“To catch up might mean life is complete. No more experiences required. Hmm… Maybe it’s time to open the mind to seeing the small stuff.”
By: Cindy North, ADHD Life Coach Specialist
November 22, 2020
Are you running in a rat race trying to catch up, struggling to get to the finish line that is forever out-of-sight, with to-do lists piling up, deadline after deadline unmet? Have you found the gold at the end of the rainbow yet? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can make daily life much more challenging, working that much harder trying to keep up. How often can you slow down to honestly notice or even stop to experience what is happening around you? The simple gifts of life; the sunsets, the bees buzzing on budding flowers, a smile from a young child, a bird in flight, the fog on the rolling hills, a snowflake floating in the breeze. Pause for a moment to make a mental list of the simple gifts you believe go unnoticed in your daily life.
Too often, we let ourselves fall prey to running the rat-race of life. Google says, “A rat race is an endless, self-defeating, or pointless pursuit. The phrase equates humans to rats attempting to earn a reward such as cheese, in vain. It may also refer to a competitive struggle to get ahead financially or routinely.” Knowing that running a rat-race is an endless, self-defeating, and pointless pursuit, why do we choose to compete day in day out? Add in ADHD symptoms, and the quest seems impossible. Dr. Russel Barkley states, “Those with ADHD are generally about 30 to 40 percent behind their peers in transitioning from one executive function to the next.” Understanding the neurobiology of the brain with ADHD may help ADHDer’s avoid falling prey to constant defeat.
In the article, “What is Executive Function? 7 Deficits Tied to ADHD”, Barkley describes the four brain circuits in the prefrontal cortex related to potential executive dysfunction in ADHD. ADHD symptoms of planning, time awareness, decision making, and self-awareness are tied to four prefrontal circuits in the brain that process areas of what, when, why, and who. Understanding how your ADHD symptoms relate to areas of executive function may provide answers in developing tools and strategies to cope. Regardless of where your executive dysfunction occurs, one key area to develop is how you calm your brain and body. Sometimes there is so much going on that it feels like the brain is on fire. By developing ways to calm the mind, you are putting in place a pause button. Meeting life expectations can be exceedingly difficult with ADHD symptoms like uncontrollable racing thoughts, constant urges to move, emotional sensitivity, forgetfulness, task incompletion, failure to start, and more. The list can go on unique to each person. This endless loop can lead to increased anxiety and depression. Building a pause system is like coding a computer program for the brain to take a moment. Finding systems, strategies, and tools to recenter and find calm allows space to notice the simple things in life. Getting out of your headspace can ease the rat-race feeling.
Systems, strategies, and tools that will work for you will be unique to you. There are so many calming techniques when searched on the internet. Tools and techniques are like trying on clothes to see what fits and feels right. You will find what works for you by playing around with different techniques and tweaking them. Almost like get your suit or dress tailored just for you. A few of my favorite ways to recenter are, listening to a quiet music playlist, rocking on my porch swing, taking a hot-hot bath, watching the birds flock to my feeder, watching my horses graze, taking a deep breath, super cleaning my house… These are all ways to bring me to the present. Some from this list may seem like possibilities for you, or you may find the exact opposite to work better. Maybe you like to blast heavy metal music or go for a run or take a cold shower. Moving from participation in the rat-race to notice what is happening now will offer space for calm and growth. Following the rainbow is a pursuit, life’s pursuit. What is your pot of gold? Your ADHD does not have to get in the way of enjoying the small stuff. First, you must notice it.
Cindy North is an ADHD Life Coach Specialist training through the iACTcenter and moving towards certification with the ICF. Her passion is guiding the ADHD community to success by empowering others to shine with their abilities.
Contributions:
Wikipedia contributors. (2020, October 10). Rat race. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7:32 EST, November 22, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rat_race&oldid=982868521
Barkley, Russell Ph.D. (2019 October 3). What us Executive Function? 7 Deficits Tied to ADHD. Additude. Retrieved 7:52 EST November 22, 2020, from https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/
