Whos the Boss?. At first glance, it would seem that positive thinking and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) have nothing to do with one another. But many of us with ADD develop negative thinking patterns because we become frustrated by our challenges and frequent feelings of being overwhelmed. This negative outlook then makes it even harder for us to manage those challenges and move forward. Practicing positive thinking allows people with ADD to focus on our strengths and accomplishments, which increases happiness and motivation. This, in turn, allows us to spend more time making progress, and less time feeling down and stuck. The following tips provide practical suggestions that you can use to help you shift into more positive thinking patterns: 1. Take Good Care of Yourself Its much easier to be positive when you are eating well, exercising, and getting enough rest. 2. Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For Stresses and challenges dont seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things will make a huge difference. 3. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family members bad mood is due to something you did, or that your co-workers are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back, speak up and ask them. Dont waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about. 4. Refrain from Using Absolutes Have you ever told a partner Youre ALWAYS late! or complained to a friend You NEVER call me!? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like always and never makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering. 5. Detach From Negative Thoughts Your thoughts cant hold any power over you if you dont judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it, and dont follow it. 6. Squash the ANTs In his book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Dr. Daniel Amen talks about ANTs - Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me, or The boss wants to see me? It must be bad! When you notice these thoughts, realize that they are nothing more than ANTs and squash them! 7. Practice Lovin, Touchin and Squeezin (Your Friends and Family) You dont have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up. One research study on this subject had a waitress touch some of her customers on the arm as she handed them their checks. She received higher tips from these customers than from the ones she didnt touch! 8. Increase Your Social Activity By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people, and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way! 9. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return. 10. Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focus on something negative. Its never productive, because its not rational or solution-oriented, its just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment - go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music. When it comes to the corporate world, protocol is pretty much the religion. To know the things needed to do are the basics of productivity, but interaction and having a steady mind makes up the entire thing to true productivity. There are those who seem to work well even under pressure, but theyre uncommon ones and we are human and imperfect. To get these little things like stress under our skins wont solve our problems. Sometimes it takes a bit of courage to admit that were turning to be workaholics than tell ourselves that were not doing our best.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 19:21:02 +0000
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