1. Getting Your Life Back on track
Michael Uram, MA, LMFT, LPCC

2. That’s easier said than done
Write down all of the reasons why you cannot possibly get back on track.
Without allowing the healthier thoughts you may have right now, allow your inner critic to write down why you have resisted changing behaviors that have impacted your life.
Pay attention whether you are using Cognitive Distortions, such as minimizing the impact of ADHD on your life
What you have just wrote is the most likely reason why you are currently stuck.
If you lied and avoided writing down the truth, write down what stops you from being honest with your self. Do you feel Shame, Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment?

3. Techniques that work
Planning for your emotionally fulfilled future by identifying Cognitive Distortions
Screen yourself for Anxiety & Depression
Creating SMART Goals
Using a Mindmapping tool to figure out what you want
Surrounding yourself with others that have similar goals

4. Emotion based planning
ADHD affects the Anterior Cingulate, Limbic System and Amygdala
This results in emotional dysregulation, anger, impulsiveness and excitability
It is a failure to regulate emotional disorder, your brain does not activate well to self soothe contemplate and moderate emotions that lead to long term goal accomplishment.
Slowing down to go faster…to accommodate Anterior Cingulate’s inability to regulate the Limbic system to achieve prosocial goals
All based on Russell Barkley’s work:

5. How do I know if I have Anxiety or Depression as well as ADHD?
Studies find that 80 percent of people with ADHD will have at least one other psychiatric disorder in their lifetime. The two most common are depression and an anxiety disorder, like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). anxiety-depression-the-diagnosis-puzzle-of-related-conditions/
Complete a Brief Screener: Zung Anxiety and Zung Depression Screeners are quick tools that I use in my practice. 36+ indicates Anxiety, 50+ indicates depression.

6. Emotion Based Goals Identify how you want to feel first
Identify what the result would look like (Solution Focused Therapy)
Identify how long it may take.
Think of how to achieve 1% change in this goal today.
Be proud of making progress, even 1% change along the way.
ADHD individuals tend to try to accomplish too much and have a strong negative self critic when they fail at this difficult goal, and then give up…

7. Smart goals Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time Bound
Adapted from: adhd-as-an-adult/722-adhd-friendly-goal-setting-when-smart-goals-aren-t-quite- smart-enough and the handout is from: med.stanford.edu/content/dam/sm/hrg/documents/.../SMARTGOALSTemplate2016. doc

8. Mindmaps
Take one idea and explore all possible branches. Russell Barkley emphasizes externalizing information. This will then develop into a visual example of how your mind works and how to get unstuck.
Mindmeister, Mindnode, or just a sheet a paper with a circle and some lines…
Follow up on Mind Map through a daily planner, reminders, calendar…

9. Keep a Daily Planner
Coping with escape-avoidance patterns requires facing discomfort and uncertainty.
The daily planner example illustrates the expectation of failure common among adults with ADHD.
This expectation means that ADHD adults will often withdraw from situations where they perceive a risk for failure.
“Comparative thinking,” which is characterized as basing self-worth on how one’s actions measure up against those of others, is a key cognitive distortion when judging performance.
J. Russell Ramsay

10. Keep a daily planner
These comparisons are often unfair and unrealistic.
Adults with ADHD overestimate how easily others are able to accomplish tasks and under estimate the degree to which others must expend effort on coping.
Thus, at the same time CBT for adult ADHD “starts small” and aims to set up early success experiences, the fact that adaptive coping and therapeutic progress involves making and learning from mistakes is normalized.

11. Surround Yourself with Others that Have Similar Goals
Find a good psychiatrist that understands the neuroanatomy of ADHD, and the most common and successful medications Find a therapist that specializes in CBT for ADHD, Gottman Method or EFT for Couples, and CBT for Self Esteem Read through the most popular books on ADHD Connect with others that are diagnosed with ADHD Keep up with your system, even after life gets better

12. ADDITIONAL resources
Ramsay, J. Russell “The Relevance of Cognitive Distortions in the Psychosocial Treatment of Adult ADHD” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Vol. 48, No. 1, 62– 69, J. Russell Ramsay
Russell Barkley ADHD Fact Sheet