Rationalization and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Hey team! In today’s episode we’re joined by Dusty Chipura, a passionate advocate and ADHD Coach, to explore the nuanced world of ADHD and pregnancy. With her personal and professional experience we will be looking into the challenges and questions that often come up with this subject. There is a huge gap in what we know about ADHD and pregnancy and it can be hard to find good information. Dusty is an outstanding coach and a font of knowledge in this area. Even if you aren’t pregnant or planning on a pregnancy soon this episode is well worth listening to. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/184 This Episode's Top Tips  It’s important to recognize the gap in ADHD research related to women and pregnancy. This means that you need to be aware of what the current research suggests. This also means that you will have to be more of an advocate for your needs during pregnancy because it’s possible that you will be more informed about ADHD and pregnancy than your caregivers. With that in mind there is a need to prioritize building a support system, including healthcare providers knowledgeable about ADHD as well as community support for emotional and practical assistance. There is a likely impact of ADHD on pregnancy-related executive functions, such as organization and time management, and so it will be important to develop and employ strategies or tools to mitigate these challenges (this is where a support network can come in extra handy).

27 Maj 202430min

Hey Team! Accountability is one of the best ways to help you work through those things on your to do list that you just don’t want to do. But finding accountability isn’t always easy. In my conversation today, I’m talking with Joshua Greene, co-founder of the co-working app Groove. In our conversation today we’ll be talking of course about how Groove works - and specifically what sets it apart from many of the other co-working and accountability apps. We talk about following our energy flow, especially in regards to nontraditional work, how counterintuitive weak social ties can create a better accountability experience, and accountability also applies to so much more than just productivity. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/183 This Episode's Top Tips  Coworking can improve our ability to stay on task by utilizing the accountability that comes with just having someone else there with you (even if it’s only virtually). One of the strongest forms of accountability actually comes from weak social ties, because weak ties strike a balance of providing enough familiarity to foster accountability without the closeness that might encourage us to just take it easy . It’s important to find and follow your personal energy peaks throughout the day and allowing for breaks and social time when you need it to help maintain high levels of engagement in your work.

20 Maj 202428min

Hey team, this week we’re talking about our weeks and how we can get more out of them with a weekly review. The idea behind a weekly review is to look back on how things went and use that to help us figure out how we want our next week to go. In this episode, we’re going to go over the benefits of performing a weekly review, look at some of the ways to make doing it easier, and then get into the nitty-gritty of how to actually perform it. Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/122 Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page This Episode’s Top Tips The point of a weekly review is for us to not only look back at what happened last week, but use that knowledge to help us plan out how we’re going to approach our next week. It allows us to gain clarity over what we’ve done and what we want to do. When we’re performing our weekly review it is important to keep ourselves out of judgement - we’re not trying to beat ourselves up over anything we didn’t get to, we’re just looking to make next week better. One of the most important things for making sure we complete our weekly review is to actually build in the time to perform it on our schedule. By building in and protecting our time to perform a weekly review we are far more likely to follow through on our intentions.

13 Maj 202414min

Hey team! After last week’s episode on toolkits I got a request to do another episode like it but specifically on sleep tools. Now before I jump in on the episode I want to talk for a minute about why I typically haven’t been doing so many episodes on specific tools. What it comes down to is that often the specific tools aren’t what’s important - what tends to be more important are the strategies and reasons behind the tools. I kind of think of like if someone told me that they needed help fixing their bike and I handed them a wrench but they actually had a flat tire. Sure a wrench is great for fixing a bike when it needs something tightened, but without the understanding of what’s actually going on behind the scenes that tool may actually be useless. A specific tools can make all the difference when implementing strategy, we just need to know the why behind it. So for this episode we’re going to be skipping a lot of the basics of sleep - I’ll do another episode specifically about all that. What we’re going to be focusing on in this episode is our sleep hygiene, which is just a fancy way of talking about all the good habits we have related to our sleep. And so we will get into the why behind what we’re doing but in each section we’ll spend some time talking about the specific tools - and I’m going to try and include links to everything I talk about in the show notes - and none of these are going to be affiliate links, just either things I use or have used and probably a few other things just as options - so if you want to follow along with the show notes you can find them at hackingyouradhd.com/182 Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/182 This Episode's Top Tips  The four pillars of good sleep include duration, quality, regularity and timing. Create a bedtime routine tailored to your preferences and needs to signal your body it's time to wind down. You can limit screen time before bed by utilizing app blocks or screen time features to minimize exposure to overly stimulating content. Optimize your sleep environment by ensuring darkness, maintaining a comfortable temperature, and investing in bedding that promotes relaxation, such as weighted blankets or sensory compression blankets.

6 Maj 202419min

Hey team! We're chatting with Maddy De Gabriele, an Australian science communicator who's turned her personal journey with ADHD into a mission to help others. Through her Adult ADHD Starter Kit and corporate workshops, Maddy breaks down ADHD management into bite-sized, easily digestible pieces. In this episode we dive into specific tools that can become part of your everyday toolkit for managing your ADHD. We discuss timers, headphones, pillboxes, blankets and more in this episode. If you’ve been wanting an episode that goes into the actual tools that I and many others use in their day to day ADHD life, then this is the episode - Maddy brings the goods. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/181 This Episode's Top Tips  When we’re looking at what goes into our tool kit we need to be thinking of both the physical and mental items that can assist us throughout the day. It’s important to work on getting past the idea of how we “should” be able to do certain things and look at what tools will let us actually do those things. It’s important to work on understanding and accepting ADHD as a chronic condition. We need to recognize ADHD's impact on our daily life and work on employing practical tools and strategies to mitigate those challenges.

29 Apr 202442min

Hey team! This week we’re talking with the host of the ADHD Wise Squirrels podcast, Dave Delaney - as many of us Dave wears many hats — keynote speaker, author, and of course podcast host. Dave has actually been podcasting since 2005, although he only recently started up ADHD Wise Squirrels after his recent diagnosis. With that diagnosis, Dave has been on a mission to support others in the community and break down stereotypes that surround ADHD. In our conversation today we discuss everything from the impact of ADHD on personal development to the power of storytelling in building connections. Dave brings a blend of professional insights and personal experiences that provide a host of strategies to tackle common ADHD challenges. It’s fun conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/180 This Episode's Top Tips  Recognize and accept your ADHD, allowing yourself the flexibility to navigate challenges without harsh self-judgment. Identify and cultivate personal coping strategies for ADHD-related challenges, such as body doubling for productivity or mindfulness to stay present. Many of us with ADHD have a natural inclinations towards entrepreneurship that we can use to funnel our creativity.

22 Apr 202433min

Hey Team! Today on the podcast, we're exploring the lighter side of living with ADHD, featuring the hilariously honest Ellie Hino. A stand-up comic who finds humor in the everyday, Ellie has featured for comics such as Maria Bamford, Laurie Kilmartin, and Atsuko Okatsuka. She recently released her debut album, Soft Bones. In our conversation today she brings her personal journey with ADHD into the spotlight, sharing stories and strategies that hit home for many of us. We discuss getting a diagnosis later life, getting started on medication, impulsivity and time mismanagement. This episode is packed with relatable stories and actionable tips for tackling the day-to-day hurdles of ADHD. Whether you're newly diagnosed, a seasoned pro, or just curious, you'll find valuable insights and plenty to relate to. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/179 This Episode's Top Tips  Make living spaces ADHD-friendly with functional organization and storage solutions that work for you. Think of using hooks instead of traditional hangers or bins and baskets for clothes instead of keeping your clothes in a dresser. We can channel our impulsivity into creative outlets like comedy or improv that allow us to embrace those sides of ourselves on a regular basis. Acknowledge and plan for the real time it takes to do tasks, while it may feel like it only takes a minute for us to get out the door we acknowledge all the steps involved if we want o have an accurate picture of how long things take.

15 Apr 202421min

Hey team! This week we’re going to be discussing the challenges of managing ADHD within a relationship where both partners have ADHD and how that can lead to the amplification of symptoms and the struggle to maintain routines and tools. We’ll also be diving into the potential difficulties of managing ADHD later in life but also how we can lean into the strengths that we have already developed. This is another listener questions episode and if you’d like to potentially have your question answered on the show head over to hackingyouradhd.com/contact and click on the orange button. Sign up for my Newsletter Any And All Distractions Feel free to ask me a question on my Contact Page Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/178 This Episode's Top Tips  In relationships, clear communication is key, and it’s important to foster accountability while making sure that you are also staying out of judgment. Find a balance between structure and flexibility in daily routines, and make sure you’re creating room for accepting your ADHD (and your partners). When examining your previously created coping strategies, be sure to explore how you developed them and figure out if they are still helping you or if they need to be adjusted.

8 Apr 202414min