How to Manage ADD
What is ADD?
Attention Deficit Disorder is a difficult condition that can affect your ability to focus and concentrate on tasks, which will have adverse effects upon your existing livelihood, in you getting a job, or completing a college degree. Sitting still for any period of time is torture, and you feel like you have ants in your pants all the time. Despite these concerns, Attention Deficit Disorder can be managed both without and with medication. Here’s how.
The Treatments
A non-medicinal way to alleviate ADD is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy which can be administered by a psychiatrist or psychologist. People with ADHD may have several negative emotions associated with failure and regret at not being able to do as much as they would want to do, being saddled with Attention Deficit Disorder. Becoming aware of these thoughts and addressing them is cognitive behavioral therapy, a treatment which years of research has shown to be effective for anxiety, panic attacks, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, and even schizophrenia.
Some ADD patients find that they need medicinal treatment in addition or as a supplement to their disorder. Medications that treat the symptoms of ADD such as Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Focalin, and several others must be prescribed by a doctor, preferably a psychiatrist. These drugs can have adverse side effects, which is why it’s important to use them under a doctor’s supervision.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Mindfulness is a state of sustained attention to the present moment, a practice which is effective against Attention Deficit Disorder. To build up your attention span try paying attention to something like a book for even just five minutes. Do these five minute attention span training sessions every three or four hours, even every two hours if you can. Do this every day so that you can evolve the habit of paying attention.
Once this becomes the standard, try increasing the length of time to ten minutes on two of four hourly intervals. Then do 15 minutes and see how you hold out. Mindfulness is an exercise that can manage ADD. Other mindfulness activities are Tai chi, breathing exercises, and meditation.
Getting restful sleep is essential to combating ADHD and ADD since it can cause insomnia in some cases. Diet should also be considered; cut back on sugary foods and caffeine intake since it exasperates the symptoms ADD. In addition to a healthy diet and sleep schedule, daily exercise can also combat the symptoms of feeling restless and unfocused. Most importantly creating a structure of tasks to solve each day, either in a calendar or on a list (any physical list of tasks will do) has been shown to help ADD.
ADHD and ADD are conditions that can be combated with structure, mindfulness, and exercise. You can increase your concentration with medical help and without taking a pill.
