Stress and ADHD go together- a lot.
With our ADHD, we experience a lot of stress. Stress is damaging to our brains, our functioning and productivity, and our souls. When it interferes with our functioning, it creates more stress, a damaging feedback loop.
We screw up, make people mad at us, procrastinate, struggle with to do lists and deadlines, and on and on. And of course, this virus mess isn’t helping much.
So we need strategies to cope with stress:
Exercise. Get out of doors (at the moment, we’re on quarantine so this isn’t an option). Meditate (this is hard to do, but do a simple form and don’t judge how you do. Just do what you can and it will be worth it. You need to do it daily for it to work, probably takes a while.) Talk to someone. Music. Journal. Do something productive (just get something done, probably something small and easy. It’ll make you feel better.) Use relaxation tools (There are a multitude of these, and they do help. You need to know which ones work for you.)
I like breathing techniques and use several of them. Here’s the simplest:
Breathe in for a count of six, hold your breath for two, breath out for four, hold for two, breathe in for six, etc. Do this for as long as you wish. It doesn’t require a particular posture or anything and you can do it in any situation. (It’s really nice if someone is starting to annoy you).
More Complex Breathing Techniques I Use:
Same as the 6-2-4-2 above, but I breathe in what I want (compassion, equanimity, patience, for example) and expel what I want to get rid of ( irritation, impatience, resentment, for example).
I Use Also:
Alternate nostrils. Three deep breaths.
There are many other breathing techniques. Find what works for you.
doug
Quote O the Day:
“When I said it can’t get much worse, I didn’t mean it as a challenge.”
Extra Notes O the Day:
Diagnosable anxiety disorders are a frequent accompaniment of ADHD, but so is just plain anxiety, which of course is a traveling partner of stress and also further hampers our functioning.
Struggling with books: Your Life Can Be Better, Second edition I think is set up on Amazon and Smashwords, paperback and kindle. Looks a little funky. Alma is one third thru her fourteenth draft, and surprisingly will need a fifteenth since there were a lot more typos and editorial changes than I expected – amazing how messed up it can be even after thirteen drafts. It’s gonna be good. Working on getting The Bully up on Smashwords, difficult. Then, then will revise 365 Tips O the Day. Someday.
The Books Amazon The Books Smashwords
I’ve been asked how I manage to cope with the pandemic. Well, I prefer a blended scotch, but vodka will do.
Links:
#ADHD, @addstrategies, @adhdstrategies, @dougmkpdp
ADDadultstrategies 
Good though your post was – as usual – you outdid yourself with the memes today. I veritably chortled 🙂
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ken – that veritable chortling is a good talent. glad i could help you with it. as always, i appreciate your comments.
best wishes
doug
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Good one!
Sent from my iPad
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martha
thank you for your support and all!
love
doug
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Is exercising outdoors not allowed in the USA right now? Here in the EU they tend to be strict about meeting etc, but most countries, when listing the lockdown conditions, make sure to add that you can and >should< exercise outside, as long as you do so alone (and unless you're self isolating for being a carrier of the new Coronavirus or a suspected carrier). They make it a point to say that it's essential for maintaining good mental health.
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ram
in the us, things are usually limited to groups of 5, but its very disorganized and not well followed, which is one of the several reasons the us has such bad virus problems. our govt is very disorganized and counter productive right now. no surprise, right?
thank you for commenting
doug
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