Adult ADHD: Why Sensory Stimulation is the Secret

The strange truth about Adult ADHD symptoms andmany, many things at once, whereas most people
trying to focus on a task is that, while everyone iswithout ADHD symptoms have to go from one thing
trying to cut down on our sensory stimulation so weto the next thing to the next thing.
can "focus," what people with Adult ADHD symptomsBecause you have Adult ADHD symptoms, you like to
really need is more stimulation! Learn this little-knowndo lots of things at once. This is because when you sit
secret for focusing on even "boring" tasks...down and you try to just focus on this one thing, what
In my last article I told about a kid with ADHDhappens is your brain almost rebels. It shuts down. It
symptoms who I was working with in my practice. Igets to that point where it says, "Ugh. I'm so bored.
taught him to connect his love of hockey with doingThere’s not enough stimulus. There’s
science homework, which he was currently getting F'snothing going on. I can't just focus on this one thing
in because he was bored. He used hockey cards andbecause I have such a capacity to do more things."
posters and music to do this and he ended up gettingThe basic premise for getting something done with
A's in Science as a result.Adult ADHD symptoms, especially when it’s
That's an example of someone with ADHD symptomssomething you don't like to do, is very simple, and it's
connecting something they love and something they'rethis: you have to involve multiple senses. You have to
not that excited about together to make it at least ainvolve all your senses.
semi-exciting experience.Tellman said that he puts on a pot of coffee for the
Today, Stephanie Frank and I are going to going to talksense of smell. Of course, caffeine doesn't hurt, right?
about how to use sensory stimulation with AdultSo right there, you can smell the coffee. Then he puts
ADHD symptoms--using all five senses--to help focuson his running clothes. That’s kinesthetic.
the brain with Adult ADHD.That’s feeling in your body. You could also light
An example of this is when I have to do thea candle. That could be a visual sense that doesn't
dishes--something I find extremely boring. It's hard fordistract, or it could be a smell too.
me to stand there for more than two minutes. MyYou can play music. That is auditory. So, you've got
ADHD symptoms kick in and I wander off. So here'syour entire body, all your senses involved and being
what I do to stay focused when I do the dishes.stimulated...and your ADHD symptoms are just soaking
First I make myself a nice pot of coffee (ever noticedit up, actually helping you to focus more...did I get all the
how people with Adult ADHD love coffee?). Thesenses?
second thing I do when I want to get a householdTellman: Well, you're talking about visual, kinesthetic,
chore done at high speed is, a technique I started usingauditory or hearing, olfactory, and gustatory which is
after we came up with this hockey idea for the kidsmell and taste. Then, some people would say, "What
with ADHD symptoms I was working with: except Iabout your connection with your spiritual life?" Some
use a different interest.people would even refer to that as a sixth sense.
I'm a distance runner. I love running. So, I actually will getYou can integrate that too, if that’s your style,
in my running clothes, shoes, shorts, and shirt, and doand that makes sense to you. Whatever religion you
the dishes at high speed while dressed up like a runner.practice, see if you can somehow incorporate that into
It’s kind of a funny sight, but it works. It workswhat you're doing.
really well--and can work great for anyone AdultThere are lots of very powerful ways to simply
ADHD symptoms.connect up things that interest you with what you're
Stephanie Frank explains why this really works withdoing, to really make them work for you. Be creative.
Adult ADHD symptoms:Use your ADHD symptoms of hyper-creativity and
Stephanie: Let’s talk about why that works withinnovation to your advantage on this.
Adult ADHD, Tellman. If you're focusing on something,While we're on the subject, there is another solution
you're probably doing it unconsciously. You're not evenpeople with Adult ADHD symptoms can use for
aware of all the things that are happening. Let’sgetting those things done that you don't like to do, and
bring that up to the awareness level that people withit's called "outsourcing."
Adult ADHD symptoms operate at.There are very specific ways people with Adult
The point is that when you want to focus, people withADHD can outsource things at home, and things at
Adult ADHD symptoms have a brain, a body, a mindwork, that are taking your time and energy that
that works automatically in kind of a multi-tasking sortshouldn't be. To find out more about outsourcing and
of a mode. People with Adult ADHD can accomplishother great techniques for Adult ADHD, see below.