Did you know that experts believe AD/HD is genetic? So if one person in your family has AD/HD, chances are at least one other person does, too. I don't know about you, but that explains why my extended family is so chaotic!
When you live in a household with more than one ADDer, you often have double the stress, double the overwhelm, and double the chaos! The challenges are even more complicated by the fact that while AD/HD has some common symptoms and challenges, no two people are alike.
Fortunately, there are some very basic and simple strategies that you can employ to ensure that your AD/HD household runs smoothly. And these strategies will work if you're the only ADDer in your home, or if you're surrounded by other ADDers!
1. Keep individual stress levels down.
The more stressed out you are, the harder it is to manage your AD/HD challenges. Time management, organization, focus, and other challenges become more difficult than ever to control successfully. Consequently, the more stressed out individual family members are, the more difficult it becomes to live with them!
Stress management needs to be a priority for everyone in the home, and that includes non-ADDers, too!
2. Focus on individual strengths.
ADDers respond much better to praise than criticism. Acknowledgment of strengths increases self-esteem and provides energy and motivation to continue building on success.
It's human nature to respond positively to praise, as negatively to criticism. So shower everyone in the household with praise and recognition to create a happy and positive environment!
3. Create structure.
Kids tend to need more structure than adults, but everyone in the household can benefit from some predictability.
Structure in the form of bedtime routines, meal schedules, and fun time can do wonders for adults with AD/HD who often need a little more help slowing down. And non-ADDers will appreciate knowing when they can count on enjoying some time with their ADDers!
AD/HD families need not be stressed out and frantic. With some patience and a little work, the home environment can transform from chaos to calm!
Note: Do check out the no-cost Virtual AD/HD Conference Podcast Series for more tips from the experts on how to manage AD/HD in the family, and how to succeed as an adult with AD/HD. Visit http://ADHDconference.com/podcasts.shtml!
Don't Miss Out! The Virtual AD/HD Conference is Just 5 Days Away!
If you do have AD/HD in the family (or even if it's just you, all by your AD/HD lonesome), then you'll definitely want to register for the Virtual AD/HD Conference!
In case you're not familiar with it, the Virtual AD/HD Conference is an online event that brings together your favorite AD/HD experts and hundreds of your peers for education, connection, and inspiration.
My team and I work on this one event 8 months out of the year to make it an ultra-valuable, can't-miss event for the entire AD/HD community, Why do we do it? Well, let me ask you this, %$firstname$%:
Have you ever found yourself up late at night, searching the Internet for answers to your AD/HD questions?
Chances are, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Perhaps you even found me that way? ADDers have a tendency to get stuck online because we're hungry for information and strategies. We search for hours and hours, and then we kick ourselves for wasting so much time! But many people don't realize just how common it is for people like us to be up all night looking for answers.
There’s no need to drive yourself crazy searching for information and strategies when you can find them all in one place, at the Virtual AD/HD Conference. This unique, online event provides you with the opportunity to:
- Access 22 of your favorite AD/HD experts and get your questions answered. Presentations include:
- 5 Steps to Creating the Best Possible Marriage with AD/HD with Edward "Ned" Hallowell, MD & Sue George Hallowell, LICSW
- Change Your Perspective for Success with AD/HD with Patricia Quinn, MD
- Medications for AD/HD and Co-Existing Conditions with Kenny Handelman, MD
- AD/HD and Bullying with Susan Leavitt Miller
- The Power of the Pause: The Difference Between Reacting Impulsively and Responding Rationally with David Giwerc, MCC
- AD/HD in the Workplace: Issues, Strategies, and Building a Plan for Success with Wilma Fellman, M.Ed
- Fundamental Strategies to Overcome Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity with Ari Tuckman, PsyD, MBA
- Overwhelmed! Techniques to Break Through Mental Paralysis with Bonnie Mincu, MA, MBA, SCAC
- Empowering College Students with AD/HD with Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, MCC, SCAC
- And many more! Check out the Virtual AD/HD Conference agenda at http://ADHDconference.com/agenda.shtml
- Get the tools that you and your family need to succeed. There's no need to spend hours and hours searching the Internet for answers when they're all in one place!
- Connect with an international community of people who have AD/HD, or are affected by AD/HD. Ask questions, share your experiences, and make a few friends in a supportive, non-judgmental environment.
- Learn in an AD/HD-friendly, online environment. Attend the sessions live via your phone or computer, or download them later at your convenience. All the conference resources (including the session recordings and presentation slides) are yours to keep, so you can continue to access and benefit from them long after the conference is over.
And the best part is that you can do it all from the comfort of your own home or office! You don't have to waste time and money on travel, you don't have to take off work, you don't have to get a baby sitter, and you don't have to be inconvenienced.
Attend live, download later, talk now, talk later...it doesn't matter. You can participate whenever and however it's comfortable for you. After all, this IS an online conference for an AD/HD audience! We couldn't pull it off if we didn't make it AD/HD-friendly!
That's just 5 days away!
If you're still on the fence about registering, you can listen to no-cost podcast previews of 11 upcoming conference sessions at http://ADHDconference.com/podcasts.shtml. (That's a sneak peak at more than half the conference presentations!)
I do hope you’ll join us!
Or visit http://ADHDconference.com to learn more.
I hope to "see" you there next week!
P.S. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get all the tools that you and your family need to succeed, without ever leaving home. Join us at the Virtual AD/HD Conference next week!
Recent Comments