Adult ADHD/ADD

Many adults have been living with ADHD/ADD all their lives without being fully aware of it.

Different – and different in good ways:

However, they might well have noticed that they feel, and seem, “different” to non-ADHD/ADD people in some ways. For example, they might have noticed that it takes them longer to complete certain kinds of tasks than others such as filling out forms and applications, attending to paperwork, doing their taxes, and responding to email. Completing various other kinds of desk work or studying or tasks involving steps and processes just seems to take longer than it should.

They might have noticed that it takes them longer to start tasks at work and longer to complete the task than others.  Then they might have difficulties transitioning between tasks. They might have noticed that they bring a far greater attention to detail to the task than others.  Often, people with ADHD see that they do a much better job than others although it takes them three or four times as long – time which often they do not have at their disposal – which can then lead to stress, frustration and possible conflict.

ADHD/ADD in families:

Since ADHD/ADD can be inherited through genetics, some clients can see expressions of it in various family members, and now see those traits and behaviours in themselves. Further, some clients have children who have been formally diagnosed with ADHD / ADD, and then realize that they, as a parent, are actually living with it as well, and have been their whole lives.

Exploring ADHD/ADD communication styles:

Clients might want to explore how they tend to communicate with others within various kinds of relationships across varieties of situations. Communication, they realize, involves listening, and with ADHD/ADD, they may have noticed how challenging it can be to sustain attention when others are talking. They wish to find ways to stay with conversations, to listen more effectively, and be able to respond more adequately to the matters at hand.

Exploring distraction and attention styles and tendencies:

They might want to identify how they are distracted and create strategies for sustaining attention, enabling them to complete tasks more efficiently, improve on performance and be more productive at work.

There is often no attention “deficit” anyhow:

Perhaps it would be better if ADHD/ADD were simply called “AHD” – “Attention Hyperactivity Disorder” or “AD” – “Attention Disorder” – as opposed to including the “Deficit” idea – because for many people, there may or may not be a “deficit” of attention at all, depending on what they are doing.  If interested, they can focus for hours on end to the point of obsession, but if not interested, sustaining attention for even a few minutes can be a challenge.

Winning the Procrastination Battle:

Some people with ADHD/ADD are tripped up by their tendency to procrastinate, and wish to find ways to better deal with this.  Developing strategies from core strengths can be a very effective and powerful way to improve overall quality of life for people with ADHD/ADD, and can help with other issues besides procrastination, such as forgetfulness, the tendency to lose things, disorganization, and difficulties making plans.

Some expressions of ADHD/ADD you might identify with:

Being easily distracted
Forgetfulness
Disorganization
Hyper-organization
Perfectionism
Losing things
Living with a sense of being restless
Feeling the urge to move often – between apartments, cities, countries
Often rearranging the furniture
Starting new projects and not following through or finishing them
Talking a lot and intensely, interrupting others
Not listening enough, difficulties sustaining attention while listening
Feeling “driven”, multitasking, overworking
Buying equipment for many hobbies only to switch again to a new hobby
The tendency to get bored easily
Always reaching for the phone, stuck on the phone, scrolling
Difficulties transitioning between tasks
Paying too much attention to detail: overfocused, obsessive
Not paying enough attention to detail, trouble paying attention
Difficulty getting going, taking a long time to get organized to leave the house
Difficulty “switching off” in order to get to sleep

You may notice that some of these expressions of ADHD/ADD seem contradictory, and they can be.  There are many different expressions – it is very specific to each individual.

My approach to working with adults with ADHD/ADD:

Sessions are not geared towards treating ADHD and/or ADD – I do not endeavor to treat the condition – and there is no agenda to “change or fix the person or the ADHD/ADD”.

Instead, the sessions provide opportunities for exploration which can lead to the uncovering of blind spots and the ability to see things from new angles, in new ways.  From here, leveraging new approaches to day to day challenges becomes possible.

Collaboratively, strategies can be developed that may assist individuals to achieve improved communication, organization, productivity and a more satisfying use of free time.

Here are some of the areas that may be the focus of sessions:

Managing distractions
Goal setting and achievement
Listening and communication skills
Emotion management and regulation
Stress and irritability
Overthinking, attention shifting
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Planning, scheduling
Time management
Organization of living spaces and work environments
Exploring routines around meals, exercise habits and sleep that contribute to optimal functioning and quality of life

Discovering your strengths and getting your strengths working for you:

Often clients enjoy discovering how they can leverage their strengths to do the things they want to do with less hassle, less frustration, less mishap, and with greater confidence, effectiveness and sense of personal agency.

The bottom line:

Did you scroll straight to the bottom?  If you’re living with ADHD/ADD, you might have got frustrated with all the detail above 🙂  If you’d like some support for ADHD and want to try a free intro chat, just email to set up a time.  I look forward to hearing from you.