A Natural ADD Treatment for making decisions that stick.

The most natural ADD treatment: strategies that eliminate decision-making obstacles.

For adults seeking a natural ADD treatment for making effective and timely decisions, it can be a real struggle. A simple yes or no question can become so complicated and fraught with anxiety that the opportunity to decide (and take control over the issue) is lost.

What are the four landmines that can get in the way of decision-making process, and how do you manage them?

Perfectionism.

Based on the belief that it is unacceptable to make a mistake, perfectionists are ruled by lots of “shoulds” and “what if” thinking.

It is the all or nothing choice for many with ADHD.

The ultimate in self-defeating behavior, perfectionism uses unrealistic standards to make the “right” choice.

How do you do minimize the impact?

1. Set realistic goals: what is doable right now? If you are trying to decide how many books to take on vacation, how many can you reasonably read in 7 days?
2. Eliminate the “shoulds”: this is the voice of others; what do you enjoy reading?
3. Minimize the “what ifs”: what if you bring the “wrong” books? What’s the worst that can happen? You go to the store and buy something else.

Procrastination.

“Why make the decision now, when I can do it later?”

The concept of time passing can be so intangible to someone with ADHD that the idea of forever takes precedent.

It’s not until you run up against a deadline that you are able to act. Frequently that results in chaos, tension and a feeling of failure.

How can you get a hold of procrastination?

1. Practice taking action at the time.
2. Any time you find yourself saying, “I’ll think about it later,” stop and think about it right then and there. Even if you don’t make a final decision, move on to step 3.
3. Create a daily list of decisions you need to make before the end of the day. Cross them off as you complete them. Check the list at the end of the day and finalize any open decisions.

Too Many Choices.

Facing what seems to be a sea of endless choices, how can you narrow down the field?

In actuality, they really don’t have that many options, it just seems that way.

If you are overwhelmed consider your options.

1. If you could select only 3 choices today, what would they be and why?
2. What would you lose if you limited yourself to those 3; what would you lose if you postponed making the decision?
3. On a scale of 1-10, rank your 3 choices and pick one that has the best score (10 being best)

Distraction.

Finally, don’t underestimate one of the basic ADHD challenges. Distraction.

Do you forget that you have a decision to make, or when you need to make it?

1. Post the decision deadline on your calendar immediately.
2. Monitor daily and check off decisions as you make them.
3. If you need to take some action as a result of your decision, make a note in your agenda.

Getting comfortable with making decisions takes time and practice. Just like any change, it won’t happen overnight. In time, however, you’ll be able to add effective decision-making to your list of strengths.

And finally, if you need help managing your adult ADHD don’t procrastinate. You can contact me at linda@adhdtreatmentsolutions.com, or visit my website: https://adhdtreatmentsolutions.com/