It's the start of the year, and many of us with adult ADHD resolve to getting organized. I'm making resolutions myself and, fingers crossed, I'm going to keep many of them. Being disorganized really puts a cramp in my studying and my life, though. I think, if I had to pick, getting organized and staying that way is something that would help me learn and focus better - which will lead to being more successful. But, how can getting organized work with adult ADHD?

Hello again, all! I've been writing the Living with Adult ADHD blog for a nearly a year and this seems, with the new year just around the corner, like a really good time to review what I/we have learned this year together. We've talked about some strategies to improve our attention span and decrease our anxiety. We've talked a bunch about adult ADHD medication - the good and the bad. We've talked about just how much time having Adult ADHD costs - needing to get prescriptions, fill them and invariably get distracted at some point during the process. We've had a great year together, I'd say!

Writing this Adult ADHD blog every week for nearly a year has made me slightly cuckoo about my ADHD. In order to write 350+ words every week, I need to be super introspective and think about my disorder regularly and with regards to nearly every aspect of my life. This week, I'm going to talk about the holidays, because that's what's on my mind. How to survive the holidays with Adult ADHD.

Ever wonder if tapping on your face could decrease your anxiety? Having Adult ADHD can be stressful and decreasing anxiety is always a good thing to strive for.

Do you have a bully inside your own head? Many adults with ADHD do. You know what I mean, those negative thoughts that keep putting you down and killing your self-esteem and self-confidence. Making sure not to minimize the bullying that goes on between people, I have to wonder, where is the program for the internal bullying that goes on in our own heads?

Before I get into the tofu and potatoes of this Adult ADHD Christmas wishlist post, let me apologize to those of you who do not celebrate Christmas or have a Christmas wishlist. I'm sure it can be frustrating to be left out during this season and I know that maybe I stink for being politically incorrect. I do believe that all of the items on the following wishlist, though, could be for any Adult ADHD holiday and that I am in the process of wrapping my family's Christmas gifts and that's why this post is titled what it is. 

Adult ADHD is a "point of performance" disorder. We don't have difficulty learning, we have difficulty applying our learning when a situation calls for it. There are tools to help those of us with Adult ADHD to focus better, be more productive and, ultimately, be happier. And, for serious, who doesn't want to be happier?

In my program, there are a lot of lectures and a lot of labs. For lectures, we're sitting quietly listening to  a teacher and in labs we're talking with our partners/groups about movements and techniques. I had the opportunity to do a few lab activities in the past few weeks for my neuro-muscular course that tested my senses and my ability to adapt to their age-related changes.  Because I always look at experiences though my Adult ADHD lens, these labs were no different.

Mom, can I have the keys to go meet Cheryl at the mall?” “Dad, I just need the car for about an hour so I can take my friends to get some ice-cream.” “Mom, it’s so hot out! Can I just drive to the pool?” Not only do adults often drive more in the summer, particularly on highways while on vacation, but teens who are no longer confined to the school setting often drive more as well. If you are an adult with ADHD or have a teen diagnosed with ADD, extra caution may be needed.

I have been finding out all sorts of things as of late about Adult ADHD and medication options. Since I watched those lectures by Dr. Russell Barkley (read Adult ADHD as Not a Gift), I've been looking into a bunch of the things he talked about -- and he definitely mentioned a lot about adult ADHD medications.  This post is going to be half-informative, half-information-seeking. I know the adult ADHD drugs I've taken in the past for this disorder and I have questions about some that I haven't. Let's get started!