Latest / Life Lived Better / Episode 143: Is it ADHD or General Distraction?

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Episode 143: Is it ADHD or General Distraction? · Life Lived Better

0:03
Hi, this is Paula. And I'm Joseph, and you're
0:06
listening to Life Lived Better. Welcome back to the Life Live
0:12
Better podcast, where your space for self discovery, mental
0:15
Wellness, and personal growth. As always, we're grateful that
0:18
you joined us for this episode. But before we get into our topic
0:22
today, I want to check in with Joseph and see how he's doing.
0:26
How's it going, Joseph? Things are pretty good, no
0:29
complaints. You know me, I'm always busy,
0:31
always have something going on and getting back into the
0:34
routine of things and just kind of like settling.
0:38
Looking forward to the new year and everything that it has to
0:42
bring. What about you?
0:43
Same thing. I'm contemplating a new year and
0:46
like what? What will I, you know, have as a
0:48
goal this year? What will this year?
0:51
I'm just shocked at how many years go by so quickly.
0:54
But excited, always excited at thinking of, you know, the new,
1:00
the new, the, the ideas, the goals that can come about.
1:03
Why do New Year's bring that? I don't know.
1:06
New birthday I think. We did an episode about like,
1:08
statistically, how many people actually we follow through, like
1:12
with how many people that create, you know, goals for the
1:17
year and then how quickly they move on and forget those goals.
1:22
There's two people out. There.
1:23
Yes, we did. There's two people on Earth that
1:27
followed through with their New Year's resolutions.
1:31
That's awesome. Well, I'm so glad you're here
1:33
today with me. So tell me, what do we have
1:36
going on in this episode today? Today's an interesting one.
1:40
This episode is about ADHD, which is one of the most talked
1:45
about mental health topics. And with constant notifications,
1:50
endless To Do List, and the pressure to always stay
1:53
connected, it's easy to wonder, do I have ADHD or am I just
1:58
overwhelmed? Sometimes it's hard to tell, so
2:01
in this episode we plan to explore what ADHD really is, how
2:05
it differs from everyday distractions, and why so many of
2:09
us struggle to focus on our fast-paced digital world.
2:13
And the key to that's digital. It's taking over our lives.
2:16
We'll also discuss common signs that might mean it's time to
2:19
seek professional support and simple, practical strategies to
2:23
help you regain focus and calmness in your life.
2:26
It's. Good.
2:27
So this episode is for everyone. If you're if you actually got we
2:31
have ADHD or you just a little scattered, we'll talk about how
2:36
understanding our brain is not about labeling ourselves.
2:40
It's just about self-awareness and compassion and and learning
2:43
to work with our minds, not against it.
2:46
And whether you're living with ADHD, think you might be or you
2:50
just constantly feel like you're distracted, I think the episode
2:54
really offers insights, tools to help find focus and and move
2:58
through your day with clarity and ease.
3:00
And who couldn't use some of that?
3:01
And as someone that's diagnosed ADHDI think it's really
3:05
important to understand that there's, you know, a lot of ways
3:08
that you can manage some of that.
3:10
And sometimes it's, you know, medication, sometimes it's
3:14
changing behaviors and patterns in our lives.
3:18
Sometimes it's just kind of bringing awareness to certain
3:20
things. But it's definitely something
3:22
I've struggled with throughout my life.
3:24
I take medication. It helps kind of keep me in a
3:27
good steady place in order to help kind of process the things
3:32
and the racing thoughts and the craziness that goes on in my
3:35
head. I always think of ADHD as kind
3:38
of like when you have 40 million projects happening all at once
3:43
and nothings really completed or getting completed and just
3:47
constant distraction. One of the things I read not too
3:50
long ago said that people with ADHD constantly have a song in
3:53
their head. And I was like, Oh my gosh,
3:55
that's totally. Wow.
3:58
I totally believe that. These are a few of my favorite
4:01
things, is what I've been singing all morning.
4:03
Yeah. That's why it's been a Christmas
4:07
song. Bum bum, bum bum.
4:09
Me and my drum. So.
4:13
Yeah. So it's that's that's one of the
4:15
common things that it said can be a sign.
4:19
So what about you? What's been your experience?
4:21
Well, I have been officially diagnosed and it is a real
4:25
struggle. I was diagnosed as an adult way
4:29
into my adulthood. It was, I had people mention it,
4:33
you know, along the way in my adulthood, but it wasn't till
4:36
like, oh, I don't know, six or seven years ago that I had an
4:40
official psychiatric diagnosis with medication, etcetera.
4:45
And it changed my life. I mean, it changed my life in so
4:48
many ways, not just knowing what it was and then medication to
4:53
hand, you know, kind of help it every day, but understanding my
4:57
entire educational journey. I mean, truly, I thought I was
5:03
stupid for so long because, you know, when I was raised, the
5:07
only thing we had to treat ADHD was sit down and shut up.
5:13
Quit acting out, quit being a distraction or I'm going to
5:17
smack you. And I just thought, why, why
5:20
can't I? Why can't I like everyone else?
5:23
You know, why can't I just, I must be dumb.
5:25
I must not, you know, be able to.
5:27
And that isn't true. I mean, I have like 5 college
5:30
degrees. I know that I can do work.
5:33
I know that I'm not, I'm not ignorant and I'm capable of
5:37
learning, you know, but why out of, you know, I graduated with
5:40
41 people in my class and I graduated #40 and I'm not
5:45
stupid, you know. So I'm so grateful for that
5:48
diagnosis and, and the on the ongoing treatment.
5:52
And I will say since being diagnosed, treatment has
5:56
changed. It's not stayed the same since
5:58
the beginning and treatment and medication alone do not work.
6:02
You really do have to adapt some skills to how your brain works
6:06
and just what works best for you on a daily basis.
6:09
And now I feel like I have a superpower.
6:12
Yeah, yeah. I always when I'm working with
6:15
folks that are on medication, I hear them say like, I just need
6:17
to up my dose because I'm, you know, and it's like, what are
6:20
you doing practically? What are you doing behaviorally?
6:23
Like what is what's changing? And often times it's, you know,
6:27
I just need to increase my dose. I'm not actually interested in
6:30
working on any of that, but it really is important.
6:33
Like with any other struggling with depression, you're taking
6:35
medication. You still have to work on the
6:38
behaviors and the patterns, it's just part of the process if you
6:41
want to be healthy overall. Yeah, it's not a magic bullet,
6:45
that's for sure. It just kind of helps you.
6:47
It's kind of like weight loss surgery is not the answer to
6:50
weight loss. It's just a tool to help you
6:52
manage overwhelming weight loss. You know what I mean?
6:54
I mean overwhelming weight gain. Yeah, so, well, you know, we
6:58
love statistics, so let's take a take a look at a few related to
7:01
ADHD. The first one is about 7
7:05
million, which is 11.4% of children aged 3 through 17 in
7:09
the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD, according
7:13
to the National Survey of Parents using data from 2022.
7:17
But they also say that about 1,000,000 more were likely
7:21
eligible for the diagnosis that went undiagnosed.
7:24
A lot of people say, like, oh, every kids, you know, has ADHD,
7:29
all they have to do is kind of wiggle a little and you want to
7:32
throw them on medication. I think that statistic tells us
7:35
that's not true. I mean, that is a lot of of
7:38
people, but it's not all of them, you know?
7:42
Yeah, and I know like many people like me were not
7:45
diagnosed as a child. So what statistics can we look
7:49
at for like adults? In 202516.3 million adults
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living in the United States were identified.
7:57
And ADHD looks different in children than it does in adults.
8:00
And we're going to get into that a little bit more later in the
8:02
episode. But first, let's take a look at
8:04
how someone is diagnosed with ADHD.
8:07
Perfect. So let's start with defining
8:10
clinically what ADHD looks like. You know when you go to a
8:13
psychiatrist, What are they? How do they make the diagnosis?
8:16
So that definition ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactive
8:21
Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition
8:24
that affects a person's ability to regulate attention, impulses,
8:28
and activity level. And ADHD is not simply about
8:32
being forgetful or easily distracted.
8:34
It involves differences in how the brain actually manages to
8:38
focus for motivation and executing functioning.
8:42
So that is what now we hear people talk about as
8:45
neurodiversity. So according to the DSM or
8:49
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that
8:52
we use in the counseling world says that ADHD is characterized
8:57
by persistent patterns of inattention.
9:00
And inattention is a is a difficulty sustaining focus when
9:04
we're like following through on tasks or staying organized.
9:07
Then hyperactivity, which is restlessness, fidgeting and
9:11
feeling like on the go all the time, like you're always on.
9:15
And then impulsivity, which means you act out without
9:18
thinking, you interrupt others, you struggle with delayed
9:21
gratification. So ADHD presents as three main
9:25
types and so you can be diagnosed in one of the
9:27
categories. Predominantly inattentive type,
9:31
which means trouble focusing, forgetfulness and
9:33
disorganizations. Predominantly hyperactive
9:36
impulse type, which is restlessness, impulsive behavior
9:40
and high energy, and then the combined type which features
9:43
both inattention and hyperactive impulsivity.
9:46
I think I'm probably both. Yeah, I'm in #1 are you?
9:50
Yeah, because I don't have that fidgety.
9:52
Well, people might think I do when they look at me, but I
9:55
don't. I don't have.
9:56
Yeah. I have burst of high energy at
9:58
home number 2, so I used to have a ton of energy.
10:02
Mine's gone. Many people might remember
10:04
calling this ADD or ADHD just a few years back.
10:09
And and that's not a mistake. What we call it is actually
10:11
changed in recent years. It's all group now under ADHD.
10:16
We no longer refer to it as ADD. That's at least clinically.
10:20
And that's the reason for those three main types that Joseph
10:24
just went through. And ADHD can really impact your
10:27
school work, your relationships, and your emotional health.
10:31
With proper understanding, tools, and support, people with
10:34
ADHD can really thrive and use their strengths effectively.
10:38
Which is why I call it a superpower.
10:42
And it's it's likely that many of us have wondered, do I have
10:45
ADHD or am I just overwhelmed or, you know, kind of not
10:48
focused. And hopefully this description
10:51
of the diagnosis will help. But we should also discuss kind
10:56
of more general terms. You know, the way we Live Today,
10:59
it seems normal to be in constant distraction with all
11:03
the notifications and multitasking and
11:06
overstimulation. All of those things can mimic
11:09
symptoms of ADHD. So kind of it's no wonder why so
11:13
many people wonder that now. But let's contrast ADHD with
11:18
situational distraction. You know, so.
11:21
Situational distraction refers to temporary difficulty focusing
11:25
or staying attentive that's caused by our environment, our
11:29
stress, or just our circumstances overall, not by
11:32
the neurodevelopment condition like ADHD.
11:35
So situational distraction happens when our brain is
11:38
overloaded or over stimulated by external factors.
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Things like constant notification or digital
11:44
interruptions, multitasking or working in a noisy environment,
11:48
emotional stress, anxiety or just lack of sleep and major
11:52
life changes or burnout. Huge, huge.
11:57
So in other words, situational distraction is like the mind's
12:00
way of saying I have too much coming at me right now.
12:04
And once those stressors ease or we change the environment like
12:08
like we rest, we set boundaries, We mentioned boundaries for the
12:12
first. Time.
12:14
Or we we just reduce stimulation, the focus returns.
12:18
And that's not like ADHDADHD is consistent and probably lifelong
12:24
situation. Distraction is context dependent
12:28
and reversible. Reversible.
12:30
It's a sign that your brain is just overwhelmed, not
12:33
disordered. I think that would kind of be
12:35
hard to distinguish sometimes, right?
12:38
I guess we'd have to use the tools and then we would know we
12:43
have to if we change our environment.
12:45
ADHD doesn't necessarily change, we just deal better.
12:48
Right. Yeah, makes sense.
12:50
So another thing, a lot of people struggle with the scroll
12:54
culture. It can be hard to remain in the
12:56
present these days and it can be difficult to really determine if
12:59
you have ADHD or just situational distraction.
13:02
But I think like you mentioned, using those tools is a great way
13:04
to kind of help you figure that out.
13:07
But let's take a look at when distraction is more than just
13:10
situational. Distraction comes more becomes
13:13
more than just situational when it's persistent, pervasive, and
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it significantly interferes with daily life when the external
13:22
stressors are low and the environment is supportive of us.
13:27
So let's we have a few key signs here that it may be something
13:31
deeper like ADHD or even another attention related challenge in
13:35
life. And the first one is look at the
13:38
lifelong pattern. I remember when diagnosed, they
13:41
had me look at like my entire lifetime.
13:44
And when I described things like elementary and high school and
13:48
stuff it, it made perfect sense. And I think about whether or not
13:52
you can trace difficulties with focus and organization
13:55
impulsivity back to your childhood.
13:58
Think if you have the opportunity and have access to
14:00
them. Have teachers, family members,
14:02
or employers who can give you actual feedback.
14:06
And then, if not, remember yourself.
14:08
Have those people frequently commented on your
14:11
distractibility, your forgetfulness, your
14:14
restlessness? The second sign is the pattern
14:17
being consistent across all settings.
14:20
So the struggle isn't limited to one environment like work stress
14:24
or or a noisy household. It shows up in multiple areas.
14:27
So it's going to show up in your home life, your school life,
14:30
your work life, your relationships and even your
14:32
hobbies. And then the impact on
14:34
functioning. Do you regularly miss deadlines,
14:37
lose items, forget appointments despite all your best efforts?
14:41
Do you feel frustrated or ashamed because you know what to
14:45
do but you just can't seem to follow through?
14:50
Yes, yes, yes. Identify.
14:51
Identify stand up. Another one is the emotional
14:55
toll it takes on your life. So do you often feel
14:58
overwhelmed, mentally scattered, or anxious about your ability to
15:01
stay on top of things? Do you experience cycles of
15:04
intense motivation followed by burnout or avoidance?
15:08
Yes and yes. Check.
15:09
Check. I'm starting to feel more more
15:11
and more distracted. The 5th and the final sign is
15:16
recognizing that self help is just not enough, you know?
15:20
Have you started to realize that the tools that help most people
15:23
refocus don't seem to make much difference for you in the long
15:27
term? If you related to any of the
15:29
signs that we discussed, you may want to see someone to see if
15:33
you have something like ADHD. And when distraction reaches
15:36
that level of consistency and impact, it's worth exploring
15:40
with a licensed mental health professional or your primary
15:43
care provider, or both. A proper evaluation can really
15:46
help determine whether ADHD might be contributing to your
15:49
difficulties. And from there, they can help
15:52
you create a plan that actually works for your brain.
15:55
I'd like to get into how someone could track their own patterns
15:59
to see if it's consistent versus if it's triggered by by their
16:02
environment. Yeah, and one of the best ways
16:05
to understand your attention and focus challenges is through
16:08
self-awareness. So paying attention to what's
16:10
going on, taking an inventory and instead of labeling yourself
16:14
as a bad focuser, start getting curious about when and why it's
16:19
happening. Keeping a journal to track your
16:21
patterns or keeping a note in your phone, whatever you need to
16:24
do in order to kind of keep a pattern of when it's happening,
16:27
where it's happening, what time of day it's happening.
16:30
Do that for a couple of weeks and kind of see if you can
16:32
identify some pattern. And it doesn't need to be
16:34
anything fancy, just jot down notes like Joseph mentioned.
16:38
What time of day do you struggle the most to concentrate?
16:40
What tasks drain or engage you? What's your environment like?
16:46
Is it quiet or full of distractions?
16:48
And how does your sleep, your nutrition, your stress levels
16:51
impact those times of the day? You know, looking back at that's
16:54
really going to help you start noticing like if there are any
16:57
patterns and you know, maybe you lose focus every afternoon or
17:02
you know, after lunch or maybe around noisy environment,
17:05
clutter or multitasking are are big triggers for you.
17:09
And that's something that you will identify through that
17:11
process. Those are situational
17:13
distractions that you can adjust in your environment and adjust
17:17
your habits to help with those. But if you notice that your
17:21
focus is inconsistent no matter what you change different jobs,
17:26
routine settings, then that could point to something deeper
17:31
like ADHD or executive function challenges somehow and and
17:35
that's when you want to maybe talk to a professional.
17:38
Yeah, and it's important to remember that the goal isn't to
17:40
judge yourself, it's really to help build awareness.
17:43
And once you understand your pattern, you can design your
17:46
days around how your brain actually works and not how you
17:50
you think it should. And this is when a professional
17:53
evaluation comes into play. So as much as it's difficult,
17:57
try to avoid self diagnosing and using the results of those
18:00
quizzes that you find on social media.
18:03
Those can be valuable to bring it into our awareness, but it
18:07
certainly doesn't substitute for proper evaluation and in a
18:10
possible dot diagnosis that will then follow be followed by
18:14
adequate treatment. And we want to talk about some
18:18
practical tools for focus and regulation, because that's very
18:22
important. These tools can really help
18:24
those that have ADHD and those who are simply just looking for
18:28
tools to manage distractions. So let's look at a few of those.
18:32
So environment, we've mentioned that before.
18:34
Minimize the noise around you as much as you can.
18:37
Use timers or structural structured work blocks using
18:42
something called the pomodor technique.
18:43
I do this all the time and it helps me so much.
18:46
Kind of just bite size things throughout my day.
18:50
We'll share the link for that Pomodoro website.
18:53
There's tons of information. There's just a lot of
18:56
information in there that is beneficial, but let me kind of
18:59
just breakdown the basics real quick for just how you stay
19:02
focused and mentally fresh. And so to boil it down, it's
19:06
very basic. You pick a task and you set a
19:09
timer for like 25 minutes and you work on that task for 25
19:14
minutes, then take a break 5 minutes ish and every 425 minute
19:20
intervals is known as pomodoros and take a longer break if you
19:25
need to, 15 to 30 minutes at that time.
19:28
Their website explains that that technique helps you improve
19:31
focus, minimize the distractions, it prevents
19:34
burnout, and it promotes accountability and boosts
19:37
motivation. The website goes into a lot
19:40
greater detail. I do this all the time though,
19:42
and then I feel like I'm kind of racing against the clock to get
19:45
something done real quick and I don't feel like I'm dragging it
19:48
on and on. And I may work on something for
19:50
two hours this way, but it's so much more effective for me to
19:54
do, especially grading. I do that all the time because
19:58
like, I need to read lots and lots of papers.
20:00
And if I just open up my stuff and start doing them, it's like,
20:04
Oh my gosh, I have 100 of them to read.
20:06
It's so much easier to say, let's do this for 25 minutes.
20:09
Go. And then give my brain a little
20:12
refresh and then go again. I love that because I, I'm a
20:16
firm believer in like taking that time to reset, we just come
20:19
back with a clearer perspective. So that's really good.
20:22
I just have to force myself to take the break.
20:25
Yeah, I have to, like, stand up. And that doesn't mean, like, I
20:27
go out and do the hallway and have a hot fudge sundae.
20:30
That would be fun. It means that I just stand up,
20:33
shake it off, and then kind of get back to it.
20:35
Well, some of the remaining tools are taking care of our
20:38
body. So exercise, hydrate and eating
20:41
balanced meals to support focus, take care of your mind.
20:45
So mindfulness, grounding practices and realistic
20:48
expectations are incredibly important evaluating our use of
20:53
technology. So maybe limit your phone use,
20:57
utilize those focus app and kind of do some digital decluttering,
21:01
if you will, and creating a system of support.
21:03
So therapy, coaching or ADHD specific strategies if you're
21:08
diagnosed, friends, family, employers, just building that
21:12
support. I've talked to my, my supervisor
21:15
and so we've come up with a system of check insurance.
21:19
You know, it's very, she's very amenable to that.
21:22
And I know you understand so I can talk to you.
21:25
There are people in my life I choose not to talk to you about
21:28
it because they don't get it. They're the type from the, from
21:31
my, my growing up days. It would just be like just sit
21:34
down and shut up. You know, that kind of the
21:38
Harvard Business Review online has some really good tools and
21:42
one of the things that they offered us that will link is
21:46
habits to stay focused in a world full of distractions.
21:49
And I want to walk through those.
21:51
The first one is to lay the groundwork.
21:53
When we want to stay focused, it really does start with taking
21:57
care of ourself like Joseph mentioned, you know, the get in
21:59
the sweep and staying, you know, staying hydrated and keeping our
22:02
bodies active. And there are a lot of tools
22:05
that we've suggested and there are more out there, but if we
22:08
don't get enough sleep and our diets are not nutritional, none
22:12
of the tools are going to work very well.
22:14
So we have to kind of do it all as as a as a whole to synergize
22:18
it. And creating focus rituals like
22:21
working in a specific space or following a consistent daily
22:25
routine will help train our brain to shift into concentrate
22:28
mode and minimize distractions by silence your notifications.
22:33
Use an app blocker. Any of those things you need to
22:36
to set the stage for deep, uninterrupted work.
22:40
There are so many tools, you know, so many apps that help
22:43
with this. As well there are.
22:44
Something else that's kind of interesting is if you turn on
22:46
that feature there, it shows you how long you've spent on social
22:50
media or different apps. That's pretty interesting to me.
22:54
Cat video Cat video Babies babies babies.
22:59
Well, something else is to train your attention.
23:01
Attention is naturally goals directed typically.
23:05
So make sure you have clear goals to keep you focused.
23:08
Use visual reminders to help train your brain to prioritize
23:11
the task required to reach those goals.
23:14
So write them down, use a vision board.
23:17
Do anything that works for you to keep them in the forefront of
23:21
your mind. And manage your emotions.
23:23
You know, our emotional well-being truly does have an
23:26
impact on our focus. You know, when we feel more
23:28
positive, we can focus focus better.
23:30
So use visualization to see the outcomes you want.
23:34
A lot of experts tell us to set emotional goals for balance and
23:37
stress reduction. And break those automatic
23:41
habits. So many distractions stem from
23:43
unconscious behaviors, like constantly checking your phone.
23:47
I know I wrote a study about how when our phone, when we get an
23:50
alert, how it lights up our brain and it's almost impossible
23:54
not to check them. It's Pavlovian.
23:57
I mean, it's basic psychology one O 1.
23:59
It's ridiculous that we've let this happen to ourselves.
24:02
I know, I know. Each time you notice these
24:04
unconscious distractions, sneaking in, question yourself
24:07
about the reason you're allowing this in your life.
24:10
Keep alternatives to electronics in close reach.
24:13
So like a notepad or a book instead of your phone or your
24:16
iPad. I think it's great to like put
24:18
your phone in another room, especially like at night when
24:20
you're trying to go to sleep and your last thing we do is look at
24:23
our phone. First thing we do in the morning
24:25
is grab our phone, put it in another room.
24:27
That will kind of break that cycle.
24:29
Don't allow yourself to use electronics as a pacifier or a
24:33
stress reliever. That's like that I talked about
24:36
in our last episode about sometimes when we start feeling
24:39
emotions that are uncomfortable, we grab our phones because get
24:43
it out and get it out. Distraction, Distraction.
24:46
And we need to work with our own energy patterns.
24:49
You know, our focus naturally rises and falls throughout the
24:52
day, so we need to pay attention to when our personal energy
24:56
peaks is so we can stay productive and use that time for
24:59
the most productive time of our day.
25:02
Most people do their best thinking mid morning to mid
25:05
afternoon, so making those windows ideal for the more
25:09
demanding tasks and the urge to scroll or check your phone might
25:14
be a sign that your focus is fading.
25:16
And that's just a good cue. Switch it up to something
25:19
lighter, less complex during the depths.
25:22
I know my personal energy peaks around 4:45 to 4:48.
25:27
Really. You said it got it down to that.
25:29
3 minutes. Wow, that's good.
25:33
Your employer will enjoy hearing that.
25:37
Well, something else that's really important is practice
25:39
active listening. So distraction doesn't only
25:42
impact our solo task, it affects our relationships.
25:45
Too many of us have become used to shallow and half present
25:49
interactions. How are you by how are you?
25:52
Good? Active listening helps counter
25:54
that by encouraging us to maintain eye contact, avoid
25:58
multitasking, and ask meaningful questions.
26:01
Questions that kind of prompt. More than just that, I'm OK or
26:04
yes or no answers. And these small shifts can
26:07
strengthen the focus and create deeper, more genuine connections
26:10
in your life. I know one of the questions I
26:12
have to answer every month or so with my counselor is how often
26:18
have you interrupted someone? Today or the month?
26:24
Exactly. We also need to take meaningful
26:27
breaks. Rest is essential.
26:30
Real risk is essential for resetting our mind.
26:34
But many of us want to feel every moment with tasks and
26:37
forget to recharge. So the scrolling on social media
26:40
does not provide cognitive recovery that we really need.
26:44
Instead, simple activities like stretching, meditating, gazing
26:48
out of the window that will offer you true mental
26:51
restoration and help be sustained throughout the day.
26:53
That's not laziness or daydreaming.
26:57
We can't do it all day. Right, right.
27:00
And something that's important to remind ourselves is that, you
27:03
know, highly people that are highly distracted or those who
27:06
actually have ADHD, it's to show yourself self compassion.
27:10
You know, don't label yourself as lazy or broken.
27:13
Like you said, this is not the case at all.
27:16
So many people, I think even especially when they're young,
27:20
get labeled like that. That's sad.
27:24
Understanding our own brain is an act of self-awareness.
27:28
It's not an act. It's not weakness because it
27:31
means that we're paying attention to how we function,
27:33
how we function mentally, emotionally and physically.
27:36
And using that insight will help us have that self-awareness to
27:40
make healthier choices like. That and when our brain responds
27:45
to stress, distractions, emotions, or certain
27:48
environments, we are better equipped to recognize our limits
27:52
and identify what our strengths are.
27:54
We're also better equipped to anticipate challenges that are
27:57
upcoming and and choose strategies that support our
28:01
well-being. So it isn't about admitting
28:03
failure, it's about honoring our wiring, I guess, you know, so to
28:08
speak, so we can work with our brain instead of just constantly
28:11
fight against it. And and because self-awareness
28:14
empowers us to set boundaries, boundaries, it also helps us
28:19
build healthier habits and navigate life more
28:21
intentionally. You know, weakness hides us from
28:24
the truth. It hides us from self-awareness.
28:27
self-awareness faces us and it uses it for growth.
28:32
And a trick is to approach our focus challenges with curiosity
28:37
instead of with shame. Like that?
28:38
So whether you're living with ADHD, dealing with everyday
28:41
distractions, or just trying to better understand how your brain
28:44
works, remember this. Awareness is power.
28:48
The more we understand our patterns, what helps us focus,
28:51
what pulls us off track, and what environments support us
28:55
best, the more control we gain over our time, our energy, and
28:58
our well-being. And I want to add that ADHD is
29:00
not a moral failing, and distraction isn't a character
29:05
flaw. They're simply signals.
29:07
And in learning to listen to those signals with curiosity
29:10
instead of judgment is one of the most supportive things we
29:13
can do for ourselves. And if today's conversation
29:16
resonated with you, try taking just one small step this week,
29:20
maybe journaling your attention patterns or creating a routine,
29:24
or just giving yourself permission to use those tools
29:27
that can work for your brain. And this has been great
29:30
information. I think it's useful for anyone
29:33
like with we talked about at the beginning.
29:35
And you know, as always, thank you for spending your time with
29:39
us. Like Paula said, you know, share
29:41
this episode, share it with your friends, follow us, like us.
29:44
We're on all the social medias. You can find us at
29:46
lifelivebetter.net, most of the podcasts platforms.
29:51
And you know, stay tuned for more conversations that help you
29:54
understand yourself in a deeper, kinder way because that's what
29:57
we're about here. And don't forget that knowledge
30:00
leads to life Bit better. Thank you for listening to Life
30:07
Live Better with Paula and Joseph.
30:12
Yay, thank you for listening to the Life Live Better podcast.
30:16
Please subscribe, rate, review and share our show with others
30:19
you think will enjoy our content.
30:20
You can also find us on most social media platforms and our
30:23
website, lifelivebetter.net. This episode was written by
30:27
Paula Garland, edited by Joseph Massey, and recorded on Spotify.
30:30
Information used in this episode and other content data can be
30:33
found in our show notes. We look forward to seeing you
30:36
again in two weeks.