Are You An ADD Adult?

I have to confess an interest in this subject as I certainly am subject to Attention deficit disorder (ADD) but in my case without the hyperactivity. ADD or ADHD doesn’t just affect children, though they certainly seem to be increasingly prone to it, but roughly 4 % of adults certainly have some of the symptoms. So far no one knows what causes it, or makes someone more vulnerable to it, though there is increasing evidence that it might have a biological basis, but whatever the cause it helps to know how to deal with it.

With the pressure we are all under, and as we get older, we are subject to lapses of memory, distraction and sheer overload. The official diagnosis of ADHD includes the three major symptoms of inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness and you can have any or all of these symptoms. When trying to learn, complete a project or get on with people these traits can get in the way – however on the positive side ADHD often goes alongside creativity and thinking outside the box.

If you are not sure whether you are in this category there is a simple, quick test at the appallingly named Psych Central, but don’t let that put you off. The website is psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm and I have to confess that out of 100 I got 92. If I was competitive I would say ‘beat that!’ but not sure that is going to help – why do you think I wrote a book on procrastination!

Natural Help:

If your ADHD seriously impacts your life then you may need professional help, but there are some simple steps to take first to give you some support.

1 You need to keep your brain healthy and functioning well and to do that it needs a good supply of the Omega-3 fatty acids. You can get these through your diet from oily fish, whole foods, flaxseeds and walnuts.

2 A high protein, low carbohydrate works for most ADHD sufferers, except for those whose problem is being over focused, they need carbohydrates far more than protein.

3 Your brain needs dopamine to stay focused and able to concentrate and the best way to do it is through regular exercise. Anything you like as long as you enjoy it enough to maintain it.

4 Back to the previous item, and yet another benefit of mindfulness meditation is that it has been shown to ‘centre’ and stabilise that chattering mind that often goes with ADHD.

In the US there is much talk about the Feingold diet which is claimed to help not just ADHD but many other disorders as well and if you want to check it out go to http://www.feingold.org/ but there are some simple rules you can implement straight away – but remember no diet or regime suits everyone so experiment and see if it works for you:.

ADHD sufferers do best when their sugar levels are even so cut out sugar in all forms as that will make your insulin levels rise and fall, causing mood changes and irritability. If you do have lots of sugar you are likely to crash, become spacey, confused and unable to pay attention. Eating little and often works best, and don’t eat three hours before bed. Try to have protein with most meals and limit fruit juices because of their high sugar content so eat fruit instead.

WARNING: If you are on any ADHD medicine then give up caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol as they dehydrate the body and affect your mood. Alcohol mixed with ADHD medications can be life threatening and both caffeine and tobacco decrease the blood flow to the brain and makes the condition worse. Citric acid can interfere with some ADHD medications so limit your intake of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit as well as their juices.

Get moving in the morning – In 60 seconds

We read a lot about ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), but mostly in relation to children. However, children grow up and they don’t necessarily grow out of the disorder but they usually learn to manage it. One of the challenges can be the task of getting out of bed in the mornings and getting on with the day.

If this is you, then here’s a simple 60 second plan to overcome this – and it works whether you have ADD or just difficulty getting out of bed! All you have to do is open your eyes, sit up in bed and breathe gently and slowly while giving yourself a gentle face massage just like this:

1 Breathe in and as you slowly breathe out stroke the sides of your nose from your eyebrows downwards, using the knuckle of your thumbs.

2 Next out breath, move your thumbs up to the middle of your forehead and stroke outwards over your brow. Repeat 5 times and on the last time let your knuckles move down to end in that hollow on either side of your temple.

3 Again using your thumb knuckles, take a deep breath and as you breathe out apply some light pressure and massage with a circular motion until you have no breath left. with a bit of pressure, massage that area of your temple, right in the dip. Continue the massage until you’re out of air from that breath.

4 Next breathe in, move your thumbs down to that small hollow just in front of where your ear lies and massage that as you did before.

5 Moving down your face, stop at the next small hollow where the bottom of your ear lies, and near the top of your jawbone. Massage again until you are out of breath. Take another slow even deep breath, and find the last dip just inside the spot the bottom of your ear attaches to your face. This one’s right near the top of the jaw bone at your temple, right in the dip. Massage that dip until you’re out of breath.

6 Final breath in, and now move round to massage the curve of your ears as you breathe out. Repeat once more.

Now you should be ready to face the day.