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Valuable Tips for ADD Adults.

Resources

Here's where you will find some articles, checklists, quizzes, and ideas.

If you would like to read my article "Top Ten Tips for ADDers," please email me at vicki@next-step-coaching.com

Click here to receive "The 4 Ss to Success" article

Receive Information on ADD Coaching by clicking here.

You can receive an ADD Symptom Checklist immediately by email by clicking here.

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Current State of Affairs Regarding Medication

Very good article about ADHD and the current state of affairs regarding medication. In a nutshell, the study showed significant improvement in ADHD symptoms related to attention, distractibility and impulsivity while taking supervised and proper dosages of medication.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/477487

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Achieving Inner Peace

Some days, I feel peaceful and happy. During these moments, I have to admit, I feel as though I have really truly found inner peace. I will never again, I think, become outraged, upset or disappointed. Then the next day (or hour!) something happens and there I am, as upset, angry, obsessive, as ever! Has this ever happened to you?

Why does experiencing inner peace seem so elusive when it is
always available to us if we just will tap into it? Why do we struggle with our emotions: stress, anxiety, anger, guilt, unfulfilled yearnings, frustrations, and fear and cause ourselves so much pain?

For the past ten years, I've read, studied and adopted many practices to live a more peaceful and happy life. This month,
I'm sharing with you ten steps that we can all follow to achieve inner peace.

Ten Steps Toward Achieving Inner Peace

Make it a priority.
There are so many days that I feel I can't keep up:
with technology, my email, responsibilities, shows I want to watch, work. Do you feel like that? We are tempted to respond most quickly to what is "in our face" but to enjoy inner peace we need to change our priorities to focus more on the subtle messages we receive from our physical senses as well as our inner awareness.

Focus on inner peace.
What we focus on is what we get. If we focus on our
angry thoughts, we get angry. If we focus on learning the ways to develop a sense of calm and inner peace, that is what we will manifest.

Dump your baggage.
Have you heard the parable about it being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven? The story goes like this: after the gates of Jerusalem were closed at night there remained one small gate that could be opened to late travelers. For security reasons it was extremely narrow and became known as the eye of the needle. A loaded camel could not get through it. To get his camels through this gate, a merchant had to unload all the baggage from them. To get into the zone of inner peace, we also have to unload our baggage, our beloved belongings, our victim hood, our hurts, our perpetrators, our anger. We must dump our baggage and become the camel so we can easily enter the place inside us is inner peace.

Quiet your mind.
Difficult. Learn to meditate, to be calm, to quiet your mind and listen for the still small voice. Or for silence.

Become more aware of the earth and the nature around you. The greatest messages in the universe are free. They are to be found every day, in the natural world around us. Look up at the sky in the morning. Listen and watch as the birds fly by, singing. Notice the changing colors of the leaves and flowers. Nature is here to soothe and comfort us, all we need to do it become aware of its beauty and peacefulness.

Notice what influences you.
Awareness of something is not the same as being controlled by it. Notice who and what has an effect on you. Are you willing to notice these influences and then, let them go?

Get comfortable with uncertainty and change.
Wow, this is a really big one for most of us. Do you remember the saying that nothing is certain but death and taxes? Needing certainty will block you from enjoying what is right now, one of the keys to inner peace. Get used to contradictions, uncertainties, and change. Take three deep breaths and simply accept that you cannot know everything, and that uncertainty is one of the few certainties. Get comfortable with this.

Connect with your Higher Power, by whatever name.
This does not just mean prayer. It means maintaining an awareness of what's going on around you and carrying on a mental conversation about it with your Higher Power. Express your gratitude for what you have every day - especially what we take for granted such as a traffic light turning green at just the right moment, a beautiful sunset, or something that turned out to be easy for you.

Do not ignore "special messages and postcards."
"Postcards from God" is a descriptive name for the unexpected events or scenes, usually found in nature, that have a profound message that is exactly appropriate for you right now. These are special and beautiful moments you can enjoy
every day if you look for them. Enjoy them.

Suspend judgment.
Probably the most challenging one of all for us is to suspend judgment. We don't even realize how many times a day we make a judgment about a person being good or bad, positive or negative, one we like or not based on our own perspective. Try going one day and noticing every judgment you make about people and things around you and see if you can label exactly each you make a judgment and then, suspend it.

Eight Simple Tips for Overcoming Negativity:

Look for what is going well every day.
Look at the bigger picture, look for the meaning and value to you in your current situation. What is the "take away" for you, personally?
Move on and let it go. Greatest way to get off the negativity track and start feeling great is to make a plan based on what you REALLY want for yourself in your career, business, and life. Start today moving toward something you truly want. Begin by creating a vivid picture of your dream (dream job, dream business, dream lifestyle, etc.) Now, what could you choose for a few realistic goals to set for yourself that will take one step closer to your dream? Write these down and under each one, jot down several small "baby action steps" that you can start doing today to start moving forward.
Write your dream and goal down and put it where you see it every day. Create a dream board, picture, or clip pictures or photos that reflect what you will look like and feel like when you have your dream. Having a visual of what you want is very powerful. Write down (or put in your Palm Pilot or Outlook the steps and activities you plan to take each day and week to move forward. THIS WORKS!
Be grateful every single day. Write down ten things you are grateful for in your life. It is impossible to be sad or angry while you are feeling grateful. Try it and see what I mean. A great way to relax and fall asleep at night is to get in bed, close your eyes, and review ONLY what you are truly grateful for that day. NO negative thoughts allowed :-)
Don't hang out with negative people. Instead, hang out with people who are as happy and successful as you or or even more so.
If you are "underemployed" (i.e., bored or feel misplaced in your job,) express your desire to do more, learn more, even if it means doing more work for the same or less money. Some people switch into a new area or job and actually accept a lower salary in order to spread their wings or do something they truly love. Start today identifying your "motivated strengths and skills" and passions and find a way to use them at work and in your personal life.
Relax and have some fun! If you have a hobby or favorite pastime, make sure you do it every chance you get. If you don't have a hobby, look around at the world and get one....take a class, browse through the library or bookstore, do volunteer work, etc. For most people, this will re-charge their batteries and give them a better perspective on things.

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What is ADD COACHING?

ADD Coaching can be an important part of a comprehensive program for individuals with ADD. The coaching process helps you learn to take ownership and develop self responsibility. Coaching is individualized and action-focused, so you can build productive habits and systems that lead to a fulfilling life.

ADD coaching also:

Provides you with support and understanding from an experienced coach who is knowledgeable about ADD.
Helps you identify your strengths, the parts of ADD that actually work well for you.
Provides understanding about how ADD creates personal challenges for you and what you can do about it.
Nurtures personal awareness and responsibility, and encourages you to look for options that lead to progress and success.
Guides you into actions to rebuild self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-regulation.
Focuses on your executive functioning skills (i.e., planning, prioritizing, and analyzing) to create customized systems that will improve the client's consistency and effectiveness.
Offers a safe environment for you to let go of your isolation and helps you form a nurturing connection with another person.
Provides consistent accountability and encourages the you to move beyond thinking into appropriate action.
Helps you learn to advocate and speak out for you needs, questions, and boundaries.

ADD coaching builds hope by educating you about ADD. It is instrumental in developing systems and strategies that you can use in effectively managing your own ADD challenges, which can dramatically improve the quality of your life.

Click here to get my article, "Top Ten Tips For ADDers"

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