ADHD Success

30/08/2023

Perfectionism. It sounds like a good thing, but in reality it can hold you back if you get entrenched dealing with fine details or you are reluctant to start things if you don't think you'll be able to complete what you set out to do to your total satisfaction.

Perfectionism may not sound like an ADHD symptom, but along with hyperfocus and procrastination, it's a common problem which causes a great deal of stress and anxiety

23/08/2023

Your ADHD can make you terrible with money. From impulse buying to getting everything you need to start a new hobby you lose interest in after a couple of weeks, keeping hold of your cash can be a nightmare!
Could these tips on saving be the clues you're looking for?

Budgeting and saving is never easy, but there are habits you can develop which will train you to be better with money

16/08/2023

Analysis paralysis is common among ADHDers, but you've probably never heard of it. You'll know what it feels like though. If you've ever been unable to make a decision because there's too much information in front of you to make sense of all of it, that's analysis paralysis!

Over-analysing when trying to come to a decision can stop you making that choice at all. Techniques such as limiting research can help

09/08/2023

The menopause can have a huge impact on your ADHD symptoms. Oestrogen affects a good deal of regulatory functions in the body and brain, so having less of this hormone that you've been used to having since puberty is going to have a profound effect on you.

The menopause is known to negatively affect ADHD symptoms as oestrogen, a neuroprotector, diminishes

07/08/2023

The menopause often has a huge effect on your ADHD symptoms as your body produces less oestrogen, a hormone which has been regulating body and brain functions your entire adult life.
Women often complain of 'brain fog' as a symptom of the menopause, but if you've got ADHD as well, the effects on memory, focus, and attention span are multiplied.

04/08/2023

www.adhdsuccess.co.uk/articles/adhd-symptoms-and-how-people-who-mask-them-who-may-not-even-know-they-have-adhd

There are many more symptoms to ADHD than just hyperactivity and 'naughtiness', and many people mask them every day just in order to cope

02/08/2023

You don't always need to keep your emotions in check.

28/07/2023

This letter to The Guardian highlights how important it is to ensure that your GP is able and willing to enter into a shared care agreement if you're getting your ADHD diagnosis from a private healthcare provider.
And if your doctor is unwilling to do shared care, it might be worth finding one who does.

Letters: Despairing over the wait for an assessment, we paid for one privately – only for our GP to refuse a shared care agreement

28/07/2023

The Menopause and ADHD

The menopause can have a profound effect on your ADHD symptoms. As you stop ovulating you also begin producing less oestrogen and progesterone, two hormones you’ve had regulating many functions in the body and brain for your entire adult life. As the production of these hormones declines you will tend to also see an upturn in the severity of your ADHD symptoms, including problems with memory, attention, and physical fatigue.

This is because oestrogen plays an important part in your ability to regulate attention and focus. If you have ADHD this was never very good anyway, but with less of those hormones available, your ADHD is exacerbated.

Oestrogen, its effects on the body and brain

Oestrogen is one of the main s*x hormones and controls things such as puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and bone strength. It is also a neuroprotectant which affects the development and ageing of regions of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions such as memory.

Alongside memory, another mental faculty which is adversely affected by the menopause is your ability to maintain your attention span. Combine this with poor memory and it can seem that your brain just isn’t working properly any longer. This can be worrying as you start to feel that you can’t trust yourself, the things you do and don’t remember, and your decision-making faculties, along with your ability to function overall.

Difficulty concentrating adds to what many women in their menopause describe as “brain fog”, the feeling that your head is stuffed full of fluff, making it difficult to think clearly or logically. Add to this your increased ADHD symptoms and you can see why women with ADHD look for additional help and support when they reach the menopause.

Menopause, ADHD, and Fatigue

Many women with ADHD also experience high amounts of fatigue during the menopause. As well as regulating physical and mental development and the way the brain ages, oestrogen also regulates your body’s energy levels. When there is less oestrogen available you may start to feel tiredness unfamiliar to you from when your ADHD drove you like a motor and gave you unlimited get-up-and-go.

There are medical treatments which will help with menopausal and ADHD symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a commonly used and effective method of reducing most menopause and perimenopause symptoms including hot flushes, brain fog, joint pain and mood swings. It can prevent osteoporosis from occurring, and can help improve bone density if you already have it.

Stimulant medication has been found to help improve executive function, those mental faculties such as decision making, prioritising, short- and long-term memory, attention and focus in menopausal women.

As with any medication there are side effects and your doctor will do their best during titration to find out the lowest possible dose for you. If you want to help lower your prescribed dose or want to do your best to avoid the need for medication and HRT as much as possible there are several practises you can use to manage the symptoms of ADHD during the menopause.

Getting enough sleep during the night will help with feelings of physical fatigue, and a well rested brain is also less prone to problems concerning mental focus, impaired attention spans and memory loss.

Keeping up a regular exercise routine is incredibly beneficial. High impact and weight bearing exercise can help with strength and helps with bone density. Exercise also helps by releasing endorphins which the ADHD brain struggles to produce in sufficient quantities, meaning that symptoms such as distraction and anxiety can be much reduced after a workout.

Stress aggravates many of the symptoms of ADHD, so stress management is an important thing to develop. There are a vast number of ways to manage your stress, including yoga, meditation and mindfulness, swimming, or spending time with nature.

A healthy diet helps regulate your blood sugar levels, meaning that you can avoid mood swings, sugar highs and crashes. Eating well improves your mood, and ability to sleep.

13/07/2023

2. You think it's OK for others to make mistakes but not you.

12/07/2023

Did you know that being a perfectionist is a symptom of ADHD?
You may not even know that you're doing it, but you could be unwilling to start a project if you don't think it's going to be possible to complete it, you get frustrated or down on yourself if it doesn't come out the way you would have liked, or you never get around to completing things because you abandon them rather than see them through and run the risk of being disappointed in the results.
It's just another of those annoying problems ADHDers have, and you can combat it.

Perfectionism may not sound like an ADHD symptom, but along with hyperfocus and procrastination, it's a common problem which causes a great deal of stress and anxiety

13/06/2023

If you're suffering from the symptoms of ADHD you'll know about executive disfunction. You'll know about how hard the struggle is to concentrate and focus, how it's a nightmare to avoid distractions, and how keeping track of time is nigh on impossible.
We might be able to help you know?
ADHD Success has a range of coaching solutions which you can try that can help with all areas of ADHD, especially helping with improving executive function.
Why not pop over to our website to learn more (link in bio) or subscribe to our substack for regular helpful newsletters which offer tips we've found our clients use all the time.

ADHD Success provides help and support for entrepreneurs, executives and managers to overcome the challenges that ADHD presents. We do this through One-to-One Coaching and Group Coaching, team training, webinars, tools and tried and trusted techniques whi. Click to read ADHD Success, a Substack publ...