How to Remember to Flush

Let's fess up. We have a problem remembering to do things. Responsibilities, tasks, directions, routines, and even things like flushing the toilet. Our lack of remembering drives friends, family, supervisors, and co-workers up the wall and adds more problems to manage.

Making lifestyle changes such as nutrition and exercise can reduce the severity and eliminate some symptoms. Energy psychology may remove blockages created by deep seated causes. However, most of the ADHD traits and symptoms live with us forever.

As dismal as this picture looks, there is hope. We can turn negative traits into positives that work for our good instead of against us. Rather than allowing ADHD symptoms manage us, we manage them.

That thing others call daydreaming, or spacing out when we are caught doing it, is called visualization. Most of us are great visualizers. Visualization is the ADHDer's salvation when put to work for us rather than against.

If you can visulaize it, you can do it . . . and remember to do it.

Make a mental picture, a movie, in your mind of the behavior you need to remember. Start at the beginning and leave nothing out. Visualize going through each and every required step of the routine. Not only see the action, but feel it, smell it, taste it, hear it. Make it real. You are the star of the video as well as director, editor, producer, sound effects, wardrobe . . . Make it your best.

Once the movie is in your head all that remains is an external trigger to set it in motion. The internal movie will play when given the appointed external trigger.
et us use the problem of finding keys, handbag, or other items you need the next time you leave the house. You had them with you when you last returned, but now they are nowhere to be found. Make a movie of returning to the house, and entering the house with the items. Film yourself arriving to the house and entering the house as you normally would. Picture yourself opening the appropriate doors to get inside. Film yourself walking into your house exactly as you would time and time again after returning to your house. Film putting everything away in its appropriate place immediately upon entering the house. The keys go directly to their designated place, the handbag is put away in its assigned place.

In this example, opening the appropriate door for entering the house makes a good external trigger. It may be house key, garage door opener, or other means of unlocking the entry to your house. Select any appropriate external trigger.

The external trigger will start the movie. You will be led through the steps included in the movie you created. For example, you will return keys, handbags, and other items to their places exactly as you filmed it.

My latest movie titled,"Putting the Toilet Seat back Down," was a success. No more startled screams in the middle of the night, and the wife is noticeably happier at breakfast.

paul@keenehealth.net

http://keenehealth.net/id66.html

Blog Information Profile for tapdoc

Charlatons Invented ADHD to Make Money, Right?

The fight goes on. One camp proclaims no such thing as ADHD while the other recognizes it as a diagnosed neurological disorder involving the frontal cortex. The two opinions (three if you include the undecided) are not new, but I didn't realize the seriousness of the disagreement until a comment appeared in response to one of my You Tube videos.

After deleting an impressive string of expletives, the following message remained. "There is no such thing as ADHD, only people like you who made it up to rip people off by taking their money." If you want the actual message, surround each noun in the quotation with multiple profanities. If done correctly, the bravest of you will gasp.

What difference does it make? I can name two. One is qualifying for medication, and another is eligibility for special education services. There are subcategories under these two, but . . . Really, what difference does it make? The symptoms of ADHD are real with or without the diagnosis.

I work with clients who can't stay focused, who get caught up in impulsive behavior. They may have uncontrolled flares of anger, forgetfulness, low self-esteem, addictions and compulsive behaviors. Some are diagnosed ADHD or adult ADD. Some are not. Some take prescribed medication. Others don't. They have one thing in common. They share devastating symptoms. Symptoms that are common to ADHD regardless of criteria for diagnosis.

The symptoms are real and damaging. Bottom line? It is important that we manage the symptoms not that ADHD is a bona fide disorder.