Holiday Hints for ADD/ADHD Families
Connecting From The Heart
The holidays are coming! The holidays are coming!
Holiday hints for families are generously given from all directions these days: how to keep it simple and reap the best with the least effort. Wouldn’t we all like to do that?!For families with ADD/ADHD the challenges can be even more intense around the holidays.
I noticed that this year that even before Halloween the winter holiday decorations began to show up in the stores and in advertisements. I know my life is so scheduled for the next few weeks that it doesn’t look like I can come up for air until December. If your life is anything like mine, the frantic pace is beginning to intensify and the demands are intensifying.
Key Coaching Questions
How can we bring joy to our family without spending money, time and energy that we don’t have?
Command Center
Create breathing space.
Make time for yourself. How many times have you heard that? How often have you actually been able to do it? I imagine it sounds like a good idea but is often hard to achieve. Perhaps making the goal small and easier to accomplish will help. Take breathing for example. Don’t have time for a meditative practice? How about 5-10 minutes a couple of times a day to stp and breather. Enjoy your senses – the smells, tastes, sounds and textures around you. Still seem unrealistic? Try 3 deep breaths, right now. That’s it! You can do this. The real question is: how much do you really want to slow down and breathe? What are you willing to do to make the time for yourself, to remember you are of the highest value? What gets in your way of taking a few deep breaths through out your day? What is worth more to you? More than your peace of mind?
Organize just one thing everyday.
I have a plant that is being slowly squeezed to death because it is in a pot that is too small for it. It bothers me when I look at it. I know that simply repotting it will help it flourish. I also know that once I repot it, I will feel pleased with myself. I will accomplish something concrete and simple, and that will give life and beauty to my home and my world. Achieving this one goal will make me feel better. I know that the satisfaction I receive from accomplishing this small task will refuel me and add to my life. It’s worth the 10 minutes it will take to do it. What do you have in your life that hangs out on the edge of your conscious, dragging your energy down? One small thing that when changed could bring a sense of achievement, satisfaction and perhaps peace to your life? Why not take care of it right now? The energy of doing it will clear the way for the next thing you want to do.
Examine gift giving.
Ask yourself ‘what are the true gifts in life?’ In this season that brings with it the expectation of gift giving, there can be tremendous pressure to spend time, money and energy that you really don’t have. Our economy is undergoing a tailspin, worries about our financial futures abound. Are we really going to enter this holiday season with that pressure hanging over us? Is it necessary? How can we simplify our lives and enjoy the holidays without assuming the burdens that are often associated with it?
More holiday hints
Some questions to separate out your true values from externally applied social pressures:
What gives each cherished person in my life pleasure?
Is it really that pricey gizmo?
Look beyond the surface. It’s not about “things.” Your time and your love are gifts. Your ability to receive gracefully and with appreciation is a huge gift to your loved ones.
Sharing meals that are relaxed and fun is a gift.
Some of the best parties I have been to have been potlucks. I think it has to do with everyone contributing to the whole. When we all feel like we make a difference, when we have input, we are more invested in the outcome. Imagine a holiday meal where each family member has input into the menu planning, the shopping and the making of the meal. How simple can you make it and allow each person to bring their favorite food, their best to the table?
Take a chance – live outside the box. Make life work for you! You don’t have to do it the way you have always done it!
To give yourself a true gift, contact Sally to arrange for a complimentary consultation.
