Q: My ____ (insert family member here)____ needs an ADD Coach. Can you coach him or her?
A: Family of ADDers are eager to see them make progress, so we get this type of question quite often! Please be aware that you cannot enroll someone else in coaching and have it work out. The person being coached has to be ready and willing to work with a coach. Just think about it this way: if you needed to lose a few pounds, would you appreciate it if a family member bought you a membership to a weight loss center?
We prefer to be contacted by the individual who is looking into the possibility of coaching.
In the meantime, your best bet is to continue to educate yourself about ADD, and to make that information available to your ADD family members only if they are open to it. You may be able to bring up the subject of coaching casually, but don't overdo it.
Q: I think that I have AD/HD, but I have not been diagnosed. Would ADD Coaching be appropriate for me?
A: We do not limit our practice to the "formally diagnosed." The techniques of ADD Coaching are effective even for non-ADDers, because ADD traits (traits which many non-ADDers have) often get in the way of coaching, but an ADD coach has more training to help the client to be successful in spite of these AD/HD traits.
Q: My cognitive issues appear to be getting worse as I enter "andropause". Is this normal? It's certainly not desirable as I'm finding it near impossible to juggle the many tasks on my plate right now..
A: While cognitive decline is common as one grows older, there can be many causes, like sleep apnea, for one. Talk to your doctor about your concerns. Adjustments to your AD/HD medication may be helpful.
If a hormonal imbalance is to blame, treatment is available. According to Center University, "through reducing estrogen, increasing production of testosterone and supplementing with hormone and nutrients optimal chemistry can be attained."
Q: My friend is trying to coach me. She gives me a list to do, has me set a timer about every 10-15 minutes and do something new every time the timer goes off. I try, but I get behind, and soon the timer keeps going off and I'm doing nothing. I want to adhere to the schedule, but I don't. What is wrong with me?
Yeah, what is wrong with you? Hehe. Seriously, though, it sounds like you need to rethink your strategy. If you’ve given it a decent shot and it still doesn’t work, the last thing you want to do is keep doing it (remember the definition of insanity: doing the same thing and expecting a different result). You have stopped responding to the alarm, so maybe you are using it for too many things, or 10-15 minutes might be too short for what you want to get accomplished.
You may also need transition time between tasks (especially if they are unrelated). You might try doing something you enjoy at intervals, or at the end of your task.
If working on your own doesn’t work no matter what you try, you may need to use a “body double”. For more info on how to “body double” see our newsletter http://www.staywithmehere.com/newsletter2.html. You may find some other useful tips in that issue.
