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Distractions And Resulting Behavior To Be Modified:

In this next section describe what it will be like for you to be focused on the two most important activities starred above. Be very specific about what you will be seeing, hearing and feeling as you incorporate this new behavior into your routine. Describe only what is necessary to stay focused on the activities you choose. Do not describe what distractions you will avoid, as you are well aware of those. Example: I will be very focused on my daily exercise routine. Every morning I will wake up saying, "You can do this. It's good for you and you'll feel great when it's over." I will be grabbing my favorite purple running shorts off the bed post, where I put them the night before, and changing into them first! I will see myself putting on my running shoes and going out the door while my neighbors are still sleeping. I will feel cool and invigorated by the fresh morning air.

Description of how I will be focused On One Important Task At A Time:

Impulsivity

Adults who demonstrate impulsivity manifest this characteristic in many ways also. You may seem to act before you think something through, often unaware of the consequences. In conversations, you might interrupt or blurt out an answer to a question that was asked to someone else. You might butt in on another person's activity and or take right over without being asked. Most likely you detest waiting in lines and won't take turns. You may have had problems such as impulse buying or relationships that start off way too fast and end just as quickly. Often, you might jump right into a project without reading the directions and then abandon it half way through, throwing a temper tantrum or hurting yourself because you took a risk without sufficient knowledge about safety. Impulsive adults are often accident prone, abrupt, restless, easily frustrated, impatient, hasty, easily excitable, rigid to new ideas and bored.

Not to despair! These are the same qualities that make ADDers creative, intense, intuitive, exciting, fun and passionate about life. It's what makes you artists, writers, inventors, leaders, actors, scientists, athletes, radio talk show hosts, and more. Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison are just two of many who had ADD. Remember that, "creativity is impulsivity gone right" and unique thinking styles give us the variety that spices our lives.

Below, list how impulsivity interferes or limits you and put a star by the two that will be improved the most by focusing on them first. Example: I often don't complete the errands I need to do, as I impulsively leave long lines, telling myself I'll stop by later, and then I never do.

Impulsive Responses To Be Modified:

In this next section describe what it will be like for you to be reflective, thoughtful, and patient when responding, using the two examples above that you would like to change first. Once again be as specific and descriptive as you can. Describe what you will be seeing, hearing and feeling as you perform this new behavior. Example: I will be very patient in the line at the grocery store. I will be breathing deep and slow to calm myself, and I will be browsing through a magazine from the rack near by, or talking with the person in front of me in a slow, calm, voice about how busy the store is today. I will be smiling and enjoying the moment as I listen to the music over the loudspeaker, using the time productively, doing a muscle relaxation exercise with my shoulders and neck.

Description Of How I Will Be Patient And Reflective With Appropriate Responses:

Hyperactivity

Hyperactivity in adults is often expressed as a restlessness or a powerful urge to move around rather than stay in one place and study, work, read, or watch television. Quiet activities may be hard for you to do and talking incessantly while fidgeting or engaging in some kind of excessive ongoing motion such as foot tapping, hair twirling, rocking, or bouncing may be the norm for you. You may find yourself reading, while watching TV with the radio on, as you talk to your mother on the phone. Yet, some of you may find noisy, busy environments intolerable. If you live alone, you may be unaware that you toss and turn and mumble in your sleep. Not all adults with ADD are hyperactive. Of the three core symptoms, this is the one that is least likely to persist in adulthood, especially in women, as we are taught from childhood on to be quieter and less active.

Record below hyperactive behavior you engage in that may be limiting, but be sure to list them only if they are a problem. If you work alone and boogie back and forth across the room between paragraphs of the great American novel you are in the process of writing, you're not "annoying", because there' s no one there to annoy! However, if you laugh at rude jokes making those loud snorting noises, you may want to work on your PC Laughing Skills 101 first. When alone and with good friends, go ahead, have fun, and be zany, that's what friends are for. Save the quiet, polite, stuff for public where it's appreciated. Once again, put a star by the two behaviors you'll be most pleased to modify into productive appropriate activities. Example: At stop lights, I bite my nails without thinking, and then later I'm always angry I ruined them.

Hyperactive "Annoying" Behavior To Be Modified:

In this last section describe what you will be doing, when hyperactivity is no longer in rampant control of every muscle fiber at will. Describe what you will be seeing, hearing, and feeling as you experience this new activity. Once again, there's no need to describe what you won't be doing, such as biting your nails at stop lights, just describe in as much detail, as possible, what will be happening. Example: At each stop light, before my car comes to a halt, I will take a deep breath and relax, by lifting my chin and throwing my shoulders back. I'll smile and think of how proud and satisfied I'll feel walking out of the beauty salon after my first manicure two weeks from tomorrow and how nice it will be to hear my sister say, "Sandy, You're nails are beautiful. Where did you get them done?"

Description Of How I Will Be Calm And Relaxed:

Co-morbid states are conditions that exist simultaneously, and interventions, therapies, and activities to help one condition may, or may not, be of help to improve the other, so additional resources and professional help may need to be sought for improvements and progress to be made. Depression is commonly a co-morbid state with adults, as well as eating disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, drug abuse, alcoholism, manic-depressive disorder, anxiety and panic disorders, phobias, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It is also common for very bright adults with high IQs and ADD to have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. Speech therapy, vocational training, and other remedial assistance can and should be sought. A list of resources for additional information and assistance is provided at the end of this workbook. Consulting a specialist, or two, to determine how to get your needs met, is a very proactive, responsible, kind, and loving thing to do for yourself, and those who care about you.

If you think you may have accompanying disorders that also need attention, begin by listing who you are going to call to find out more information and get additional assistance. True strength lies in knowing when to ask for help. Use the following to list names and numbers of organizations and people, who you can benefit from, by consulting with. The list may include therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, support group contacts, clinics, speech therapist, vocational therapists or any other specialists that will meet your needs for self development.

The "I Care About Myself" Resource List:

You have come this far and have used a variety of resources, you may or may not even be aware of, that can be developed and strengthened even more. The following is an exercise designed to lessen your struggles and move you forward. It will help you to discover your hidden strengths while maximizing the ones you are already aware of; giving you new perspectives of how to best use your inner resources for further growth.

This exercise consists of speaking from three different perceptual positions, as described below, that are further categorized into past, present, and future. Following are instructions for each. Plan on setting aside one full hour to do this exercise.

The Trusted Friend Position:

When you are in this position, you will speak as a trusted life long friend, who would never say or do anything that would hurt you in any way. Your trusted friend is supportive and encouraging in just the way you would like a trusted friend to be. Your friend is nurturing, kind, loving, and understanding. He/she has been there through the years, through thick and thin. As you design this perceptual position from which to speak, give it incredible qualities. Make this position the best friend ever, by taking all the best qualities from people you know and admire, and rolling them all into one beautiful person. This person is the safest person ever to have as a friend and you are grateful, for you know this friend has your best interest at heart.

The Neutral Observer Position:

When you are in this position, you will speak as a neutral observer, who knows a little bit about who you are and what you've done, but doesn't know you really well. This position has no vested interested in you or your future. This position just listens to what is being said from the other positions and makes an observation, giving a neutral comment. The only intent of this position is to provide you with useful information.

The Me Position:

When you are in this position, you will speak freely as yourself. You will speak about what you are seeing, hearing and feeling. You will speak from your experiences as they have been shaped by your environment. You will speak honestly, openly, and directly, saying what comes to mind first.

Future Position:

When you are in this position you will speak from the future, as you wish it to be. If your future aspiration is to become organized, then you will be speaking as though this is a "done deal." You will speak as though you have the skills and motivation that it takes to be organized without struggling. If confidence and high self esteem are what you desire, then you will speak from the future position as having obtained and internalized these qualities. When speaking from the future, inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity will no longer be causing you "constant and debilitating problems," as you have acquired new behaviors and developed new strategies that are successful.

Present Position:

When you speak from this position, you will be speaking with knowledge of the past and knowledge of what is desired for the future. You do not know what the future holds, only what you know is desired, and what you hope is possible.

Past Position:

When you speak from this position, you will randomly pick a time in the past to speak from. Choose what ever time comes to mind first. It may be adolescence or it may be age three that seems like an appropriate and interesting choice. Once you choose the age from which to speak, do not speak about experiences or learnings beyond that age or let those experiences influence what is being said. Pretend to be only the age you choose and act like that age as you speak. See, hear, and feel things like you would if you were that age again and the clock were turned back.

Step #1. Label nine 3 x 5 cards for the following positions:

Position #1: Me - Present

Position #2: Me - Future

Position #3: Trusted Friend - Future

Position #4: Neutral Observer - Future

Position #5: Neutral Observer - Present

Position #6: Trusted Friend - Present

Position #7: Trusted Friend - Past

Position #8: Neutral Observer - Past

Position #9: Me - Past

These are the different "perceptual positions" from which you will be speaking from during this exercise. You will speak as if you were that person in that period of time, using the appropriate pronouns and verb tenses to reflect the "perceptual position" you are speaking from. Example: When you speak from position #3, or your friend in the future, you might say something like: "_your name_, I've seen you come along way since you were first diagnosed with ADD and although there were times when you thought life would always be a struggle, I knew you had the determination to find strategies that would work for you to make life easier. Just look at your office now and remember what it looked like five years ago. It was a mess then and now you have a filing system you actually use. You've come a long way since you worked out a comfortable game plan that helps you balance your life. You've worked hard, and accomplished a lot, and you make me proud to be your friend!".

Step #2. Lay the cards out on the floor in a square with each card at least 1 ½ to 2 feet apart in the following manner: