I Have Questions!

When am I ready for ADHD Coaching?

If you’ve been diagnosed for a while (or even for years), got the meds; got therapy; got the t-shirt, so to speak; but you realize you never got an “instruction manual” for ADHD (or it was all in like, Mandarin or Ikea-speak), it may be time to go ahead and do a little research on ADHD coaching and even call a coach to see if they are a good fit.

What if I’m brand new to all this?

It’s a good idea to go ahead and get through the diagnosis period and if meds are started, see how they make you feel. Get to a stable dosage for ADHD meds and make sure any co-existing mental health diagnoses are also stable. Some people either can’t take or opt not to take meds. Either way, make sure you are ready to bring to the table a willingness to try different things and challenge old thought patterns and habits.

Learn a little about ADHD, listen to some related podcasts, and maybe start some counseling to deal with the fact that, ”I would have finished this or that, or had such a different career history if I knew I had this earlier!” Finding this out as an adult, you may grieve, or at least wonder often about, the person you “could have been”.

But don’t forget that your wounds shape your empathy and what you have gone through can help others when you are ready to share.

So, what if I am not quite ready for Coaching but I still need a change?

1. Find or reintroduce yourself to your talents and passions:

Starting now, with who you are now, make a list of ways you have succeeded; workarounds you’ve learned for dealing with the world and your ADHD. List some talents you used to feel good about, and try to stick your toes back in the water again. Try a painting class; a line dancing class; learn to play an instrument; start learning a language; start sewing again; start walking in nature just for the ADHD benefits of calmness and dopamine production, not to “get in shape or lose weight.” Just start doing whatever makes you feel good about yourself. And if that doesn’t do it for you anymore after trying, try something else.

2. Observe with a scientific eye, the transition times that get you in trouble (morning lateness, or trouble winding down at a decent hour at night, or that after-lunch “drag” at work.)

3. Pick a trouble spot in your day, like mornings, for example. Set a timer for how long you think it will take to get out of the door. Then when the timer goes off, note what helped you and what was a time eater and work on those spots.

4. Listen to an hour-long podcast instead of scrolling through Facebook. Have an emergency pair of socks in a drawer for the days you can’t find a matching set. We ADHD folks have a knack for ideas. It’s time to get creative. Put up a hook for your keys. Turn a daily snag into a little habit that takes that particular workaround from a short term memory issue to a long term memory hack.

5. Check out podcasts about ADHD or You tube videos and see what other ideas are out there. I can suggest a list if anyone wants some links.

I think I'm ready! What now?

If you want to try all this out with an accountability partner that will blend challenging questions, some education, a bunch of helpful links and podcasts (because I don’t even pretend to know all of the different ADHD experiences or combinations of symptoms), and a little self-deprecating humor (because most ADHD coaches also have ADHD and still experience setbacks because of it.) You will get an ear, some proverbial hand holding, an occasional kick in the pants (with your permission and for your own stated goals), and someone to text pictures of your living room pre- and post-chaos (no judgment) and get claps and stars for each step of your effort.

If this sounds like something you could use right now, contact me with questions and let’s talk about what we can achieve together.