"Do I have ADHD?"
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD as its commonly called, is a condition that affects many children throughout the United States each year. Unfortunately, many adults who have difficulty concentrating at work or school often go undiagnosed because ADHD is commonly thought of as a kid's problem.If you have difficulty focusing on tasks at work or even sitting still for periods of time, it may be worth both your time and energy to check in with a licensed mental health professional about the possibility of having ADHD. I have seen cases of adults who have not realized that their difficulties might actually be the result of a longstanding undiagnosed condition such as ADHD versus them just being "high energy" or "fidgety".
Here are some signs that you might have ADHD:
Frequently disorganized spaces at home or work
Difficulty maintaining intense or emotional conversations with your partner or loved ones
Poor listening skills
Frequently missing deadlines at work
Trouble starting or finishing tasks
Impulsive behavior or being "quick-tempered"
Have you asked yourself, "Do I have ADHD?" Here is a short quiz (click the link) to help you determine if you might be one of the approximated 5% of adults who struggle with ADHD.
What to Consider Before Starting Therapy
Any counselor or therapist worth their salt will tell you that therapy is not an easy process. Often clients come in with the hope of finding clarity, insight or peace. While this is in line with my personal counseling philosophy, achieving those things often involves delving into painful thoughts and negative feelings at times.That being said, therapy is an investment. It's both an investment of your time and energy. The hope and goal should be to establish a net gain that makes delving into the complexities of your life all worth it. There are, however, a few things you should consider before entering therapy:
The therapist
It is widely known in the counseling community that the single most important contributor to success in your counseling process is the relationship between you and your therapist. That means that you should exercise your discretion in choosing who you think will be a good fit for you. Do your research! Look at your potential therapist's website and social media accounts to get a feel about who they are and their perspective on therapy. Here are some possible things to consider:
What is their philosophy on mental health? What kind of treatment do they offer? Do they have times available that are convenient for you? Do they have the appropriate training, education and licensure?
Cost & Value
I've included both cost and value of therapy as potential things to consider. While some use these terms interchangeably, I think there's a bit of nuance to unpack, especially when considering the personal investment that is therapy. I tend to think of cost as the bare bones dollar amount that you pay for a service. Basically, can you afford this therapist's hourly rate based on your income? If not, do they offer a sliding scale for people with lower incomes? Conversely, value refers to the actual financial cost versus your potential therapist's training and specialty. More simply put, do you feel this potential therapist is worth what they charge?
Location
You won't make it to your regular appointments if it's horribly inconvenient for you to do so. Does your potential new therapist work out of a convenient office location? Again, value comes into play here. If your therapist is a little out of the way, do you think their services are worth the extra trip?
PS If your therapist's office is inconvenient for some reason, you may want to inquire about Skype or online therapy services.Time. Do you have the time to commit to weekly meetings? What about twice monthly? Is your potential therapist flexible enough to meet your scheduling needs? If not, then you should likely ask for a referral to another provider.
Kevin Breel Talks Depression
Today I wanted to share with you what I think is an incredible testimony of a man discussing his battle with depression. In this TED talk, comedian and mental health activist, Kevin Breel describes the isolation and pain of depression as well as discusses the cultural stigma concerning mental health conditions. It's extremely powerful and insightful. Here's just one quote from Breel's talk:
If you think that true strength is never showing any weakness, then I'm here to tell you...you're wrong. You're wrong, because it's the opposite.
What is mental health?
Too often when we have discussions about mental health, many of us tend to focus on deficits, challenges and difficulties. This does make some logical sense as the phrase was coined by the medical community. But, I would argue this model refers to severe emotional difficulties, leaving out a large portion of the population who may not present with actual clinical diagnoses.
My philosophy is that we should all embrace and welcome a definition of mental health similar to the perspective of how we view physical fitness. Like physical wellness, mental health is not only about challenges but it also about how well we can perform and emotionally maneuver throughout life.
Consider this, we don't think of people who have not run marathons as deficient do we? We don't normally consider them to be "unfit", right? However, they are able to perform extremely well in a given set of circumstances with proper training. Well, the same can be said for mental health.
Many of us come from communities where emotional health issues were overlooked, or as is most often, not explicitly addressed on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, sometimes that leaves us without the experience or "training" to adequately identify our feelings and then develop strategies to manage them and the world around us.I encourage you to consider this definition of mental health from the World Health Organization:
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
I like this definition because it encompasses a level of "fitness" of sorts. It relays the message pretty clearly that mental health is not only about those with the biggest challenges, but it also encompasses all of us who appear to live , love and productively contribute to our society. To me, that's a hopeful message that lets me know that all we need as a society is a little more "training".
How are you preparing to run the race that is your life?
App Spotlight: Breathe2Relax
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Today's post features a free app available in the iTunes Store and its called Breathe2Relax.
Diaphragmatic breathing or "belly breathing" has been shown to help reduce stress, lower blood pressure and increase overall feelings of peace and relaxation. Breathe2Relax is an app that helps you learn the skill of belly breathing so that you can enjoy its benefits practically anywhere.
Most of us haven't learned how to breathe deeply to get the benefits of belly breathing. If you suffer from severe anxiety or have a history of trauma, engaging your mind-body connection by using belly breathing can also be extremely helpful. That being said, while this type of breathing can be very therapeutic, it can also be very triggering for some folks so it may be very helpful to have the support of a therapist to guide you through this practice especially if you fit the above criteria.
I think Breathe2Relax is an especially good app because it not only helps create a relaxing ambient environment, but it also features a video demonstration of the proper way to belly breathe. You can also personalize your inhale and exhale timers so that your in-app coaching is tailored to meet your unique needs and abilities. With a quick and easy setup, I think most people could benefit greatly from this cool piece of technology.The Breathe2Relax app is free and available both in the iTunes and Google Play stores.