What's In A Name?

The term ADD seems to be universal now.  It rolls off the tongue like a benign word of it own, aydeedee.  But have you ever chaffed at the words it stands for?  Attention is neutral enough, but deficit and disorder, ouch.  

Those of us trained in all things ADD know that nothing could be further from the truth.  If there is one thing we ADDer's do not have a deficit in, it's attention.  We are always paying attention to Something! It may not be the thing we (or others) wish we were paying attention to, but paying attention we are.  And the disorder part, we are told that viewing ADD as a bona fide mental disorder is the only way to gain classroom or work accommodations, medication, and medical support.  But is that true?  Perhaps not.  

Two esteemed psychiatrists, one of whom I'm betting you cut your ADD teeth on, have just released a report calling for a complete paradigm shift in the way ADD is portrayed.  I believe the word they use most often is Genius.  

I will be posting a link to a free download of their report shortly.  Until then, how about Attentional Differences Diagnosis, or Attention Differential Diagnosis.  

What would you call ADD?

Candace

Please Note: The link appears in the post below this one.

The Genius In ADD!

Finally, something we've all known in our hearts for a long time, is being openly promoted.  

Yesterday I received an email from Dr. Kenny Handelman telling me that he and Dr. Ned Hallowell (Driven To Distraction) had just released a collaborative effort called Finding The Genius In ADD.   It is a short e-book report that promotes approaching ADD from a strength-based perspective. It's a very refreshing read, and I hear it is already creating quite a stir!

Dr. Hallowell is an ADD household name, but you may not have heard of Dr. Handelman.   Based in Oakville Ontario, Dr. Kenny, as he likes to be called, is a renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in ADHD.  I had the pleasure of spending most of this past November and December completing an ADD Medication Mastery and brain chemistry course with Dr. Handelman.  The course was intense, and very scientific, just the way I like my facts. Dr. Kenny has a gift for sharing real information in an understandable way without "dumbing down", and that's exactly what he and Dr. Hallowell do in this report.

You can download a free copy the their book by clicking "Free Download" in the upper left corner of the main blog page at

 http://www.addmirablewoman.blogspot.com

Sorry, despite trying everything, I could not set up a direct link here in the actual post. If you have trouble accessing the above link, let me know and I will personally send you a direct link.  My e-mail address is mctaylor@powergate.ca

There is even a wonderful announcement at the end of the report, but I won't spoil the surprise here.  

Enjoy the read,

Candace

The First Day Back

For many of you, myself included, today marked the first day back after the March Break. Brutal.  

I had a glorious week just hanging out with my family, sleeping late, and sitting cozy by the fireplace while record breaking storms roared past the windows. Every day my husband brought me a perfect cup of coffee while I worked at the computer, and every evening he said those magic words every wife dreams of hearing, "What would you like for dinner?".  Seriously, the man loves to cook, (a job I loath), and he's good at it.  It's the ultimate holiday gift for me.

And now it's all over.  I swear I started hallucinating when the alarm went off this morning.  My husband went back to work, my eldest son went back to college, my youngest son went back to school, and my middle son took the green food colouring left over from Christmas baking and headed to his friends' house to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  Okay that one has me a bit worried. Bottom line, no matter how long I worked at the computer today no one brought me a cup of coffee, and dinner, well it's 7:45 and I'm still waiting for inspiration to strike on that one, (remember, loath).

The truth is, First Day Backs can be rough.  Whether it's the day after a holiday or trip, a visit with laugh-til-it-hurts girlfriends, or even the day after an incredibly sweet time of doing absolutely nothing, getting back to the grind can feel, well, grinding.  

It's not hard to feel like someone let all the air out of your happy place.  I know I did my fair share of grumping today, especially when my van wouldn't start, even after I put a heated magic bag (you know, those hot packs filled with grain) directly on the battery for a couple of hours, in the sun, and despite the fact that it really wasn't THAT cold out.  So, no spirit lifting treats for me unless I wanted to bake them myself, and by now you know how likely that was to happen.

Then, while cleaning up the overcrowded icons on my computer desktop, I stumbled upon a little quote I don't even remember filing there.  It was like a shake and a hug at the same time, and brought a quick shift to my thinking.  I'll share it with you in the hope that it might speak to you too.

"I am too blessed to be stressed, and too anointed to be disappointed".

Wow, that got my attention.  Mulling it over sure felt a lot better than pining for Mrs. Doubtfire to walk through the door and make me dinner.

Transitions are rarely easy, but they can be especially challenging if you have ADD. What about you, how do you deal with the First Day Back Blues?  Have any tips or tricks for successfully navigating that first day back that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them.

Here's to a great first week back. 

Be sure to check out the photo of Red Amy at 3 weeks.  She spent her first day back growing another inch and a half!

Candace

The Bloom In You

The sun pours through the window, and Red Amy continues to grow.  The question now is, will she bloom?  I'm not exactly sure what she needs to produce her stunning red flowers.  How about you, what do you need to be able to bloom this spring?  Have a look at the poll above, and tell me, what would help you show the world who you are at your best.

Candace

Red Amy

Addmirable Woman has a mascot!  Her name is Red Amy and this is her story.   She is a red amaryllis that bloomed gorgeously for me in December 2006, and January '07, and February, and after the magnificent blooms were gone, went on to produce long elegant leaves for almost a year before gasping her last - or so I  thought. Being a typical ADDmirable woman, it can take me awhile to get around to things like taking brown plants out to the compost bin, so she  was left to sleep behind a curtain in my living room.   

A couple of weeks before this past Christmas I trotted off to Canadian Tire to buy a new amaryllis.  An older gentleman saw me staring at the bulb display and came over. He was, it seems, an expert on amaryllis bulbs, and told me the secret of how to trick them into thinking they've just endured a cold spell in their native Africa.  As per his kindly advice, I went straight home, found my sleeping bulb, dropped her into a brown paper bag and put her in the veggie crisper in the bottom of my fridge.

It didn't seem possible that anything green and living could come from this, but two months later I brought the bulb out, put her back in her bowl, watered, and waited. About this same time I was getting equally sage advice on how to start a blog.  (Am I the only person who dislikes that word, blog?  It sounds like something caught in your throat, right.)  I was having equal doubts about being able to launch something viable that I could share with other ADD women.  

For a week I struggled to understand and master the intricacies of designing this site while staring at the unchanging brown bulb on the window sill in front of me.  Eight days into it, I finally hit the "publish" button.  I looked over, and there were two little green leaf tips poking through the top of the bulb!

As my red amaryllis grows, so does this blog.  So here's to the power of growing things as yet unseen in all our lives.  What's your Red Amy?

What Do Women With ADD Really Need?

You may have noticed that every time you visit Addmirable Woman, either the blog or the website, that things look a little different.  Like a lot of women with ADD, I am on a perpetual learning curve.  Every time I check out my own sites I'm thinking, "Hmmm, do they want bright and clear, muted and cozy, white or coloured?  (No it's not a typo, we still use the "u" here in Canada).  Always, I'm searching for the best way to convey the message that you, the ADDmirable woman reading this, are in a safe place, where learning, growing, and asking questions, are welcome.

So feedback is welcome.  Tell me, what do you need most from a site about women and ADD?

Looking forward to hearing your ideas,

Candace

Checklist Of ADD Characteristics

Sari Solden's checklist of ADD characteristics may be helpful for those of you wondering if you have ADD.  

Visit her site at:

www.sarisolden.com/html/screen.html