Summary: What's it like to live with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? In this post, we explore some of the strengths and some of the challenges of life with this particular brain type.
ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder--also known simply as ADD for Attention Deficit Disorder) can be difficult to live with. If you or someone you love has it, life can sometimes seem "unfair."
Life with a challenged brain is simply known to those living with the challenge(s) as "life." If it weren't for certain social expectations, such as punctuality, goal-setting and achievement, organization and career advancement, ADD people would probably live life without any sense of being "different." However, if you live with ADHD, you know that such expectations have a tendency to pressure you (and your fellow ADD sufferers) sometimes almost unreasonably.
Here are some quotes by people who've learned to manage their Attention Deficit Disorders:
* "Losing my keys and going crazy trying to find them used to be a daily occurrence." - Tara McGillicudy of My ADD / ADHD Blog
* "Some of us ADHD adults (like myself) self-medicate with information. I love learning about new things and ideas: Quite stimulating and a great way to boost dopamine, the neurotransmitter that does many things, but helps us focus and is the reward chemical among other things. ADDers have lower levels of dopamine, so we do positive and negative things to help increase it." - Pete Quily of Adult ADD Strengths
* "Lately, my ADD wife (who is now all too familiar with some of the impact her ADD is having in her social relationships), is beginning to share her feelings of overwhelm and low self-esteem with me. Things like 'I just have SO many things to work on and I can't be working on these things all the time!' and 'I can't believe anybody even likes me, because I am so bad in conversations.'" - Reader of Melissa Orlov and Dr. Ned Hallowell's ADHD and Marriage
It's apparent from these comments by ADD-affected people--some of whom are professional experts in managing ADD brain challenges--that those with ADHD diagnoses are all too painfully aware of their social differences. But as Pete Quily and some others note, these differences can also be strengths. Here is a snippet taken from his "151 Positive Characteristics of People with Attention Deficit Disorder":
Adaptive - Can see the big picture - Comfortable with change and chaos - Constantly evolving - Creates connections easily - Detail-oriented - Energetic - Good in emergency situations - Great storyteller - Likes learning new things - Lots of interests - Multitasks well - Outgoing - Passionate - Playful - Spontaneous - Takes initiative - Tenacious - Willing to help others
Does this describe you or your ADD loved one? Self-awareness means recognizing your limitations as well as your strengths. When you can see the two areas together, you have a clearer, more realistic picture of yourself as a whole. And, like reading a map, you can move forward from there.
In the next post, we'll look at the differences between the three different ADD-specific diagnoses. 'Til then, you may enjoy reading my article on How to Meditate with ADD.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Showing posts with label mediation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mediation. Show all posts
Jul 17, 2010
Nov 11, 2009
TRULY SPEAKING: And Now for Something Completely Different (the Art of the Segue)
Summary: My colleague Tim Wilson has a great recent post to his Public Speaking Library blog about handling the unexpected with a smooth segue into your intended idea. This works not just at public presentations, but also in private conversations.
My colleague Tim Wilson writes a blog (The Public Speaking Library) for—who else?—public speakers. Whether you're a professional presenter by trade, a teacher with class or simply someone who delivers the occasional industry workshop, office pitch or random wedding toast, Tim has tips that can help YOU.
Written in bite-sized nuggets for easy digestion, his blog posts offer all sorts of advice that refreshes almost daily. You can search the blog for info. that's relevant to what you're facing.
One recent post is titled, "Handling the Unexpected." While it's geared toward those addressing a crowd, the fact is that Tim's suggestion are pertinent to people in a variety of situations, from one-on-one conversations (especially with a staff member or trainee) to difficult settings of mediation. In each of these times, a remarkable way to make a point is to put it in the form of a question—for example, "How do YOU think we should resolve the problem?"
Here's what Tim says about the subject:
"When you're asking ... a question in order to find a certain answer, sometimes someone says something that doesn't fit into your presentation. When this happens, the first thing you need to do is give the person credit for saying something. The next thing is to work on moving from their point to the point that you are looking for. One way to do this is to use the 'yes and' method. Once someone says something off of your topic, say something like, 'Yes, that is definitely one answer to the problem. And another thing to think about is ...,' then mention the point you wanted the person to bring up."
For more intimate circumstances—especially those where you're looking to teach another person (or a group of people), but want them to reach the same conclusions that you have on their own—it's vital to truly listen to the other's (or others') responses. Pay attention to their input, and see if you can weave it into the output that you're seeking (i.e., "I hear what you're saying about teamwork; I wonder if we could work as a team in this way ...").
Coming to a group consensus is important in conflict resolution, as well as audience participation. Using a well-crafted segue (see the definition below) can take you there—together.
Segue (SEG - way) - (v.) to proceed to what follows without a pause; to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene or part to another (as in, "She segued smoothly into the next story"); (n.) the act or instance of segueing; a transition to the next idea, etc.
And speaking of segues (how's that for a clumsy one?!), I've only gotten one response to the potential connection between the words conjugation and conjugal. So, keep looking for their correlation, friends!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
My colleague Tim Wilson writes a blog (The Public Speaking Library) for—who else?—public speakers. Whether you're a professional presenter by trade, a teacher with class or simply someone who delivers the occasional industry workshop, office pitch or random wedding toast, Tim has tips that can help YOU.
Written in bite-sized nuggets for easy digestion, his blog posts offer all sorts of advice that refreshes almost daily. You can search the blog for info. that's relevant to what you're facing.
One recent post is titled, "Handling the Unexpected." While it's geared toward those addressing a crowd, the fact is that Tim's suggestion are pertinent to people in a variety of situations, from one-on-one conversations (especially with a staff member or trainee) to difficult settings of mediation. In each of these times, a remarkable way to make a point is to put it in the form of a question—for example, "How do YOU think we should resolve the problem?"
Here's what Tim says about the subject:
"When you're asking ... a question in order to find a certain answer, sometimes someone says something that doesn't fit into your presentation. When this happens, the first thing you need to do is give the person credit for saying something. The next thing is to work on moving from their point to the point that you are looking for. One way to do this is to use the 'yes and' method. Once someone says something off of your topic, say something like, 'Yes, that is definitely one answer to the problem. And another thing to think about is ...,' then mention the point you wanted the person to bring up."
For more intimate circumstances—especially those where you're looking to teach another person (or a group of people), but want them to reach the same conclusions that you have on their own—it's vital to truly listen to the other's (or others') responses. Pay attention to their input, and see if you can weave it into the output that you're seeking (i.e., "I hear what you're saying about teamwork; I wonder if we could work as a team in this way ...").
Coming to a group consensus is important in conflict resolution, as well as audience participation. Using a well-crafted segue (see the definition below) can take you there—together.
Segue (SEG - way) - (v.) to proceed to what follows without a pause; to make a transition without interruption from one activity, topic, scene or part to another (as in, "She segued smoothly into the next story"); (n.) the act or instance of segueing; a transition to the next idea, etc.
And speaking of segues (how's that for a clumsy one?!), I've only gotten one response to the potential connection between the words conjugation and conjugal. So, keep looking for their correlation, friends!
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
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