no one size fits all

[TAJB]

I'm sure that I'm not on my own when I say that the land of ADHD is full of interesting mazes with no exits signs. I was diagnosed as an older adult and consequently medicated with Adderall. The effects of the drug are largely positive, though I think my body has built up a tolerance to it over time. My own psychiatrist is a dispenser and not particularly interested in doing more than that so it makes it hard to try and be heard when it comes to discussing any problems with the drug. My previous doctor was a lot more proactive and engaged than my current one. As much as I hate to use chemicals to right my mind, it seems to be the only thing that works, and it makes sense to me that if the body is deprived of dopamine then it's safer to take the drug than to do crazy things. When I read some posts advocating meditation or foods or some other non-drug approach, I find it confusing since none of these approaches addresses the issues of the physiological need of the brain to produce dopamine. They might help with weight problems or anxiety but they cannot replace the need for medication. I suppose we're all looking for that one absolute thing that makes us feel normal again, and it doesn't exist outside of medicating. When it comes to ADHD, anything new has its novelty effect, and that in itself can be misleading. So, where does this leave me, wandering as per usual through a maze of possible exits that lead nowhere but happy to welcome the next new thing as yet another possible way out of the maze?

[Good_ADDitude]

You are correct; there are a plethora of tips and tricks and I encourage you to keep trying different tip/tricks/managment strategies (one at a time) and figure out which ones work for you. As someone who (Oh, look a squirrel) has and treats people with ADD I have to say the biggest myth is that medication alone is the cure. Read everything you can about ADD and become your own subject matter expert.

Strategies tend to lose effectiveness over time. As the ADD mind seeks that which is new, novel or challenging (i.e. things that release Dopamine) it is a fact that eventually <insert activity/strategy> ceases to be new, novel or challenging and we stop doing it; unless we can habituate it. We ADDers are good with habituations so try to get good ADD management habits to be just routine. Another myth is, if I find the right <insert activity/strategy> my ADD will be cured and I will get things done 100% of the time. Nope, <insert activity/strategy> will work for a short/long while until it doesn't and then you find a new way of doing it. The great thing is after a while you can recycle strategies as they will again be new (er) and novel.

So find a local ADD coach or therapist that specializes in ADD treatment. Building a box of tools, getting regular exercise , starting a meditative practice, and eating a brain healthy diet are important. All of these are even more important than medication. I know because I have not been able to take any ADD medication for 5+ years due to elevated blood pressure, so I've had to double down on everything else. Despite this, I have been able to keep my private practice thriving without having meds to assist in motivation and focus.

As for meditation (esp. breath meditation) helps a lot in different ways. First, In breath meditation you are focusing on your breath and when you are (oh look a chicken) distracted by a thought, body sensation, noise or feeling you gently pull your focus back to your breath, which is really practicing FOCUS! The second way it help is that meditation strengthens a part of the brain that assists us with affect (emotional) tolerance. After doing it consistently for a bit you will notice that you will feel less stress <insert emotion> in your life despite there not being any fewer stressors. A tertiary effect is that you will be more present in the moment and your neurotypical partner/friends/family will appreciate that. Funny story, I recently skipped my after work meditation while my partner was out feeding the horses. A bit later she said, "Did you meditate today?" I laughed and said, "Why would you say that?" She said "You need to go meditate because I can tell you're still at work in your head." I will say this, meditation is BOOOORING but I liken it to cleaning the bathroom. I hate the process but I love the results. So go into it knowing that and just do it 10-20 min daily ( or as often as you can).

TIP: you will be REALLY BAD at it in the beginning, as in a gnat will have a longer attention span than you. Stick with it and you will find with enough consistent practice your mind will settle down more readily. Headspace and Tara Brach both have great free beginners guides.

TIP: It is helpful to make meditation part of your morning or end-of-day or after work routine. I use it after work as allows me to not take work home with me. Habituating it helps us do it more days than not. Or do it with someone. This is the concept of body doubling. We will often do <insert activity> consistently if we have someone to do it with.

NOTE: The nature of the ADD mind is that it gets tired of <insert activity> after a certain amount of time, so the trick is to change up the type of meditation you do or the music you listen to (I'm really into Gregorian chanting these days) or take a 21-day meditation challenge or.... Headspace has a great article called the "16 types of meditation". So when you get bored (usually indicated by you stop doing it) then try switching up the type of meditation you are doing. Remember that new, novel and challenging are the best spices for the ADD mind. So work with your nature, not against it.

As for diet, I highly recommend Dr. Amen's Healing the 7 types of ADD and modifying your diet and supplements to fit your ADD subtype. ADDtypetest.com

Other great resources:

ADDitude Magazine - They have a great newsletter although a bit frequent for my taste. It has great articles and tips for adults and parents of kids with ADD. Some of the tips for kids, when modified, work just fine for adults.

My Favorite YouTuber, Jessica McCabe, and her "How to ADHD" channel. She makes short videos with great nuggets of ADD management info in them.

[TAJB in reply to Good_ADDitude]

Thank you for the reply and the host of information you've given me. I agree with you about finding out what works for you. The confusing part is when one stresses non-prescriptive above the drugs as if it's simply a matter of thinking the right way. I think that this can be misleading. There has to be a healthy balance somewhere in the labyrinth of potential solutions.

[Good_ADDitude in reply to TAJB]

I agree, meds help a lot because they flood our brain with Dopamine. Most of the non-pharmaceutical interventions that work generate Dopamine and thus work for a bit. There is no "right way to think" though I have found an attitude of creative problem solving to be the stance that is most helpful.. Keep changing up your ADD management strategies, accept that you will never do it as easily as neurotypicals, have a good sense of ( Is that a humming bird?) humor and be compassionate with yourself. Even with all I've learned, somedays my ADD drives me crazy. At best your mind is like herding cats, you can do things that usually get them to go in the direction you want but not always. Accept that there will be cycles of managing it well and then not so well, Then we work on it and it gets better for a bit until it doesn't. Accept the cyclical nature of managing your ADD.

[TAJB in reply to Good_ADDitude]

I love the herding cats analogy. I may use that one :-). Thank you again for taking the time to respond. I got a lot of help from your kind advice.

[406M in reply to Good_ADDitude]

Wow! That was amazingly helpful. Thank you!