ADHD Treatment: Find Your Strength Now

     The label of ADHD may keep you focused on the bad things in your life and prevent you from seeing the positive things in your life. You may have ADHD, but that is not all that you are. Ask yourself “What else am I?” What strengths do you have that the ADHD has not overshadowed? For example, you might write that “I have ADHD, but I am also a mother”, or “I am a professional”. In reflecting on your strengths, you might write that “I still am a wonderful cook,” or “I have overcome many difficulties in my life and therefore am strong and courageous.”

Sometimes it can be helpful simply to accept the reality of your ADHD. The strategies people use to self-medicate or deny their struggles often cause more problems complicating the existing ADHD. So you might want to answer the following questions to help face your ADHD while realizing that you are bigger than it.

• “I have ADHD, but one resource for helping me to cope is __________________________” (Answer this as many times as possible).
• “I have ADHD but I can reach out for help. The following people can support me through this:” (List as many people as possible)
• “I may have ADHD but one quality about myself that will help me to succeed in spite of ADHD is:” (Answer as many times as possible).
• “Even though I have ADHD it is not an excuse to fall back on the self-destructive habit of ______________ for coping with this ADHD”
• “I have ADHD but there are many professionals who are trained to help people who are struggling like I am. The following professionals can guide me through this difficult time: (list as many as possible, it might be a psychotherapist, a psychiatrist, a primary care doctor, an energy healer, a naturopath etc.)”
• “The family members that will be the most useful in helping me cope with ADHD are:”
• “The family members that will be least helpful in coping with ADHD are: (List family members) and I might want to consider setting strong boundaries.”
• “The things I can do that will help me cope with this ADHD are:” (list as many activities as possible.”

After completing these sentence stems you can also write free form reflections on resources you have available to you to help cope with your ADHD.

For more tips and tools about ADHD visit http://www.visionarysoul.com. Sign up for Dr. Lara Honos-Webb’s free newsletter at http://www.visionarysoul.com/newsletter.html. Learn how to translate problems into strengths with individual sessions http://www.visionarysoul.com/sessions.html Dr. Lara Honos-Webb is a clinical psychologist and author of The Gift of ADHD and Listening to Depression: How Understanding Your Pain Can Heal Your Life.