I've mentioned a few times here, I’ve read quite a few books on ADHD over the last couple of years. I enjoy learning new things, and its been instrumental in my understanding of my ADHD. So, with that being said, here are a few I've read and enjoyed:
Baird-Goldman, Kristen. (2022). The CBT Workbook for Adult ADHD: Evidence Based Exercises to Improve Your Focus, Productivity, and Wellbeing.
Bailey, Keith. (2009). Time Management in an Instant.
Clear, James. (2018). Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.
Harper, Amy. (2024). Emotional Intelligence: A Practical Guide for Personal Growth & Building Stronger Connections.
Kiersten, Evan. (2023). 6 Ways to Execute Like An Executive.
Newport, Cal. (2019). Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World.
Sitt, David. (2023). ADHD Refocused: Bringing Clarity to the Chaos.
Hi sorry I don't have a book to add but if anyone knows of a book that helps ADHD and memory, I could really do with it. Kung fu teachers getting annoyed with me, it's really stressful, very hard to learn any new skills....
You might get some help from a book, but books give you information. How you will improve your memory will require more.
• Medication is necessary for many of us, to improve our baseline memory capability. (It's definitely the case for me. My working memory and memory recall improved dramatically once I started on ADHD meds. It's been helped by stimulants and by non-stimulants.)
• Practice, practice, practice!
There are different types of memory (and I don't mean working memory, short term, and long term memory).
The kind of memory that kids have to practice in school for spelling tests and by studying for tests is rote memory.
The kind of memory that people use when typing on a keyboard, driving a car or playing sports is muscle memory.
The kind of memory that most people need to use then working is procedural memory.
There's also the distinction between verbal-auditory memory and visual-spatial memory. Muscle memory is also known as (or at least related to) kinesthetic memory.
...
A complex art form like Kung Fu can combine all of those.
• Learning the terminology and following instructions require verbal-auditory memory.
• Observing, following, and repeating movements require visual-spatial and kinesthetic memory. You also need body awareness sense (proprioception), to feel how you are positioning your body.
What you can do is practice your kung fu regularly. When you are practicing by yourself, visualize what you are doing, and talk yourself through it as if you are also an instructor.
Consider supplementing your dojo instruction with other sources, like books and videos. Watch, and do. Tell yourself (out loud) what you're doing as you're doing it.
This will combine the different ways of learning and remembering. For most people, combining different ways to learn the same thing with reinforce it.
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Another thing to be cognizant of is that when your feel anxious or self-conscious, you will not learn as well. Don't worry about how you're doing or how you look when you're doing it. Instead, focus on holistic experience.
We can't learn the way that Neo did in the Matrix...we can't just upload skills. We have to develop them, step by step, over time and with effort...just like we did when we were babies.
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Adequate rest, hydration, and nutrition are also essential for memory.
I so wish meds had worked for me, bc I could really do with help in the memory department!You write so clearly about everything, and now memory too.
I'm going for the kung fu equivalent of black belt now, my muscle memory is the only vaguely reliable bit of kung fu that I have, but at this level I'm supposed to have a very deep understanding of it on a conscious level. Which I do, provided I'm not talking to someone who mildly terrifies me. Sadly the higher Si Fu I have to grade with does terrify me. I'm so stressed that I just go blank.
The last big grading took 2 years to get through, I was so stressed I was prediabetic by the end of it, this one will be more like 3 years. I have to find a way or that will be it, I'd be so gutted to loose it, I've already lost so much to ADHD.
But, yes, like you say immersion is my best bet. Trouble is I have many things I have to do besides kung fu, so time is not on my side.....
"ADHD is awesome" - that's the craziest thing I ever heard. Messing up is awesome and feeling hopeless is awesome. Feeling defective, doomed and cursed is awesome. Being tormented all your life is awesome. Maybe I have a different disorder? It sure seems like ADD, but there's nothing awesome about it. That's insane
The holderness family used to feel the same way, but they learned to focus on their strengths like thinking outside the box and being spontaneous. They do have a lot you can learn from the book, like hacks to not lose your keys as much.
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