Stress and ADHD: From Hyper-focus to Scattered and Back.

On September 28, my Father passed away suddenly at the age of 72, after he suffered serious injuries from an accident in his home. He spent two days in the hospital in intensive care, but could not speak or really communicate as he was on a respirator and a lot of other medications. I was faced with a number of stressful conversations and decisions. My sister and I needed to determine how much care would be administered. I needed to help her deal with her intense sadness at the chain of events. I needed to inform his siblings with whom he'd had a troubled relationship. I needed to deal with a myriad of Doctors and medical personnel. Finally I had to try to retain some sense of normalcy for my kids and the other aspects of my life. While all of this was happening I experienced one of the oddest aspects of ADHD that I know of; the ability to completely hyper-focus.

It's an extremely weird feeling; everything slows down, and things in my mind seem to click into place. A list seems to form; who to call, what things I will need, what information I need to ask the Doctors about. I am calm and clear. I can manage to push emotion aside, while still retaining my empathy. I can ask questions and follow up without trouble. Its as if I have been listening to a static filled radio broadcast for sometime, and then the signal suddenly became crystal clear. I am able to filter out distraction and concentrate. Following my father's death, for the next week I remained in this hyper vigilant state. I planned the funeral, went through my Father's important papers, put together photo collages, sorted through his bills, and then dealt with a lengthy wake filled with well wishers and a longer funeral and post funeral reception. Through it all I was calm, composed, alert and together.

It was only after his funeral that I began to come back down to my normal state. It was then I experienced the flip side of the coin: how low level constant stress can aggravate and even worsen the normal symptoms I experience from ADHD. For the next two weeks I had trouble organizing, prioritizing, and initiating tasks. Thankfully my wife ran interference for me on a number of things. I had lower than normal levels of energy, even with my medications. I thought perhaps it was sadness, and I'm sure part of it is. But, a bigger part of it is just normal, routine ADHD that is for some reason more active and aggravated.

I've tried to exercise regularly and get enough sleep. I've tried to tackle tasks head on as much as possible. I've got lists coming out my ears and two different calendars right now. Is it helping? A little. It's as if I had an Ulcer, and I need to just realize that a big life stressor will aggravate the condition and time will be needed to get things back to equilibrium. Until then, I just try to stay focused on the good behaviors that have helped me in the past, and try to go easy on myself while I work through this process. Knowing the challenges you face helps immensely as you try to overcome them.

Getting back to normal

I had to give up posting for a while because my life got turned upside down when my father passed away very unexpectedly at the end of September. Things are starting to get easier, and I'll begin posting regularly again next week.

ADHD and the Third Noble truth: The way to end suffering is by following the path!

Well by now, anyone who had only heard the first two truths as taught by the Buddha would have been seriously bummed out. First you tell me that life is suffering, and then you tell me that I suffer because I want stuff? Who invited this guy to the party, he's a real buzz-kill! Not so fast, says the Buddha, there is a way to end suffering! You must follow the Eight Fold path.

Yes, those of us with ADHD can also put an end to our suffering, and we too must follow a path. That path is known as multi-modal treatment. Multi-Modal treatment is simply what its name implies: many different kinds of treatment. You will see your family Doctor or a Psychiatrist for an initial evaluation and diagnosis. They may prescribe medication to alleviate the symptoms. You may need to work with a Therapist following this to undo some of the damage that living with undiagnosed ADHD has caused. You may work with a Coach to help you build new skill sets and work-arounds. Finally, you may begin an exercise program, change your diet, start meditating, or all of the above. Studies have shown that utilizing the Multi-Modal treatment method increases the over-all effectiveness of each individual therapy. For more information on this, please visit C.H.A.D.D.'s website by following this link .

So by following this path, we can end the suffering of ADHD. The Fourth Noble Truth consists of the parts of the path itself. We will look at the first three pieces of the path in my next post.

By the way, I would be remiss if I didn't credit the website Buddhanet (link here ). This is the place where I try to ensure that my Buddhist comparisons and discussions are reasonably accurate.

ADHD and the Second Noble Truth: The Cause of Suffering

Buddhists teach that the cause of people's suffering in life is (depending on the source you read) the love of, or the desire for material things. Material things here are not just a nice home and a car, (although those are certainly included), but also include love of or desire for wealth, fame, sex, and other earthly things. Likewise, ADHD is the cause of suffering for many many people around the world.

It is important to grasp this as truth. ADHD is a condition caused by factors in the brain which we do not yet fully understand. It is often referred to as a "neurobiological" disorder; in other words, it's a part of us. It is not laziness, moral failure, or ineptitude. In order to set yourself along the path to healing, this second truth helps to crystallize for us the thing we have always wondered: why I am like this? Why do I not do what I should when I should? Now we know why; suffering has a cause and it's cause is ADHD.

As a quick aside, check out my new website at www.bjnicholson.com . It's a bit of a work in progress, but this mirrors so many other aspects of my life.

Next Post: The Third Noble Truth: There is a way to end suffering: follow the path.

ADHD and the First Noble Truth: Life is Suffering

For anyone trying to make their way through life with undiagnosed ADHD life can indeed be suffering! I think a better term might be struggle. The easy, every day things people are expected to be able to handle are very difficult. Students are reprimanded for poor study habits, lack of organization, inconsistent academic performance, and for not "trying". Adults can find themselves slogging through jobs with great difficulty or changing jobs multiple times due to boredom, restlessness, or a lack of performance. Managing finances, relationships, and self care is very difficult. Those of us with ADHD are remarkably inconsistent and probably very frustrating to deal with.

So it is clear: Life with untreated ADHD is a great struggle. This struggle, this unseen force is what has held us back and troubled us all our lives. "What is the matter with me?" is a very common phrase I used to ask myself, along with "Why am I such an idiot?". It doesn't take long before self esteem takes a big hit. Depression and anxiety are very common among people with ADHD, and this only increases suffering. The next noble truth deals with the cause of our suffering, and we will look at it through the lens of science as well as the lens of traditional "moral" definitions.

Part One: ADHD and the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism

The idea struck me one day while I was out for a run: the journey that someone with ADHD takes as they begin treatment really follows a very predictable path, one that seemed to have great similarity to the path that the Buddha taught. I don't claim to be an expert on Buddhism, nor am I a practicing Buddhist. But, the synergies between the teachings of the Buddha and the treatment path for ADHD are striking.

The Buddha's teachings that I reference here are the Four Noble Truths. Buddhism teaches that we must understand and embrace the Four Noble Truths in order to begin to walk on the path toward enlightenment. They are as follows (more or less; like I said, I'm no expert):

1. Life is suffering

2. Our sufferings and difficulties are a result of our attachment to material things that are short lived. We have desires and cravings that cannot be satisfied by the material world.

3. The way to end our suffering and material cravings is by following a path, or a new way of living

4. The Fourth truth is the Eight Fold Path itself.

What struck me is that for people with ADHD, life is hard, and full of difficulties. These difficulties are caused by the collection of traits and behaviors we have collectively known as ADHD. There is a way to alleviate our difficulties, and this is multi-modal treatment. Multi-Modal treatment involves eight key components.

In my next post, we'll look in more detail at the First Truth: Is life truly suffering for someone with ADHD?

Great New Book to Check Out

Here is a quick plug for a new book that has just been published. The woman who was my instructor during ADHD Coach Training has published a new book titled Empowering Youth with ADHD: your guide for coaching adolescents and young adults. Jodi Sleeper-Triplett is one of the premier ADHD coaches in the country, and I am thrilled that I was able to learn so much from her. You can learn more about the book on Jodi's website by clicking here .

Part one of my Buddhist-style journey through ADHD treatment coming tomorrow.