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.

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…

At the 2023 International Conference on ADHD, Alan P. Brown of ADD Crusher made a shocking confession. He does not wash his hands after going to the bathroom. Scandalous, I know! However, he further clarified that what he does after using the restroom is go to the kitchen and wash two dishes. By the end of the washing, he has clean hands and two clean dishes. This is silly, and that is why it works.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to track all of those things you intend to do, it is commonly recommended to make what is known as a “to-do list.” Yes, it is necessary to create such a list, for those of us with ADHD have trouble remembering all we intend to do. Memory is not our friend. It is fickle, so it becomes imperative to externalize our intentions.

Equally important, however, is the need to make a list of those things you do not want to do or are not worth your time. Therefore, I say to you: Make a not-doing list.

Now that October is over, it is officially conference month! Yes, most of the 2023 International Conference on ADHD is actually in December, but the conference begins in November. And, I am traveling to Baltimore in November. So, in my mind, we are in the month of the conference. I. AM. PUMPED. I love going to this conference and have gone every year since I started Reset ADHD. I go every year because it is a great conference there is so much to love about it. I want to detail my favorite things about it.

For the past few weeks, I have been in a funk. I do not like being in a funk, yet here I am. While discussing this with my mentor, he came up with an acronym. G.O.O.F. Get Out Of Funk. The key to getting out of a funk is to G.O.O.F. around. Be a G.O.O.F.! I love this idea and am going to run with it. I pledge to be a G.O.O.F. while I am in this funk.

I think this idea can be helpful for others with ADHD. Sometimes, the ADHD can get to us, and we get down about our struggles. To all those in a funk, I say, “Be a G.O.O.F.”

I was recently interviewed by someone, and I was asked about what message I would like to give my younger self. I was not ready for that question, but my response was: “You are where you are meant to be.” As I think about that statement, it occurs to me that it, not only makes sense for myself at younger ages, but it also applies to all of us at any age. Where we are in life is preparing us for where we are going. If there are struggles in our lives, they are making us stronger and ready for what is to come in our lives. In short, we are where we are meant to be.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is what we are doing when we let politicians make public health policy. Granted, some government oversight is necessary to prevent unsafe health practices. However, my main point for bringing this up is the ADHD medication shortage. The head of the Food and Drug Administration Robert M. Califf, M.D. recently said the ADHD medication shortage is due to telehealth prescriptions and practices.

I write this the day after one of my “Improv for ADHD” play sessions. I had grand plans for the improv session. I had a list of games I wanted to play. I dreamed of making a big difference in the lives of those that attended. However, I was too grand in my planning. I wanted it to be magical. What I failed to take into consideration is that simplicity is almost always better. In future play sessions, I will keep things simple (or as simple as my high-powered brain can handle).

Those of us with ADHD can struggle with sleep. ADHDers struggle with falling asleep, staying asleep, getting out of bed in the morning, and daytime sleepiness. ADHD can make sleep worse, and sleep can make ADHD worse. It’s a vicious cycle. However, it is possible to get a good night’s sleep.

First of all, the internet can be a great place to get support for ADHD. In many cases, it is the only way some people can get support. This blog post is not tearing down online methods of getting support for ADHD. What this post is about is the internet behavior of some of the most popular influencers, coaches, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other ADHD professionals. In my opinion, there is a lot of behavior on the internet by popular ADHD accounts that isolate people. By reducing this behavior, we can reach more people.

On March 12, the United States once again sprang forward into what is known as “Daylight Saving Time.” This is bad news. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is bad for everyone’s health, but it is especially bad for those with ADHD. In this blog post, I will explain why and what we can do to fight back against this foolish practice.

When I was in college, I had to interview three entrepreneurs for one of my classes. One of the entrepreneurs I chose to interview was my grandfather. During the course of the interview, he gave me a piece of advice that I’ll never forget. He said, “No matter where you want to go in life, work hard to get there, but also, take the time to play hard along the way.” He went on to tell me that he feels he did not take the time to play enough early in his career and that he was trying to make up for that a bit in his later years.

When we think about dealing with our ADHD, we use words like “control” and “manage.” What I would like to propose is that we change the way we talk about ADHD management. What if we started using words like “play” or “harness?” How would that change the way we think about ADHD? I maintain that this is a better way of approaching things. Now, I am not proposing to make ADHD a superpower. I am not one of those people; I see the dangers of ADHD. In fact, I have called ADHD the “ignored public health crisis.” However, I think the answer to this public health crisis is play and fun.

When I get inquiries from potential coaching clients, they mention typical ADHD struggles. They want to be able to focus better, be more productive, be more organized, etc. Is there anything wrong with these goals? No, but why stop there? I often find myself wishing my potential clients would come in with grander goals.

It’s easy to say, “I want my boat to stop sinking,” and then follow up with plugging the holes with temporary fixes. Why not patch up the holes with new materials that will be permanent and will give the boat a shiny new look? Why not upgrade the boat?

By now, you’ve probably heard about the Adderall shortage. It has been dragging on for months and shows no sign of ending anytime soon. Word on the street is that other ADHD medications are beginning to see shortages as well. This is bad news for those of us who take our medication daily to combat the effects of ADHD. Many are finding it hard to find their medication which raises the question: What is an ADHDer to do? Here are some ideas.

The other day, I told my coach that I was overwhelmed with all the things I wanted to do. He got curious about what I was feeling and started exploring. Through his questions and observations, I came to realize I was not overwhelmed. I was just looking at things incorrectly. I needed to reframe how I was looking at all of the projects I have on my plate right now.

There are many aspects to life – play, work, self-care, etc. We need a balance of all to live a healthy life. It can be hard to balance everything, especially when one has ADHD. The hyperfocus caused by ADHD can cause one to be so preoccupied with one task that nothing else gets done. It can also cause one to forget about taking care of oneself. And, there are many other aspects of ADHD that are troublesome when it comes to balance. I am not here to list every possible way ADHD could get in the way of living a balanced life. I am here to give you one tiny little secret that will help you live a more balanced life.

A word I hear used a lot in the ADHD community is accountability. I am not sure that is something we should be doing. We talk a lot about having an accountability buddy or accountability partner to help us get things done. I think the ADHD community needs to re-examine our use of the word “accountability.” I have used the words “accountability buddy” in a blog post before, so I am not just lecturing others. I am just as guilty as others when it comes to misusing the word accountability.

This blog post is scheduled to be released on the last day of ADHD Awareness Month 2022. Every year, I find the end of ADHD Awareness Month bittersweet. All of the cool activities designed to raise awareness about ADHD end, but at the same time, there is a relief. As someone who works with those with ADHD, I feel pressure to include ADHD awareness in my marketing during the month of October. This year, I did that. Other years, I have not. However, I am of the belief that ADHD awareness is for the whole year, not just October.