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Staying True Unto Oneself

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

~ Steve Jobs

What does it mean to “stay true unto oneself?” Shakespeare spoke of this immortal question, others have reformatted and repackaged the idea, but still many remain uncertain of the essential meaning of being true unto oneself.

What is the importance of staying true unto oneself? However you want to package the basic premise is: be authentic in all that you do. Do not waver from the nature of your true person. Whoever you are, allow that person to shine through.

Raise Your Child’s Social IQ

How to help when ADHD impacts people skills

by Cathi Cohen, LCSW

A MOTHER IS CONCERNED about her eight-year-old daughter, Taylor. While Taylor usually makes a good first impression when she meets other children, it’s extremely hard for her to develop lasting friendships. Mom wants to help her daughter develop deeper connections with others, but she doesn’t know how to help. For Taylor, joining in a game or group activity is easy; maintaining friendships is not. Within minutes, it becomes clear that as much as Taylor likes to play, she likes to play her way. In her easygoing manner, she shifts the play toward something she’d like to do and assumes the other children will join her. When they don’t, she becomes confused and frustrated. Time and time again, instead of ending up with a group to play with, Taylor winds up playing alone.

Brendan is an eleven-year-old boy who continuously provokes others around him. He talks nonstop in class, preventing others from getting their work done. His desk is such a mess that his stuff always ends up on other classmates’ desks. He blurts out answers in class, which frustrates the teacher. He taunts the girls at recess to get them to pay attention to him. When they walk away, he is disappointed and hurt. Brendan doesn’t understand why the kids in class won’t talk to him. The girls whisper behind his back, and the boys call him names like “Stupid” and “Big Mouth.” Brendan comes home most days feeling hurt and confused.

 Both Brendan and Taylor have ADHD. Like many children with ADHD, they struggle to make and keep friends. Brendan is not purposely trying to drive others crazy with his provocative behavior nor is Taylor intentionally driving kids away when she is bossy. In fact, they are desperately trying to make connections with their peers. They just don’t know how. Feeling alone and disconnected from peers is a distressing thing for a child to experience. And it's not only the children who suffer. As parents, you also feel frustrated and hopeless at not knowing how to help your children make the friends they so strongly desire. Children affected by ADHD, in particular, have unique social challenges that frequently get in the way of acquiring good social skills.

Letting Boys Be Boys, Not ADHD Diagnoses

By Brent Dean Robbins Saybrook.edu

Photo by Jorge Royan.

On April 1, The New York Times reported on the startling fact that 11% of children in the United States are now diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). One in five young males of high school age now have the diagnosis. Among children between the ages of 4 and 17, 6.4 million now bear the ADHD label and, no doubt, are medicated for it, most likely with psychostimulants. Since 2007, the ADHD diagnosis has seen a 16% increase, and over the past decade, the increase has been an astonishing 41%.

Keep Stress In Check

Source Lauren E. Miller

"Stress is our perception of what's happening outside of us and the power we give it," says Lauren E. Miller, author and stress expert.

If you can adopt Miller's definition of the phenomenon as your own, you may find it possible to reframe your perception of stressful situations and, inevitably, experience less stress overall.

The author of "5 Minutes to Stress Relief," has compassion for hardship (as a cancer survivor she's been through a lot of it herself), but believes it's counterproductive to see yourself as a victim. Rather than letting stress overcome you, Miller insists you must transform it.

The key to dealing with stress, according to Miller, is knowing that you are in charge. "If you make the conscious choice and stay awake at the gate of your thoughts, then you can adjust your perception of any situation," she says.

ADHD Survival Tips for Work

Source: Frances Prevatt, PhD

FOR ADULTS WITH ADHD, the world of work can be especially frustrating due to the symptoms of the disorder. How do inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity impair your job functioning? Here are some examples of behaviors that you might encounter.

7 Facts You Need To Know About ADHD

ADHDAwarenessMonth.org

Source: CHADD

1) ADHD is Real.

Nearly every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the United States long ago concluded that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a real, brain-based medical disorder. These organizations also concluded that children and adults with ADHD benefit from appropriate treatment.

ADHD and the Decision to Medicate

by Kevin T. Kalikow, MD

PETER PALEY’S MOTHER HAS BEEN DREADING THE PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE. She has been getting phone calls about Peter’s disruptive and distracting classroom antics. After the usual pleasantries and a review of Peter’s behavior, Peter’s teacher says, "I’m not a doctor, but Peter’s ADHD really should be evaluated." Ms. Paley knows the code. The teacher thinks Peter should be treated with medicine. In the car heading home, she struggles with the possibility of placing Peter on medicine. She is unsure what she will do and does not know how to approach the problem.

If you are the parent of a child with ADHD, you have probably faced the dilemma of whether or not your child should take medicine. Perhaps the recommendation comes from the teacher. Perhaps the pediatrician has offered to help harness the excess energy of your eight-year-old whose perpetual motion made the routine physical a nightmare. Or perhaps, after hearing that your friend’s child has benefited from medicine, you wonder whether your child would also benefit. Perplexed, you are unsure how to decide.