Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer

Often times our differences are ridiculed and discounted until we let them shine and create success. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was teased and discriminated against until they needed a shiny nose that glowed one foggy morning. That is when they all started to love him. Here are the lyrics copy and pasted from Lyrics Mode.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.,
But do you recall?
The most famous reindeer of all?

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.

Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?

Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You'll go down in history.

Often times those of us with ADHD are ridiculed, laughed at and called names, thus blinding us to our gifts. Yet once we are diagnosed, treated and get coaching we can uncover our shiny red noses and guide Santa's sleigh when no one else can. Coaching offers someone who isn't going to laugh, call you names or judge you for being you. We can help you guide the sleigh in the fog and sometimes help you figure out how to lift the fog too. To learn how ADD/ADHD coaching can help you or a loved one, email me at sarah.gogstetter@gmail.com. Being a loved one's sponsor or a friend's could be a great Christmas/Hanukkah gift too. I am happy to share details in an email and subsequent Skype/telephone call. 

medication side effects

Whether you have ADHD, depression, bipolar, anxiety, and/or any other medical/psychiatric condition you've probably had to deal with side effects. Sometimes these side effects can be remedied by self-care strategies. For instance, if the side effect is increased thirst can be helped by drinking more water. I found this side effect actually useful because it forces me to drink more water everyday. Most of us with various diagnoses tend to not practice good self care strategies anyways. Most of us tend to not drink enough water, eat enough [alternatively overeat] and/or healthily, lack sleep or get too much sleep, lack exercise, get enough down time, or listen to our bodies. We often have lives that are out of balance, relationship issues and too much stress.

When we finally get treatment for our diagnoses, we start to obtain the tools to start fixing this lack of self-care. So if you have been drinking 1 or 2 glasses of water a day for years and all of a sudden the meds you're taking makes you thirsty...Maybe that's a good thing. You will need to eat foods to provide the meds and your brain the substrates to make the neurotransmitters. Considering neurotransmitters are primarily made of amino acids the building blocks of proteins, it makes since to get enough protein in your diet. Fish oil or other omega-3 fatty acid supplements are useful because the myelin sheathes that insulate your neurons are made from omega-3 fatty acids. These myelin sheathes have gaps called nodes of Ranveir, which allows the electrical impulses to travel down the axon of the neurons at a reasonable speed. Multivitamin/mineral provides your brain with the various materials that your body needs to allow your enzymes and other biological processes to occur. Also make sure you eat a well balanced diet with enough healthy carbs, vitamins, minerals and an assortment of other good stuff. All of these things can help the meds work better and reduce the side effects.

Then there are things like sleep, exercise, stress management and other good things to remember. Even people without a diagnosis have trouble functioning when they don't get enough sleep. If you don't get enough sleep when you have a diagnosis or more, you can't expect yourself to function any better. If you have sleep issues, find out what they are and get them treated. Exercise helps clean body out and gets your blood moving. It is said to be one of the best stimulants and antidepressants around, so if you can exercise. This will make your meds more effective and make it possible to reduce the amount you need to take.  Stress management can take on many different forms including meditation, therapy, life/ADHD coaching, strategies, support groups, managing your other medical conditions, getting support, focusing on the positive and your strengths, and so forth. Lastly, other good things to remember include staying hydrated, don't get overheated, don't get too cold, getting as much rest as possible when sick, know allergies can make your condition worse and effect the effectiveness of the meds, when hypoxic [low oxygen] or hypoglycemic/hyperglycemic [low blood sugar/high blood sugar] your conditions/symptoms will be worse.

You can develop strategies and systems to reduce the side effects/symptoms that involve good self-care. An ADD/ADHD or life coach can help with this. If you'd to find out more about ADD/ADHD coaching, feel free to email me at sarah.gogstetter@gmail.com. I can help you even if you have additional diagnoses to ADD/ADHD. Email me and we can set up a free, complementary session.

Organization and ADHD

I know it's good to be organized, manage your time and manage your life. I realize that clutter can be overwhelming and can drag your energy down. I have been working on my organizational skills for my entire life. It's one of the biggest challenges I face to this day. I have been diagnosed with ADHD for 10+ years now. I have been blessed with having a good response to the meds I take. I have been through a little psychotherapy, and lots of coaching. I have read 40+ books on ADD/ADHD, and read lots of research/articles on it, taken several neuroscience classes, and participated in many online communities that address ADD/ADHD. I have read many strategies and tips for getting organized, decluttering, and so forth. They are good strategies and very effective, and they help me. However, I still have a messy room and struggle to maintain order.

I have not let my organizational challenges keep me from making a difference, go to school, receive training, get involved in the global community, and I haven't let that keep me from becoming an ADD/ADHD Coach. Dr. Edward Hallowell, talked about getting well enough organized to make your life work for you in his book Delivered from Distraction. Take this too heart because if you're like me you have severe challenges in organization, spending your life getting organized before you do anything in this world is an exercise in frustration and futility. I'm not saying don't work on it, I'm not saying don't improve in this area, or don't build your skills. If you wait until you're perfectly organized, you might never get organized.

There are organizational tips and ideals that are wonderful, but seem completely out of reach for me. For example, every thing in it's place and a place for every thing is completely beyond me. The best I can do is make sure it gets in a general area, organize small pockets of my space, organize my backpack, or organize around a project. I am not sure if this strategy or organizational philosophy is realistic for me. It might not be realistic for you either.

Some strategies I swear by are the "five easy pieces" method and using a sheet to sheath a massive pile to reduce overwhelm. I have some learned organizational strengths too. I am better at self-management and time management than I am with spatial management.  So my two cents are figure out which areas of organization seems to be doable and those areas that don't seem doable. Make the doable areas a priority to work on with a coach, a friend, doctor, therapist, consultant, or any other assistant. Then after you've mastered that area, consider pecking away at the less doable areas. Focus on what you can do and your strengths and forgive yourself for your lingering challenges.

Are you letting your organizational deficits/impairments, keep you from pursuing your dreams and focusing on your strengths?

AD/HD education-How ADHD Coach can help

What would you like to know about ADHD? Do you know what it is, how it shows up, when it shows up and how it impacts your life or the life of someone you know? If you are diagnosed have you read any books, joined websites, support groups, watch videos,? Where do you find your information? Do you know what type of services and resources can help you manage your ADHD and even enjoy it?

There are lots of resources and services available to make life with ADD/ADHD fun, exciting and fulfilling. There's medication, therapy, coaching, websites, eNewsletters, blogs, social networks, facebook pages and groups, twitter and so forth. Education entails learning about the basic neurology and symptoms of ADHD, learning what it looks like generally and personally. A good, well trained ADD/ADHD coach can help you learn about your ADHD and help you build a life that you want. An ADD/ADHD coach provides support, helps you learn strategies, about the ADD/ADHD brain, develop better self-awareness and build a life that helps you harness all your strengths. You learn that you aren't "broken", or defective, but uniquely wired. You learn it's ok to do things differently, to be curious and do more of what you enjoy and build a healthy, positive outlook on life. My coach helped me with all of these things and more. I would love to help others do the same.

I am now an ADD/ADHD coach. I can give you the same if you would like. Send me a email sarah.gogstetter@gmail.com or find me on Skype: sarah.gogstetter is my Skype name. We can set up a complementary session.

I'm offering 2 packages:

1. Those who sign up for at least 3 months coaching will get 2 weeks free. 
2. Those who sign up for at least 6 months coaching will get 1 month free.

I will offer these packages until 12/31/13. My fees are reasonable and I have sliding scale. Mention this blog post in your email or Skype message to get the packages.. :)

10 Ways To Overcome Overwhelm

This article has good tips for dealing with overwhelm...my only word of caution is for those of us with ADD/ADHD. Some of the stimulation reducing strategies might keep us awake instead of helping us to sleep. The other strategies are definitely good.
10 Ways To Overcome Overwhelm

My ADHD Awareness Expo booth

You can come find my booth on the resource table at the ADHD Awareness Expo week of 10/16/22. Come find out what I am offering for attendees.

Here's the link: http://www.adhdexpo.com/expo2011/?page_id=111

Why is self-care so important?

Why do I harp on the idea of self-care? What is the big deal? Can't I get through the here and now before I take care of myself? How can I take care of myself, when I don't have time? " I got deadlines looming and responsibilities. I can't stop to eat, drink, sleep or relax or take a break. I don't have time to get organized and plan."

How long do you intend to put off taking care of yourself? I know we have responsibilities and people need us. I know we have to work, go to school, take care of our kids and our partners/spouses. I know we have to study and get ready for tests. I know we have to get our projects in by a certain time at work. I know kids need their parents. I know our customers/clients/parishioners need us. However, if we never take time to take care of our needs too, we will become depleted of resources and we develop health problems. A cell phone battery is great and can keep you connected until the battery runs out of energy. However, it will not be of any use unless you take time out to recharge it's battery. Fortunately, you can recharge the battery and keep going. Well us human need to take time to recharge our batteries no matter how busy, stressed or overwhelmed we are.

How do we recharge our batteries? We can recharge our batteries by remembering to eat healthy most of the time, drinking enough water, getting enough rest, getting enough sleep, taking care of our medical challenges to the best of our ability, and taking time for recreation and spending time with people we love. Take time to get out and move around, make sure you replace electrolytes when you've been sweating, eat a high protein breakfast, and enjoy life. Set up your environment and lifestyle so that you can move forward.

ADHD can make practicing good self-care harder because of the lack of self-awareness, distractibility, tendency to get hooked on the interesting stuff, losing track of time and so forth. An ADHD coach can help you develop systems, strategies, and supports to help you learn more about yourself and succeed in your life. If you're interested in taking this further, email me at sarah.gogstetter@gmail.com so that we can get to know each other and set up a free complementary session, to determine if we are a good match.

Tired of missing the boat?

I am sure all of us have missed the boat or the "Noah's ark" in our lives at one point or another, but some of us repeatedly miss it. Would you like to for once make it to the boat on time? Would you like to quit having to say "oh Shit"?

Who knew the dinosaurs extinction was caused by their ADHD? Maybe they needed reminders. Maybe they could have used an ADHD coach to set up systems so they participate in the 40 day voyage. Would you like to be able to participate more in events that matter most to you? If so, consider hiring an ADHD coach. To find out how you can receive a free complementary session, email me at sarah.gogstetter@gmail.com.

ADHD Awareness Week Expo Affiliate packages

ADHD Awareness Expo Affiliates Earn:

$15 for each Bronze package sale

$25 for each Silver package sale

$75 for each Gold package sale

$150 for each Platinum package sale


You can also earn your own virtual exhibit booth:

Any 5 advertising package sales  =  1 Complimentary Bronze Package

Any 10 advertising package sales =  1 Complimentary Silver Package

Any 25 advertising package sales =  1 Complimentary Gold Package

Any 50 advertising package sales =  1 Complimentary Platinum Package

Here's a Affiliate link, check it out for details.

Becoming a coach part one

i have been wanting to become an ADD/ADHD coach as i witnessed the power of coaching in my own life. i witnessed myself grow, become stronger, more successful, able to whether all that my life threw at me. it helped me keep going in the midst of being on the verge of homelessness, it kept me going in work, it kept me going in school, it kept me alive. it kept me from drowning, healed old and new wounds, allowed me to go from being my own worse enemy to my own best advocate. it helped me learn to manage my life and my time. it help me learn how to get to appointments and classes on time. it helped me separate out my identity not only from my ADHD, but also my pain, my identity of being an "overcomer", it helped me find my core. it helped me bring out my beauty, it helped me learn to articulate and express my emotions and thoughts. it allowed me to learn what my needs are and what my values are. it helped me how to live with others, it helped me develop good strong self-awareness. it gave me a place where i could be understood by someone. it gave me someone i felt safe have help me compassionately track my progress and learn how to get things done. it is the very thing i want to pass on to others.

my vision for this blog

I want this to be a place where my clients, ADD/ADHD individuals and prospective clients to find great tips and connect with other ADDers. I want to help my fellow ADDers to have a place to gain pride and awareness surrounding ADHD, in general and personally.

I have severe AD/HD myself and have been diagnosed and treated for nearly a decade now. It has been a long, difficult road towards a healthy, self-respecting ADDitude. I have read 40 plus books on ADD/ADHD, I have been with my psychiatrist since 2002 and I went through 4 years of ADD/ADHD coaching myself. I also have been diagnosed with 4 1/2 out of the 6 types of ADD, that have been identified by Dr. Daniel Amen. Plus I also have depression, which is well controlled by my meds. And I had PTSD, which I went through EMDR for. Furthermore, I was born with multiple birth challenges ( aka. "defects"). I have overcome a wide variety of challenges over my life time.

I am in training to become an ADD/ADHD coach. I am a member of CHADD. I have a facebook group on facebook under another account called "ADHD Support and Information", I write a weekly digest for another ADD/ADHD facebook group, I am an admin/moderator for ADDer World (this is a social network specially designed for people with ADD/ADHD and their family and friends, and so forth). Further, I am a member of Women with ADD ADHD and Moms with ADD/ADHD. I have taken several neuroscience, psychology, physics, and biology classes over the years. I also have another ADD/ADHD blog where I voice my ADD voice. I have an AA degree and I am trying to transfer to University of Arizona, where I plan to major in Biophysics.

I am going to be providing a list of various resources, articles, links, books, and so forth. I have had to use all of these things in order to make my life work for me. I have used and invented a wide variety of strategies for my myriad of challenges. I have shared them and helped others strategize to help them overcome their challenges as well. One of my biggest passions is to help people overcome and shine and thrive. I can share some stories as well both personal and with permission friends' stories as well.

If you have any questions about me or my background, please feel free to ask me.

Sarah Gogstetter