Having a thought or idea that I haven’t written down can actually keep me up at night, which is why I keep a notebook on my bed stand. I also make notes every day in a graph paper notebook, recording my accomplishments, enjoyments, people I’ve seen, what’s on tap for tomorrow, my favorite part of the day, a challenge from the day, progress for t…[Read more]

In my kitchen, I labeled all the shelves with what went where. Basement storage was also labeled. Office drawers. Even my bookshelves. All designed to remove that second of thought that would often suck me into a vortex of overanalysis when I was trying to remember or decide where something should go, and at least give me a general idea of where…[Read more]

So, I have a secret weapon in improving my ADHD – my wife, Kimberly, who is a holistic health practitioner with decades of experience exploring integrated health. She started me on probiotics nearly a decade ago, which has helped mellow my mood and increased the strength of my immune system. I also take vitamin E religiously. I notice that the…[Read more]

Drugs can be good. Drugs can be bad.

Drugs helped me cope for years before I was diagnosed with ADHD.

I medicated with caffeine. That helped keep my focused. And later in life, in my 30’s, I found that marijuana helped level me out.

Strattera gave me my first experience of what other people feel when they accomplish a task.

The first snow of 2…[Read more]

While making lists and prioritizing your time is one thing, it’s another to avoid the voices inside your head calling you to distraction. For me, that same magical hyper focus that helped me survive school and work assignments I’d pushed off to the last minute makes it feel like you can just escape into a different time zone and do that one mor…[Read more]

I use mind mapping tools extensively, primarily MindMeister.com and planning tools for more complex work and volunteer projects, specifically SmartSheet.com.

The mind does not work linearly. Mind mapping allows you to capture your thoughts first and organize later. I am overjoyed to see that my kids learned to mind map in first grade.

For ADD…[Read more]

If you think of your brain as a computer, you know that you need to shut that computer down every now and again to clear out extra routines and restore functioning.

Your ADHD brain is like a computer running way too many programs.

You need to shut it down regularly to get back to basic functioning.

The tragic paradox of having ADHD that…[Read more]

I think swimming was one of the most important coping mechanisms I had in high school. Breath by breath, lap by lap, my mind quieted for long stretches. Long runs helped me later in life, just me and the road and my breathing.

Exercise is essential in general for brain health, based on just about every bit of research out there.

It’s tough, w…[Read more]

When Marilyn first diagnosed me, one of her big clues was my man bag. I’d started our conversation telling her that I was never quite registering for any official diagnosis of depression or anxiety, and yet always felt some level of depression or anxiety.

Then she asked me about my bag.

I explained all my systems for tracking everything from m…[Read more]