Getting Started With Your ADHD Management (Rebroadcast)
1Digest
This episode of Hacking Your ADHD dives into the fundamentals of ADHD, addressing common questions and misconceptions. It begins by clarifying the distinction between ADD and ADHD, tracing the evolution of the diagnosis and its various presentations: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. The episode emphasizes that ADHD is a spectrum disorder, meaning individuals experience a range of symptoms to varying degrees. The host highlights the importance of self-acceptance and understanding how ADHD manifests in one's life. The episode then introduces the concept of the "wall of awful," a metaphorical barrier built by emotional baggage and past failures, which can hinder task activation. The host, drawing on the work of Brenda Mahan, explores five strategies for overcoming this wall, emphasizing the importance of emotional regulation, building ADHD-friendly strategies, and addressing the root causes of emotional blocks. The episode concludes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to continue their ADHD journey by exploring resources like coaching, medication, and accountability.
Outlines
Introduction
This Chapter introduces the podcast, "Hacking Your ADHD," and its host, William Kerb, who has ADHD. The podcast aims to provide tools, tactics, and best practices for managing ADHD.
Understanding ADHD Basics
This Chapter delves into the fundamentals of ADHD, addressing common questions and misconceptions. It clarifies the distinction between ADD and ADHD, tracing the evolution of the diagnosis and its various presentations: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. The episode emphasizes that ADHD is a spectrum disorder, meaning individuals experience a range of symptoms to varying degrees.
The Wall of Awful
This Chapter introduces the concept of the "wall of awful," a metaphorical barrier built by emotional baggage and past failures, which can hinder task activation. The host, drawing on the work of Brenda Mahan, explores five strategies for overcoming this wall, emphasizing the importance of emotional regulation, building ADHD-friendly strategies, and addressing the root causes of emotional blocks.
Conclusion and Next Steps
This Chapter concludes the episode by summarizing key takeaways and encouraging listeners to continue their ADHD journey by exploring resources like coaching, medication, and accountability.
Keywords
ADHD
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person's ability to focus, control impulses, and organize tasks. It is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD is a spectrum disorder, meaning that symptoms vary in severity and presentation from person to person.
ADD
Attention-deficit disorder (ADD) is an older term that was used to describe ADHD before the diagnostic criteria were updated. It is no longer a recognized diagnosis, but it is still sometimes used colloquially.
Executive Function
Executive function refers to a set of mental processes that help us plan, organize, and manage our time and behavior. These processes are essential for everyday tasks, such as getting ready in the morning, completing work assignments, and managing relationships. People with ADHD often have challenges with executive function, which can make it difficult to manage their time, stay organized, and complete tasks.
Wall of Awful
The "wall of awful" is a metaphorical barrier that can prevent people with ADHD from starting or completing tasks. It is built up by negative emotions, such as fear of failure, shame, and disappointment. The wall of awful can make it feel overwhelming and impossible to even begin a task, even if it is relatively simple.
Brenda Mahan
Brenda Mahan is a certified ADHD coach and the host of the ADHD Essentials podcast. She is known for her work on the "wall of awful" concept and her practical strategies for managing ADHD.
Spectrum Disorder
A spectrum disorder is a condition that exists on a continuum, meaning that symptoms can vary in severity and presentation from person to person. ADHD is a spectrum disorder, meaning that individuals experience a range of symptoms to varying degrees.
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and control our emotions. It is an important skill for everyone, but it can be particularly challenging for people with ADHD. Emotional regulation strategies can help us to calm down when we are feeling overwhelmed, manage our anger, and express our emotions in a healthy way.
Time Wisdom
Time wisdom is the ability to accurately estimate how long tasks will take and to manage our time effectively. People with ADHD often have challenges with time wisdom, which can lead to procrastination, missed deadlines, and feeling overwhelmed.
Procrastination
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often due to a lack of motivation, fear of failure, or difficulty getting started. Procrastination is a common challenge for people with ADHD, and it can have a significant impact on productivity and well-being.
ADHD Coaching
ADHD coaching is a type of support that helps people with ADHD to develop strategies for managing their symptoms and improving their quality of life. ADHD coaches can provide guidance, accountability, and support in areas such as time management, organization, and emotional regulation.
Q&A
What is the difference between ADD and ADHD?
ADD is an older term that was used to describe ADHD before the diagnostic criteria were updated. It is no longer a recognized diagnosis, but it is still sometimes used colloquially. ADHD is now the accepted term for the disorder, and it encompasses a range of symptoms, including inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
What are the different presentations of ADHD?
There are three presentations of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. The inattentive presentation is characterized by difficulty focusing, staying organized, and following through on tasks. The hyperactive-impulsive presentation is characterized by excessive movement, restlessness, and difficulty controlling impulses. The combined presentation includes symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.
What is the "wall of awful"?
The "wall of awful" is a metaphorical barrier that can prevent people with ADHD from starting or completing tasks. It is built up by negative emotions, such as fear of failure, shame, and disappointment. The wall of awful can make it feel overwhelming and impossible to even begin a task, even if it is relatively simple.
How can I overcome the "wall of awful"?
There are five strategies for overcoming the "wall of awful": staring at it, going around it, Hulk smashing through it, putting a door in it, and climbing it. The most effective strategies are putting a door in the wall, which involves changing your emotional state, and climbing the wall, which involves addressing the root causes of your emotional blocks and building ADHD-friendly strategies.
What are some ADHD-friendly strategies for getting started on tasks?
ADHD-friendly strategies for getting started on tasks include breaking down tasks into smaller steps, using timers to track your time, creating clear pictures of what you want to complete, and finding ways to make tasks more enjoyable.
What are some resources for managing ADHD?
Resources for managing ADHD include ADHD coaching, medication, and accountability partners. ADHD coaches can provide guidance, support, and accountability in developing strategies for managing ADHD. Medication can help to reduce symptoms of ADHD, such as inattention and hyperactivity. Accountability partners can help you to stay on track with your goals and to hold yourself accountable for your actions.
Show Notes
One of the questions that I’ve been getting a bit more frequently recently is just trying to understand where to get started with ADHD - and I think this is a question that a lot of us have because there is just so much out there on ADHD and it’s hard to know where even to begin thinking about what you might want to be doing.
In today’s episode, we’re going to be exploring this idea by first looking at some of the areas that ADHD entails, how that knowledge can boost your ability to manage your ADHD, and also take a look another look at the Wall of Awful.
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This Episode’s Top Tips
- ADHD is a spectrum disorder, meaning that you are going to have a variety of symptoms to varying degrees. Your ADHD is unique to you, and how you treat your ADHD is going to be a matter of figuring out which symptoms are affecting you the most.
- One of the hardest parts of ADHD is getting past our internalized messaging around who we are - if we haven’t taken the time to work on accepting how our ADHD affects us, then it is easy for us to blame our problems on ourselves as personal failings instead of accepting how our ADHD can hold us back.
- The Wall of Awful is the emotional impact of repeated failure, and it makes activating on tasks even more difficult - there are 5 ways people try to get past the Wall of Awful, two don't work, and one works but is damaging to our relationships and then two that work - the two that don't work are staring at it or trying to go around it - the one that works but is damaging is trying to hulk smash through the wall - the two that work that we want to focus on are climbing the wall and putting a door in our wall.
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