Why Resilience? As you’ve likely noticed, I have just completed publishing a series of articles on the topic of building resilience. “Why resilience,” you may ask? That’s an excellent question. In the ten years that I have had the pleasure and great fortune to be in private practice as an AD/HD Life Coach, I have observed and learned many things. For one, there are several aspects to coaching people dealing with AD/HD, other executive function skill challenges, learning disabilities and just simply brilliant, creative and sensitive folks who are outside-the-box thinkers and learners. All of ..read more

Taking medicine can sometimes be viewed as a sign of weakness because of the stigma a lot of people associate with treatment. However, some studies have demonstrated the true value that medication can have for patients with anxiety disorders -amongst other things. If you struggle with an anxiety disorder yourself, the world probably feels like an insurmountable challenge with no way out. Your resilience will either be low or nonexistent and confronting life’s difficulties head-on may feel impossible. Experiencing such emotions is definitely overwhelming, and this is where receiving medical pre ..read more

Meditation is one of the most powerful tools available in the service of building resilience into our systems. And, as is so often said about mediation, it is “simple, but not easy.” Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living, defines mindfulness as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” This is quite the task and a beautiful place to strive for and be. Our minds will always wander. As AdditudeMag puts it, “it’s the nature of the mind to be distracted.” Among many other health benefits (Science), meditation is a tool that teaches ..read more

Exercise is known to be important. You’ve probably heard about the benefits of exercise for cardiovascular health as well as building and maintaining physical strength and flexibility. But exercise has also recently been found to have far reaching and very positive effects on our brains. It’s something that we can, and should, use to our advantage. In a wonderful book called Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, by John J. Ratey, M.D., the literal effects of exercise on the human brain are beautifully demonstrated. They show our abilities to be more and more self-dire ..read more

Have you ever noticed that if you eat something “unhealthy,” you don’t feel great? For example, if you’re eating gluten when your body is sensitive to it, you may experience exhaustion. Or, if you’re unused to consuming dairy, you might get bloated. Even more than feeling tired or bloated, your diet has a huge impact on your entire body, including your mental health. Research has shown a direct relationship between the gut and the brain. In fact, the gut is now being called the second brain. Eating has been proven to affect your mood and executive functions. When you don’t eat well, you d ..read more

AD/HD and other executive functioning skill challenges can be seen as dysregulations in our systems. In addition to each of our innate challenges, we live in a complex and fast-paced world that can also be seen as dysregulated and is often further dysregulating. Together, these present unique circumstances for each of us. It is easy to react to the things happening in and around us and difficult to learn to respond with more awareness and sensitivity. In coaching, we often work on learning to be more and more proactive in our lives as we look for places where, and ways in which we have inp ..read more

Have you ever noticed that if you eat something “unhealthy,” you don’t feel great? For example, if you’re eating gluten when your body is sensitive to it, you may experience exhaustion. Or, if you’re unused to consuming dairy, you might get bloated. Even more than feeling tired or bloated, your diet has a huge impact on your entire body, including your mental health. Research has shown a direct relationship between the gut and the brain. In fact, the gut is now being called the second brain. Eating has been proven to affect your mood and executive functions. When you don’t eat well, you don’t ..read more

Summer can be an amazing time to rest and relax without having to worry about the myriad details of busier times of the year. Summer is also a time of disrupted routines, changes in responsibilities, school vacations, travels and the like. Summer and the leisure it brings, can also be a time of stress. We often think, “What am I supposed to do with myself?!” And, panic ensues. Instead of panicking, try any of these 3 tips to help tackle your summer transitions head-on: Start (and finish!) a personal project. Downtime during the summer is the perfect opportunity to focus on you. Is there ..read more