For children with ADHD, socializing becomes difficult as their behavior and performance in school are affected, but what about adults with this disease?
Children have the guidance and protection that their parents give them, but adults are independent and it’s up to them to protect themselves and seek treatment to control the symptoms of their disease. Granted, adults are more exposed to distraction, such as mass media and more people around them. Kids only encounter distractions from the TV, radio, and some billboards, as for the rest, their parents can regulate their exposure. Adults, meanwhile, go to more places and see more people. Aside from distractions that TV and radio bring, they’re also exposed to many ads in the newspapers and in billboards while they commute to work.
Adult ADHD is not different from ADHD in children. It’s also difficult for adults to focus their attention on a specific matter or task in a longer span of time, compared to those who are not affected with the disease. They are also easily distracted, even more so because they are exposed to more objects and people that can cause distraction. Indeed, adult ADHD has the same symptoms as ADHD in children. So, how do adults affected by this disease cope? Here are a few ways to do so:
Minimize distractions
If you have adult ADHD, you have to minimize the distractions that you’re exposed to. For example, during work, you’re easily distracted by the phone ringing, or by contacts logging in or out in your instant messenger list. Add to that your e-mail, and your mobile phone that may beep a new text message from your girl friends or your dog sitter. All these distractions should be eliminated while you work, so it’s better to unplug your phone, log off your instant messenger, and keep your mobile phone silent. If you’re worried about missing important calls and messages, don’t be. Finish your work first, and then you can allocate some time in your schedule to check for messages and answer calls. If you prefer, equip your telephone with an answering machine, but make sure it’s silent. When it’s time for you to check for calls and messages, you can just get back to your callers and see what they have to say.
And if you have your own office, put a sign on your door. This goes especially to those who work at home and have a home office. Don’t put a sign that just says, “Do Not Disturb” because there are actually people who laugh at this and will only disturb you every chance they get. Make your note short but easy to understand. Put on the note for people not to disturb you within specific hours, and to come back later. Explain why you shouldn’t be disturbed.
Make a daily and weekly schedule
Having adult ADHD makes it difficult to not fly off and do some other task. To avoid this, schedule your time everyday for all tasks that you need to do. This will lessen your chances of acting on the spur of the moment and suddenly cleaning your home office table instead of working on a report. Your written schedule will remind you that you have more important tasks, and that you’ve allowed yourself time during the day or week to accomplish the task that you’ve just thought of doing.
Use alerts to remind you of the time
There are different software programs that can be downloaded from the internet that can help people with adult ADHD. You can download a time manager, or just set an alarm for you to remember your schedule. This can also help in making you aware of your work pace. Managing your time and controlling your impulses is difficult and will require patience and dedication, but you’ll get used to it in time and it will seem almost effortless on your part.
