Everyone

Achieves

Management

ADHD is a social diagnosis, meaning along with the diagnosis comes new relationships. When my son was diagnosed he was very social about it, raising his hand in class to share the good news with all his friends. That’s one kind of social that involves an already existing relationship group.

Along with an ADHD diagnosis other relationships are formed. There’s the psychiatrist who diagnosed the ADHD and may prescribe medications; the teacher/student relationship may change as the teacher comes to understand both the intent and the genesis of a student’s class behaviors; the therapist who works with the family; and the ADHD Coach who also works with the family and the client.

So, working Together, Everyone from the client to the coach Achieves Management.

What do you want managed?

Call Atlanta ADHD Coach Maureen Nolan, ACC for more information about TEAM Coaching at 404-713-0488.

by Atlanta ADD Coach, Maureen Nolan, ACC, Your Attention Coach

The first major transition in my life was our family move to Atlanta, Ga. from Cleveland, OH when I was ten years old. My mother said I cried half-way through the several day drive. I left behind my cousins and friends and everything I knew and felt comfortable around to arrive in the American South of 1963; it was a land of accents and heat and summer rain storms and incomparable natural beauty and racial discrimination. I believe I became a ‘problem’ for the first time, fighting and feeling left out. I did not transition well.

If you are moving your children to a new location;

• create immediate comfort with group play and sports organizations;
• create leadership opportunities;
• enroll your child in classes where he/she already excels for continued self-esteem.

Peer Groups are Important to Thrive with ADHD

My second major transition was to a public high school from a parochial school in our neighborhood. My mother was already driving my older sister in a carpool to her private Catholic high school and did not want to drive another (this was 1967 when driving was a limited activity and 20 minutes in each direction was an official outing), so I walked to the nearby public school. I did not transition well, feeling isolated among yet another new group of peers. I isolated myself further and appeared ‘shy’.

• If at all possible keep your child with his/her group of friends for high school
• Isolation is unhealthy – create an ongoing opportunity for your child to be involved in leadership training
• Just because your child is quiet and well-behaved does not mean he/she is happy – talk, talk, talk with your child about everything.

Start ADHD Coaching Before Leaving for College

The third major transition was to college in St. Louis where I had lots of family to visit and be comfortable around but it was a difficult transition as again all my ‘support systems’ of a few friends and the familiarity of my surroundings were gone along with any sense of being tethered. I was a wild child for a while and rue the day I was let loose without structure.

• Get your student a coach! Learning to live away from home is a skill – it’s not natural to be on your own since we are community beings.
• At the same time, your student needs to learn to self-motivate. A coach is a transition figure in your student’s life – the transition from your roof to being independent.
• You need independence, too! Get yourself a coach to transition you through the empty nest years.

I’ve since transitioned into the work world, marriage and motherhood, each with its challenges and happiness. I’m transitioning after divorce now, and I have discovered the same is true for all my transitions: Setting Goals and creating support relationships make my life work. I am now working with other entrepreneurs in a supportive group setting at New Tricks where we share our business goals, challenges and successes.

Life is More Fun with Support!

What works for you during transition?

Attention is a state of grace and after losing my attention over and over again I want a better relationship with grace. Keeping my attention is like keeping God in my mind. What can be done to live in that attentional grace space?

Two years ago the Dalai Lama convened a symposium on mindfulness as a treatment for depression at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. It’s a short drive from my home, so I invited my sisters and daughter and together we attended the weekend event with some close friends all of whom live with ADHD or who work in the field of ADHD service.

Representatives of five major faiths presented their organized religious perspectives on mindfulness or meditation to the Dalai Lama.

Scientists presented papers to the Dalai Lama on studies on meditation and its impact on mindfulness.

The Dalai Lama was conversational, inquisitive, funny and friendly as the material was discussed in front of a few thousand attendees. He was serious in his investigation on the value of the Buddhist practice of mindfulness as a means towards health and wellness which impacts our ability to attend to what is important in our lives.

Practice Mindfulness for Anxiety Relief

Since then, I’ve recommended the practice of mindfulness to clients, teaching them on the spot how to live in the present moment because anxiety is an expression of future fear and extensive regret is related to living in the past. All we have is now.

When you have anxiety or regret that feels overwhelming, get two balls and juggle them slowly, back and forth from hand to hand. Do something you think is silly; anxiety and silliness cannot coexist in the same moment. Feel the position of your body – where is it? Where is your foot, your hand, your fingers? Tell yourself what you feel tactilely – how does the fabric you’re wearing feel? How does your hair feel? Pull yourself into the present moment and practice this mindfulness.

Tell me, how are you now? What do you want to pay attention to in the present moment?