Quick protein snacks

Often, we forget to eat or we snack on empty junk food. In our busy lives and our ADD/ADHD it is difficult enough just getting through the day let alone meeting our basic needs. I have found some quick protein snacks can go a long way to helping me focus clearly. Here are some ideas of quick protein snacks.

1. Spoonful of peanut butter
2. Handful of peanuts, nuts, and/or mixture of both
3. Cheese and crackers
4. A slice of lunch meat
5. Humus and crackers or pita bread
6. Canned tuna, salmon, or any other fish and crackers
7. Chicken spread and crackers
8. String cheese, cheese sticks, or a chunk of cheese
9. Glass of milk or chocolate milk
10. Hard boiled eggs
11. Canned chicken
12. Cottage cheese, I like to eat this with crackers
13. Can of baked beans or chili beans microwaved
14. In a bind, peanut M&M's, Snickers, or protein bars
15. Trail mix
16. Yogurt, so I've heard

I recommend getting some wheat thins or whole grain crackers, but in a pinch any crackers might work. I like to get crackers that have some kick to them. Most of these snack ideas can be done on any budget and require little effort. I haven't tried some of the dairy ones like a glass of milk or yogurt to allergies, but there is enough variety here to choose from. All of these ideas take little planning and can give you enough protein to help you sustain focus even when your life is hectic. 

I am not saying that this replaces treatment in any manner, nor am I implying that ADD/ADHD is caused by diet. These are merely meant as strategies to help make better, but not necessarily perfect, snack choices.

Household chores made fun!?!

I have struggled my whole life with doing chores and contributing around the house. I have never, ever come up with a strategy for helping me to get basic tasks done until about a month ago. Actually, I didn't come up with this strategy, my mom did.

The strategy goes like this: she gives me a list of chores to do. She assigns a unit value to each chore and the goal is to complete 5 units per day. I get to choose which chores I do, the timing of them with in reason and it's not an overwhelming amount. The units are based on how much completing them helps out around the house.

The beauty of this strategy for getting stuff done around the house is that it can be easily turned into a game or a contest. If using it with children, you could set it up so that after so many units, they get to do something fun or some other reward. Actually, this probably could be fun for an adult.

Another beauty of this strategy it adds a little bit structure to helping out around the house. Also with a little bit of tweaking, it might also work with other tasks such as work, household projects, school work, etc.

I oddly enough, enjoy completing the 5 units. I even try to see how fast I can complete the 5 units. I encourage you to experiment with this strategy and make it fun. Yes, I know, but you can oddly enough enjoy and have fun doing chores.

Samantha Who?

I watched the tv show called "Samantha Who?" on Netflix recently. The show is about a woman, who was successful and mean until she was hit by a car. She suffered a head injury, was in a coma for 8 days, and woke up from the coma with retrograde amnesia.

Following the coma and the amnesia, she had to relearn everything and became a compassionate, lovable and loving woman. She was able to make amends with her family and friends, and had a strong desire to help people.

She was given a fresh start, a clean slate, to start over. She was able to become a new person, learning who she truly was without her past memories hindering her. She went on to be successful woman again all arenas in her life. She developed strategies and a healthier set of life skills.

My challenge to you is to imagine what you would do if you were unhindered by your past, your stories, and who you and every one else thinks/believes you are. What would your dreams look like? What would your relationships look like? Who do you see yourself being? What tools and supports do you need to succeed?

ADHD reading tips

Do you have trouble sitting down and reading? How about remembering what you read with out having to reread the material? Are there subjects you find harder to read than others? Well, so did I until I discovered/invented reading strategies to help me get through reading assignments and study.

If you think there is only one way to read a book or an article, then you have a lot to learn about reading. Following someone else's prescription for how to read a book or an article isn't going to get you very far unless you are someone else. I wouldn't even have an AA degree if I did that, let alone get through all of my science and general ed classes. I entered community college with an eighth grade reading and writing level, I have since then developed a high reading capacity and my friends and family can vouch for the fact that my reading methods are anything but ordinary. I am going to share some of my own reading strategies as they maybe the very unorthodox ideas some of you need. And if they don't work for you at least you have more ways to look at reading than before.

OK now for my tips.

Textbooks:

1. Start by reading the chapter summary at the end of the chapter, glossary of terms and maybe questions. This can give you a framework of what the chapter is about.
2. Skim through the subheadings, boldface print, and pictures. This can build on the framework you created in (1).
3. Now when reading feel free to highlight, underline, write, doodle, fidget while reading. 
4. Make sure you have pens and highlighters of many different colors.
5. Color code your highlighting and pens. To keep it fresh change color coding every chapter. Color coding helps with distinguishing between key information from details. For important/key material consider marking it with your favorite color.
6. Take frequent breaks, especially with dense material. 
7. Make sure you drink plenty of water and eat a high protein snack or meal.
8. Feel free to move around, experiment with white noise and different environments.
9. Libraries or quiet environments aren't for everyone. Some people do better in coffee shops, restaurants, or at the park.
10. feel free to turn the TV, listen to music, turn on a fan/air conditioner or white noise machines/tapes.
11. For terms, formulas and key concepts consider having a stack of multicolored index cards to write down.
12. If you take medication for ADHD and/or drink caffeinated beverages, be sure that they are in your system. 
13. Sticky notes are great for marking important information and can also signal where you left off. This makes starting up after a break easier and helps you quickly refer back important material.

Most important thing to remember is to honor your learning/processing styles and your ADD/ADHD and coexisting diagnoses. This will help you determine/develop a system for reading textbooks and other material that maximizes your learning. This also can make it fun to read a textbook, which sounds unbelievable.

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?