Apr 2, 2022
April Fools!! For my regular listeners, you may have been wondering if I was going to do an episode this week, but here I am one day late using April 1st as a perfectly good reason to delay the episode;)
My daughter, Alayna, joins me in the beginning of this episode as we play off of April fools day and talk about how laughter can be a great form of triggering motivation and joy into areas of struggle as well. Laughter gives a dose of dopamine and gives our mind that joy chemical it needs. Layni shares some ways that she embeds laughter into her day. She also admits that she is "always" finding herself bored! I think many of you can relate to that feeling too!
Boredom is not a symptom of ADHD, but it is a result of our brains neurologically needing more stimulation and entertainment. In this episode I share three ways to combat bordom both at home and at school...
1. Embed/tie interests into activities. Use fidgets to do math or look up a Minecraft article to get reading time in. General boredom can ignite that creativity that is already a gift your mind has. Tap into that creativity and make up a game at home that includes something of interest, etc.
2. Make yourself move! I say "make" because often ADHD paralysis becomes a struggle and you don't "want" to move...but getting creative with movement of ANY kind will battle boredom and also give that dose of dopamine that you are low in.
3. Shorten activities and switch it up! Create novelty in what you do throughout your day. Plan on doing things in shorter time periods (draw for 5 min. Then go outside for 10 min. Next, come in for a snack for 5 more minutes) At school, advocate for changing environments to get work done or encourage teacher to change room around to keep it fresh. Encourage teacher to shorten lesson time periods of presentation as well. I know that can be hard, but super helpful for ALL students. Breaking things into smaller parts is the key!
I hope you enjoy this episode! Please email me at katelynmabry4@gmail.com if you'd like me to send questions so your child can share their ADHD journey on this podcast.
Check out my website www.katelynmabry.com for more resources or to order a signed copy of my book, "Hi, It's Me! I have ADHD"
Thank you for being here! Love you all!