Break the Cycle of Overwhelm

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Although I'm currently out on maternity leave, I've taken the time to prepare some blog posts for you while I'm away! I thought this would be a great time to review The 5 Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD that I detail in my book, Odd One Out: The Maverick's Guide to Adult ADD, and in my new Odd One Out Home Study Coaching Program. Please feel free to check my blog or join us on Facebook to get the birth announcement when our new arrival makes her debut!

 

ADD Management Skill #1: Break the Cycle of Overwhelm

ADD presents itself differently in everyone who has it. But one consistent factor that I’ve noticed in my work as a coach is that adults with ADD are chronically overwhelmed with everyday life. You wake up feeling like you’re behind on life, and you spend your whole day either trying to catch up, or feeling guilty because you’re not doing enough to catch up. By the end of the night you feel even further behind than you were when you started! Then you go to bed and wake up just to do it all over again.

Eventually, the overwhelm catches up to you, and you burn out. Then you go through a period—a day, two days, or even a week—when your brain (and maybe your body) just feels shut down and you can’t seem to accomplish anything. You repeat this cycle of overwhelm and burnout over and over again and one thing is clear: YOU ARE STRESSED OUT!

The biggest problem here is that stress makes ADD worse. The good news, though, is that the more you control your stress, the easier it is to manage your ADD. I call this “The Golden Rule of ADD Management” and it’s quite simply this: Stress management = ADD management.

Breaking the cycle of overwhelm is all about learning how to manage your stress. And there are two important things to focus on in order to do that:

1. You have to learn to slow down.
2. You have to practice excellent self-care.

I know that the idea of slowing down is counter intuitive when it feels like you’re running behind on life. But I’m sure you know that you’re just not as effective or productive in the face of chaos. When you feel speedy—either physically speedy or mentally speedy—that’s when you make mistakes.

Learning to slow on a regular basis is exactly what will help you get to a place of being calm, centered, and relaxed. And when you’re calm, centered, and relaxed, you’re in a much better position to tackle all the things on your to-do list, and you do better work to boot.

The next thing to focus on when learning to break the cycle of overwhelm is practicing excellent self-care. Self-care is about making sure that you’re functioning optimally before you try to take care of those around you. When you’re taking care of yourself, and you feel happy and fulfilled, you have so much more to give to those around you than when you feel overwhelmed or burnt out! Everyone benefits when you take good care of yourself.

Breaking the cycle of overwhelm is not an easy skill to master. It starts with small steps, like allowing yourself time to relax and unwind every day, and paying better attention to self-care basics like sleep and nutrition. Small changes can make a big difference when it comes to building this skill. The most important thing to keep in mind is that stress management = ADD management. The more you do to manage your stress, the easier it becomes to manage your ADD.

How do you manage your stress? Do you struggle with chronic overwhelm? Please share your thoughts with other readers in the comments below!

How to Master the 5 Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD

Are you STILL struggling with chronic overwhelm, self-doubt, poor time management, and other ADD-related challenges?

Let me show you exactly how to master The 5 Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD so that you can embrace your inner maverick and move forward in life!

If you’re like many of the adults with ADD that I hear from, then you’ve read my book, Odd One Out: The Maverick’s Guide to Adult ADD, and it really hit home with you.

You’d love to work with me one-on-one to dig into the concepts and strategies covered in the book but, unfortunately, private coaching isn’t an option for you right now.

Now there’s another option. I created a home study program that will coach you to:

• Embrace your inner maverick
• Break the cycle of chronic stress, overwhelm, and burnout
• Learn how to accept and work with your own ADD
• Focus on your strengths and think more positively
• Take control of your space, time, and tasks
• Give yourself permission to live out loud!

The Odd One Out Home Study Coaching Program allows me to be your personal ADD coach from afar, and it’s the next best thing to working with me privately. It features 3 audio CDs, an 85+ page workbook, and a goal setting action guide. I walk you through each chapter in the book and show you exactly what it takes to build and apply each of the 5 Essential Skills for Managing Adult ADD.

Life with adult ADD really doesn’t have to be so hard. You’re not stuck living a life of stress and disappointment. I’ve coached hundreds of adults to embrace their inner maverick and live happy and successful lives. You can absolutely take control over your ADD and turn things around! And I can help you do it with the Odd One Out Home Study Coaching Program.

Retail Price: $197 + S&H $147 with FREE Shipping in the US and Canada Save $59.95!

This introductory price is available to the first 50 people who order the home study program. (Over half available at this price have already been sold.) Offer expires March 1, 2011, or when the first 50 orders are placed. Comes with a 90-day, 100% money-back guarantee!

Learn more here.

P.S. Remember: Stress Management = ADD Management!