Here I am again with a two-weeks-in-one roundup! Maybe this is just a summer thing 🤣
The Lost Art of True Rest | zen habits
At the beginning of 2020, I committed to single-tasking as a major theme. Then coronavirus came along and I felt disrupted and multi-tasked all the time. I’m just now regaining some sense of equilibrium.
Unless we’re hyperfocusing, most ADHDers aren’t natural single-taskers. This drains our energy and our productivity. I feel so good when I manage to show up and be present for a single task, but it requires intentional effort and choice.
This post has a lot of wise words for those of us feeling scattered and exhausted these days. I’ve definitely noticed an increased need for true rest. It doesn’t always feel easy or natural, but these goals are worth the work.
Blue light blocking glasses: How much of the hype is science-based? | Science-Based Medicine
ADHDers can have a tricky relationship with screens. Blue light glasses can feel like a godsend: if we can’ t always control our screen time, at least we can mitigate the damage, right?
Yes and no.
As this article points out, there is no evidence blue light from screens actually damages our eyes or causes headaches. There is evidence blue light from screens can disrupt our body’s melatonin production. The resulting damage to our circadian rhythms and sleep schedule can put us at increased for all sorts of maladies, including hormonal cancers and worsening ADHD symptoms.
TL;DR: blue light glasses might be a great idea if you watch TV or look at computer screens within a few hours of bedtime. If you suffer from eyestrain during the day, you ought to give your eyes more breaks.
As an aside, I purchased a cheaper pair of blue light glasses (I didn’t want to shell out a couple hundred bucks to satisfy my curiosity) and suspect they actually increased my eyestrain. As a former glasses wearer I know all too well the importance of high-quality lenses. I’m sure my eyes are working harder looking through the cheap plastic. However, I very much appreciate the warming, dimming effect when watching TV at night.
I’m a woman with ADHD. Here’s what I wish you knew.
This has always been a popular post. I’m considering putting it next in line for audio narration. What do you think?
It’s Not Regression | Janet Lansbury
This is an interesting one for me. In general I feel like giving more responsibility and independence — and being firm about it even when he resisted — has *helped* my kid over these recent months. Then again, he’s seven, not four, and we haven’t had riots right outside our house. And every kid is different.
That said, there’s in here we ADHD parents need to hear, especially about choices. I’ll tell you what my kid *has* been doing lately: doing things he knows full well will antagonize me. Most of the time this happens toward the evening, when everyone’s tired. This post has a good reminder that such behavior is not necessarily a choice. My kiddo feels terrible after he upsets me. He thinks back on it and remembers himself doing everything he knew would most get under my skin. Even as I told him I didn’t want it to turn into a cruddy night, I really wanted us to be on the same team, I wouldn’t tolerate this behavior, blah blah blah, he still kept at it until he got into trouble.
So how do we respond to this? It really helps to step back and come at it from a place *other* than “he’s doing this on purpose” or “he’s completely disrespectful.” Misbehavior often comes from a place of stress or discouragement. It’s a struggle we need to work through. It’s not a character flaw.
Order from Chaos virtual event with The Ivy Bookshop on July 15
Because I’m all about non-Facebook alternatives, I’ve created a supplemental Eventbrite event for my reading announced last week. You can still RSVP on Facebook, but I’m happy to be able to forward an independent listing to my blog and ADHDgram readers.
I spent a lot of years being frustrated with the way I lived my life | Black Girl, Lost Keys
Every time someone I see some variation of “I’d rather be a good mom than a good housekeeper” or “say yes to the mess” or “sorry for the mess, we’re busy making memories,” I bristle.
If you can be truly satisfied, happy, and productive in a messy, chaotic space, more power to you. But disarray has no inherent virtue. In fact, if I let my house descend into chaos, guess what? I won’t be a good mom — or a good anything.
Like René says here, our outer mess can reflect an inner mess. I say this in the introduction to my book, Order from Chaos: a clean and orderly house isn’t something I do for other people. It’s an act of self-care.
Interruption signals
Overcoming Distractions Ep. 68: Time Blindness — Strategies to be More Aware of Time, Deadlines and the Clock
I had a nice time chatting with fellow author and ADHDer David Greenwood on his podcast Overcoming Distractions. We initially got together to discuss my post about six ways I’ve been managing time blindness — pandemic-related and otherwise — but since it’s an ADHD podcast we ended up talking about a few other things too 😉 Have a listen!
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