ADD: A Blessing? A Curse?
Do you currently have ADD or attention deficit disorder?
Do you find it a curse?
Probably about 90% of the world’s population does.
Or do you find it a blessing?
Probably about 10% of the population in the world looks at attention deficit disorder as a blessing in their life.
Over the last 42 years, I’ve worked with many clients dealing with ADD and or ADHD which is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and I will cover that in another article.
And 90% of the time the only reason they come to me is that their attention deficit disorder has created great conflict in their work, their social life, or in a relationship with a partner or their family.
And it can be quite challenging!
A person with attention deficit disorder has a very hard time normally focusing, their mind will jump from one topic to the next, they may start to clean out the garage and a quarter of the way third through it they go and decide to do the dishes and they get halfway through that and then they get a phone call and… I think you know where I’m going.
For kids in school, it can be quite challenging, because they’re often seen as the “troublemakers“, or that they are undisciplined because they can’t focus on one thing at a time.
I recently worked with a member of our military, who had become very frustrated because no matter what position he took in the military, it demanded extreme focus, he was normally at a desk, and it was the worst job in the world for him!
Through our work, I discovered that in high school he had so much fun messing around with cars, motorcycles, and more that I encouraged him to see within his branch of the military would it be possible to move from his desk position to a more active position in mechanic repair
And it worked!
Every day with something different, as a matter of fact every hour could be a different task which worked perfectly with his ability to focus.
But unfortunately, this is one of the successes that most people will never read about.
Instead, the person struggling with attention deficit disorder may go on medication that could work… But without therapeutic skills, and emotionally regulating tools, it’s very easy for the person with this condition to become depressed, frustrated, or turn to addiction.
We’ve had many young adults come in who were put on Adderall or Ritalin, which is a stimulant, and in many cases with someone with attention deficit disorder it can help them to focus, but so many of the young adults and even people in their 30s and 40s will start to use the Ritalin or Adderall as a recreational drug, eventually snorting it to get the high they want, which can often then turn into much heavier drug use.
In my case, I wasn’t diagnosed with ADD and ADHD until my 30s, which totally explains part of the reason that I became an alcoholic, as a way to slow down and calm my brain.
Not the best of choices!
But I was doing the best I could at that moment.
And then I realized that if I set up my career where every hour was a different topic, a different person in my counseling practice, one hour I might write an article, the next article I might do a personal growth video, the next hour would be a client… I think you get the picture!
My life literally changed when I started to reframe my ADD from the negative into the positive!
And it was one of the best moves I could make. I remember one of my first jobs when I graduated from college was in the hospital system, and I was behind a desk seven out of the eight hours every day and it was driving me out of my mind.
Once I became an entrepreneur, everything changed because I had to wear so many hats and juggle so many responsibilities every day… it fit right in with my ADD!
There’s a great book that talks about believe it or not the power of consuming large amounts of water every day to combat symptoms of ADD and ADHD.
The name of the book is “Our bodies many cries for water.“ And it’s something I would consider reading because the more you intake you increase your fluid intake, there is a correlation between that and healthy mood reactions to this world.
When we’re dehydrated, we can become irritable, impatient, some of the very traits that people with attention deficit disorder face every day.
So the very first thing I would do, if you’re an adult, I would look at the current job you’re in and see if there isn’t even a lateral move that will put you in a position that is more active, more stimulating, to match your ADD.
And while I’m not against medication, most of the medications for ADD are highly addictive! I would try every lifestyle move possible like finding the right position at work, or if you’re a student breaking up your study habits into 15 or 20-minute sessions at the longest!
If you are not on any pharmaceutical medication, you may benefit from an amino acid called tyrosine, which can help in regard to brain focus.
But if you’re on any type of antidepressant, antianxiety medication, or even any of the ADD medication‘s do not combine that with tyrosine.
The initial steps above will get you on a pathway of healing, and I can tell you some 35 years after I was diagnosed, I feel that even though my ADD and ADHD at times can feel a little uncomfortable, 90% of the time I figure it out through lifestyle choices, exercise, clean eating, meditation, prayer, journaling and creating a daily schedule in my work that allows me to jump from topic to topic which keeps me highly focused and engaged in life.
If you’re a veteran, or active military, or even a family member who struggles with ADD or ADHD, please join our group, or you may struggle with addictions or depression or anxiety so that we can help you heal at http://www.helpveteransheal.org
If you’re a first responder, caregiver, doctor, nurse, Emt, health aide worker and you struggle with any type of addiction or mental health challenge, please join our group at http://www.helpingfirstrespondersheal.org
If you’re a member of the general public, and you need help or your child needs help or your partner needs help with ADD or ADHD reach out to me directly at https://www.davidessel.com
It’s time to change the conversation around ADD.
It’s time to change the mindset, that this is a major issue with no solutions other than drugs.
It’s time. Join me in the change.“
David Essel‘s work is highly endorsed by individuals like the late Wayne Dyer, and celebrity Jenny McCarthy says “David Essel is the new leader of the positive thinking movement.“
His work as a counselor and minister has been verified by so many organizations, like, Psychology Today, Theravive, Therapy Tribe, and marriage.com has verified David as one of the top counselors and relationship experts in the world.
Join one of David’s groups above, or work with him one on one from anywhere at https://www.davidessel.com
