What does overcoming ADHD have to do with losing weight? The answer is shockingly simple: follow through on expert advice. The problem is, though… who are the experts?
In The Culture Code, Clotaire Rapaille shares the following story:
“Years ago, Tufts University invited me to lecture during a symposium on obesity…
Lecturer after lecturer offered solutions for America’s obesity problem, all of which revolved around education. Americans would be thinner if only they knew about good nutrition and the benefits of exercise, they told us. Slimming down the entire country was possible through an aggressive public awareness campaign…
When it was my turn to speak, I couldn’t help beginning with an observation. “I think it is fascinating that the other speakers today have suggested that education is the answer to our country’s obesity problem,” I said. I slowly gestured around the room. “If education is the answer, then why hasn’t it helped more of you?”
There were audible gasps in the auditorium when I said this, quite a few snickers, and five times as many sneers. Unsurprisingly, Tufts never invited me to lecture again.”
The key takeaway of Rapaille’s story is an uncommon one: unless you’ve implemented and gotten results, you don’t have the answer. It’s controversial to suggest that you shouldn’t be taking weight-loss advice from a doctor, but if those preaching the ‘how-to’ haven’t done it themselves, even though they should, then there’s something else stopping them. And as such, they are no longer an expert.
After all, an expert isn’t someone who has the ‘how-to’ – they’re the person with a ‘why’ that will help you follow through on their advice.
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ADHD Symptoms are often examined as how they can be treated, as opposed to how they can be reduced. Instead of looking to treat the symptoms of ADHD directly, it can often be better to reduce them completely so that treatment isn’t needed. I’ll explain.
For a moment, let’s imagine that you don’t have ADHD, and you don’t have your ADHD symptoms. Instead you now suffer from Celiac disease.
For those of you who are unaware, Celiac disease is a condition which damages the lining of the small intestine when foods containing gluten are eating. The damage results in an inability to absorb the parts of the food that are important for staying healthy, and can result in diarrhoea and flu like symptoms. Not a great way to spend three days.
With your newly found condition of Celiac disease, you have two options. You can either eliminate your intake of Gluten based foods and products to reduce your experience of symptoms and their severity, or continue to have Gluten based foods and products and treat the intensified symptoms that this action creates.
Naturally, you’d choose to take the path of action that reduces your experience and severity of the symptoms. Treating symptoms that you can avoid or reduce in the first place doesn’t make sense. As they say, the best cure is prevention.
ADHD and it’s symptoms are no different. I’ll explain.
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“Just remember mate, go slow. You already know this stuff – they don’t. Give them a few moments to breathe and soak it all in before you hit them with the next big point. They need to know this stuff”
- Gerry, my mentor, before I took the stage at the NDCO Accessing The Future Conference
At the start of December this year, I delivered a keynote to an audience of a few hundred people entitled “720 Days Later”. In it I told the stories of two big achievements I’d had since last speaking at the conference, and the three principles that had underpinned them both. You can see the slides here.
With ADHD, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed or like you’re not really making progress. And the fact is, some times you really are overwhelmed and you aren’t actually making any progress. Tough but true.
If you really want to kick the ADHD habits that are holding you back next year, and start achieving that awesome potential that you know you have, you need to lay a framework and understand these principles in advance. It won’t necessarily be easy, and that’s why we’re preparing now.
As the old saying goes – if you want peace, prepare for war.
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“In my mind, she cheated because I wasn’t good enough. I remember making the decision that I will never not be good enough again”
- Will Smith, self-diagnosed ADHD, to Time Magazine
When asked about coping with ADHD, a common challenge most adults with ADHD will mention is dealing with low confidence.
When you have ADHD, low confidence becomes an insidious mental mind-game that we play on ourselves, and it can seep into all the various parts of your life. Your job can be threatened, your relationships can crumble and your total sense of well being is at risk.
How do I know this? Let me put on my ‘Been There, Done That’ hat and explain.
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What You Learn On The Mat Will Help You In Life - Photo by Mike Nelson
The biggest challenge I find with ADHD?
Slowing my million miles an hour mind down… and dealing with the fact that I’m not perfect.
In my mid-teens, after rediscovering books, I started to take a great pleasure in proving to people that I knew more than they did. I became the know-it-all of everything I possibly could as a way of overcoming my own lack of confidence.
And because whenever I delivered my thoughts and learnings with such gusto it was accepted as fact, I started to develop an ego. A fragile ego that was founded on being right all the time and being “better” than other people.
What does this have to do with beatdowns? Let me explain…
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Photo johntrainor
I remember when I was first diagnosed with ADHD. It was the most uplifting, yet simultaneously crushing, moment of my life.
The upside was that finally there was a reason – something that I could put my finger on and say “Here! This is where the problem comes from!”
The downside was that there was a problem that I now had to fix.
Over the past few years, I’ve learned a few things about coping with ADHD. Let me tell you, it isn’t about “magic pills” or “herbal remedies” by a long shot – these are just band aid solutions that can help you stablise. But they’ll never truly help you cope with ADHD.
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