I once again take to my blog to tell you all what not to get the ADHDer in your life for Christmas. Previously, I had written to not give ADHD-related products for Christmas. The reason for this is ADHD does not define a person. They are a unique individual, and one diagnosis does not encapsulate who they are.

2024 is an election year, and every election year, plenty of people are out there telling you to vote. I find this troubling. Yes, it is the citizen’s duty to decide how our country will be governed, but there are consequences to pushing people to vote. For those of us with ADHD, this can be doubly troubling.

Explore the true history of ADHD, debunking common misconceptions about its recognition and treatment. Learn how ADHD has been medically recognized for over two centuries, with treatments like Ritalin dating back to the 1950s. Understand why diagnoses are increasing, not necessarily due to a rise in ADHD itself, but because of improved awareness and understanding. Discover why ADHD is not a detriment but a unique trait that contributes to society, bringing creativity and vibrancy to our world.

When you have ADHD, it can feel like you are a bother to others, especially when you have ADHD alongside other conditions. ADHD can be challenging. Who can deny it? However, it is important to remember, when you are dealing with ADHD and/or other conditions, that you are not a burden. You are a gift. It is important to know the distinction between the two.

I bring you tidings of great joy: You do not have to do the thing alone! Other people can help you get stuff done. You may think that it is not a task someone else can do for you. That may be true, but that does not mean you cannot have the assistance of someone else. Body doubling is a great way of doing what you need to do. It works like this: Another person is present while you do the thing. That is really it. It may sound simple, but it is powerful. The exciting thing about this is you do not have to be in person to body double. This can be accomplished over Zoom or another video conferencing platform.

This blog was written on July 3, 2024. I was inspired to do so because I just looked at the whiteboard where I write down my goals and saw a goal whose deadline was in the year 2025. 2025 does not seem like a real year to me, yet we are half a year away from it. That seems crazy. I am just getting used to it being 2024. Despite the craziness of its approach, 2025 will be coming.

If you have been following along on my YouTube channel, you may know that I am writing a book. Along with that comes a book proposal. I don’t know if you have ever written one of those before, but it is massive. I am feeling overwhelmed, but I was reminded just now of the idea of breaking it down into bite sized pieces. This will help with the overwhelm. It is a common ADHD tactic to break things down, so how will I go about doing that and how can you? Read on to find out!

Connection is key when it comes to managing ADHD. Wherever you are in your ADHD journey, the need for connection in your life is indispensable. We know this, but connection is not always the easiest thing to find. So, let’s take some time to explore different areas of connection and how we can seek more of it.

I started Reset ADHD in July of 2018 and began regularly blogging in the beginning of August of that year. In a blog post dated August 27, 2018, I wrote, “I hope more research is done in this area so that the relationship between ADHD and the gastrointestinal system is fully explored.” I had just gone through some diagnoses of stomach issues thanks to a visit to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and I was curious about the connection between stomach issues and ADHD. Since that time, more research has been done, and I have received another stomach-related diagnosis (gastroparesis). This has me thinking about the ADHD-stomach connection again. So, after doing some googling, I have discovered there have been several studies done on ADHD and stomach issues in the time since I last wrote about this topic.

I write this on the day I am leaving to go on a vacation, so i would like to encourage you to do the same. Go on vacation! Take some time off! Have some fun! Thinking you cannot afford a vacation? Think again! My question for you is can you afford to not take a vacation? Taking a break and getting away from it all is good for your mental health and can make you a better worker.

Dog ownership can seem like a daunting challenge for those of us with ADHD. Having a living, breathing creature depending on you is a lot of responsibility. Dog ownership is scary but highly rewarding. So, what can those with ADHD do to ensure they are the best dog owner they can be? Read below to find out!

I started this blog in 2018, and I have been in and out of relationships during that time. I have not, however, talked about the dating process on this blog before. Dating is a tricky thing, and ADHD does not make things easier. It complicates the matter. So, let’s explore the dating process and ADHD a bit in this post.

If you are following my YouTube channel, you know that I am currently writing a book. This project is unique because, in writing my previous books, I had the opportunity to write in a different way that I am writing now. My early books were written by giving myself a word count for each day and writing until I hit my daily word count. My latest books (The Reset ADHD Trilogy of Books) were written using my blog posts. This time, I am trying to write a book while running a business. So, how do I go about this?

One of the hardest parts about living with ADHD is dealing with the ramifications of when things go awry. We quite often find ourselves not where we want to be. This is frustrating and can lead to negative self-talk. This can quickly devolve into a harsh relationship with oneself. When we are constantly berating ourselves, we begin to internalize the messages we are receiving. How we break out of this vicious cycle is not easy and seems overly simplistic, but it can be done.

Once per month, Reset ADHD offers “Improv for ADHD” play sessions. These sessions are an opportunity to have fun and grow in your ADHD management skills. Improv is a huge part of my life, and I love sharing it with others. But, why do I love it so much? Well, there are many reasons. I will detail why it is so special to me below.

As regular readers of my blog are aware, my Catholic faith is important to me, and the Catholic Church has entered the liturgical season of Lent (and many protestant denominations have as well). The season of Lent is about preparing oneself for Easter. This involves a lot of self-denial, something that is challenging for those of us with ADHD.

Lately, I have been coming up with action items and then forgetting about them. I was at a loss for how to take my handwritten notes and make them actionable. My action items from meetings were getting lost in my head. I’d close my notebook, and they would be out of my head. After discussing this conundrum with some colleagues, I came up with a solution that I am testing out. I have confidence in this new system, but before I reveal it to you, let me share what the mechanisms behind the forgetting.

A while back I committed to teaching a class. We set a date for the course sessions, and then I promptly forgot when we were doing it. It wasn’t an immediate commitment, so it left my brain. I recently panicked, thinking it was coming up soon. I thought I wouldn’t have enough time to prepare. Luckily, I had put the dates in the calendar on my phone, and I have plenty of time to prepare. However, I need to get going. It will be here before you know it. Preparations should get underway soon. So, how do I keep this project in mind when it is still a couple of months away?

It’s January here in South Dakota, which means two things:

1. My smoker is covered in snow.

2. I’m craving barbecue food like crazy.

This is causing me to reflect on the barbecuing process and how much I enjoy it. Yes, it is time consuming and messy, but now that I have tried smoking meat, I cannot stop. In short, I love making good barbecue food at home. It is a major part of my life now.

At this point, you may be wondering why an ADHD blog is talking so much about barbecue. Well, I feel smoking meat has helped me with my ADHD. Here’s how…

So, I have this bad habit. I leave my email open on my computer. This means I am frequently checking my email. When faced with writer’s block, I check my email. Any time I open my computer, I check my email. When I am bored, I check my email. I am constantly checking my email. This hurts my productivity. Is this blog post a declaration that I will check my email less? Well, no. I am still probably going to check my email quite a bit, but I think being aware of how often I do it is creating a new awareness for me. I want to be more aware of how I use my time and how various tasks either drain my energy or re-energize me. In short, I want to get off auto-pilot and be more in control of my life.