Practical Ways to Keep Your ADD Under Control During the Holiday SeasonWritten by ADD Management Coach Jennifer Koretsky
Do November’s Thanksgiving experiences have you dreading December holidays? The idea of gifts, family, and days off sounds great…but we all know that holidays are some of most stressful times of year. When an ADDer starts to become immersed in shopping, cooking, traveling, and family interactions, their ADD can complicate matters. You can find yourself quickly feeling overwhelmed and overloaded. You may not be able to avoid these feelings altogether, but there are some strategies you can employ to help keep your ADD under control during holiday season.The first thing that you can do for yourself is to schedule some “you” time. Find something that will recharge your battery - take a walk, go for a drive, sit quietly in a favorite chair, meditate, exercise, lay down and close your eyes, etc. Find something that works for you, and commit to doing it every day. Don’t wait until you feel your ADD getting out of control. The holiday season can become more and more intense from day to day. Daily recharging is a method for preventing intense feelings of being overwhelmed. Another thing that you can do to keep your ADD under control is to take frequent breaks during chaotic times. First, identify your stressors. Personally, I find myself overwhelmed and agitated while shopping during holiday season. The streets, malls, and all stores are so crowded that it’s hard to get where you want to go, find things you need, and navigate your way without bumping into people! Some people don’t mind this experience, but it instantly overwhelms me. So I make sure that my shopping trips are short, and I allow myself to take time out to go outside or sit with a cup of coffee when I feel myself getting agitated. I don’t pressure myself to do it all in a set amount of time.
| | The Many Benefits to Quitting SmokingWritten by Dwayne Garrett
Besides fact that you will no longer smell like an ashtray, quitting smoking, at any age and after any number of years, will extend your life. It will also improve quality of time that you have left. These are things that you need to keep in mind to help you quit and reaffirm decision that you made. The funny thing about quitting is that most smokers want to quit, feel terrible about smoking and proud when they make decision. A few days to months away from product and they start thinking that they want to do it again. A reminder is in order, at this point, of benefits they have and will continue to receive from kicking habit. Immediate benefits are, well, immediate. After just 20 minutes your blood pressure and pulse drop to a normal rate. The temperature of your hands and feet will increase to normal. In 8 hours, carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and oxygen level in your blood goes up to normal. You are no longer hypoxic ( a lower than normal level of oxygen in your blood and body tissues) like you have been daily for years. In only 24 hours, your chance of a heart attack starts to decrease. In 48 hours, your nerve endings begin to re-grow and your sense of smell and sense of taste improve. This is around time that you begin to smell cigarette smoke clearly and realize how disgusting it really is. In 72 hours, if not using any nicotine replacement products like patches or gum, you are nicotine free. It is all downhill from here, even though it may not feel like it yet. Beginning in only 2 weeks and continuing through first 3 months, your circulation will improve and all forms of exercise will become easier. Your lung function will increase up to 30 percent and you will have much more energy. You will also lose that annoying smokers cough and will stop needing to clear your throat all of time due to inflammation in your airway. One month out and continuing through 9 months smoke free, and lungs really begin to heal. The cilia (small hairs) in your lung begin to re-grow and go about their job of keeping your lungs clean and clear. You will get sick with respiratory illnesses and sinus infections much less often than you had in past.
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