printables

Weekly to-do’s from @studeying

Daily to-do’s

Too many to-do’s

[adhighdefinition]

adhd is being sort of motivated for a lot of things but never acting on any of them cause ur not that motivated after all

[adhighdefinition]

alternatively it is acting on all of them but never finishing it cause it stopped being interesting to you after 2 secs

[saintzacharie]

[sheisrecovering]

Forgive yourself for the years mental illness took away from you.

[thatadhdfeel]

That ADHD feel when you’re up until 3 in the morning because you’re thinking too loudly

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Alternative Treatments for ADHD

For those of us with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), controlling symptoms can seem like an impossible balancing act. Maybe by standing on one leg, cocking our head to one side, and holding our jaw just right we might find a bit of relief.

Treatment plans can be almost as confusing as the swirl of chaos inside our brain. Do we choose medication? Do we choose alternative therapies? Both? Which are best?

We have options. There is no one-size-fits-all treatment. We are free to try anything that may help, as far as our comfort levels allow.