10 Tips and Strategies for Increasing Motivation in People with ADHD

Unlimited CEUs for $59 are available at AllCEUs.com hey there everybody and welcome to this  three-part series on addressing ADHD this   is part one motivating the person with  ADHD I'm your host Dr Donnelly Snipes in this segment we're going to identify  current points to remember about ADHD   and people with ADHD we'll learn how  to help motivate a person with ADHD   and identify ways to get someone with  ADHD started even without motivation other related videos if you're interested  in the ADHD topic include diagnosis of ADHD   with the dsm-5tr ADHD treatment  strategies addressing ADHD part   2 goals and strategies and addressing  ADHD part 3 more goals and strategies it's important to note that boys are often  diagnosed with ADD three times more frequently   than girls this is because in girls the disorder  typically presents as inattentive or dreamy the   people who are biologically female May tend to  stare out windows or drift off mid-conversation   versus being hyperactive it's also important to  remember that giftedness and ADHD can co-occur   and actually often do so the person who's  gifted their brain moves really quickly if   you want to think about it that way and so  they may have more difficulty being still   because their brain is going so fast they also  may have more difficulty not blurting because   they've solved the problem before everybody else  and they want to just kind of move on with things   it's important to differentially diagnose ADHD  from bipolar anxiety and complex post-traumatic   stress disorder there are a lot of symptom  overlaps between ADHD and cptsd as well as   bipolar and anxiety so it's important to examine  when did the symptoms begin and especially with   cptsd if there is a notable trauma then you want  to say did the symptoms exist prior to that trauma   the brains of people who are gifted  operate faster than non-gifted which   can lead to interrupting in addition  to faster movement as I already said   things to remember about people with  ADHD ADHD is not a character flaw ADHD   is just different it's different wiring ADHD  recovery is a team effort if a person wants   to address the symptoms that are causing them  difficulty with integrating with a neurotypical   friends and and family members then it's going to  require everybody to understand what's going on   ADHD does respond well to medication however pills  do not give skills medication may help the person   slow down and not be bombarded by as much stimulus  but it doesn't help them become assertive it   doesn't help them become suddenly more organized  it doesn't help them with a lot of those things so   what the medication does is lay the foundation  so the person can more effectively learn   it's important when you're living with somebody  with ADHD or if you've got ADHD to keep an   inventory of the things the person does right so  often people with ADHD whether they are children   or adults are receiving criticism and negative  feedback because they've made a mistake or they've   forgotten something or what have you and sometimes  that may even come from their own internal critic   it's important to start balancing out those  mistakes or problems with noticing what they're   also doing right what their strengths are people  with ADHD may experience stress that results   in emotional dysregulation from a young age as a  result of sensory sensitization and gaining issues   what they found is even in infants who go on to  develop or be diagnosed with ADHD that they have   certain sensory responses that are often different  than that of the person who doesn't develop ADHD   the infant will be exposed to a stimulus and  will respond strongly to that stimulus now   an infant that is does not have ADHD will  eventually habituate to the stimulus so   let's take a dog barking the first time the  dog barks the child May startle and then the   next time the dog barks the child probably won't  startle as much they'll start to get used to it   the child with ADHD doesn't develop that um  habituation to the stimulus so every time   the dog barks it's the same startle all over  again and that is exhausting on the HPA axis   it's also important to recognize that people  with ADHD have what we call sensory gating issues   the sensory gait is what helps us filter out the  irrelevant stimuli from the important stimuli   think about if you're when you go to the  airport for example the hustle and bustle   and people hear and you've got to pay attention  to where you're walking and the stuff that you   have and everything else it can feel really  overwhelming or maybe if you're in a preschool   class and you're trying to assist the teacher  and you've got to keep track of 25 children   whatever situation feels overwhelming and  emotionally or um over bombarding with stimuli   that is what it's like for a person with ADHD  their brain has difficulty filtering out what   is important to pay attention to at this point  in time for children when they're growing up   and they're just constantly being bombarded think  about how overwhelming and stressful that must be   we know that continued exposure to stress results  in emotional dysregulation results in changes   in the HPA axis responsivity so the person  may go from Flat to Furious they may have a   stronger reaction to stressors than  someone who has a well-functioning HPA axis   people with ADHD often also have insecure  attachment and that is probably going to   be another video that I do in the future but it's  important to recognize that a lot of times parents   who are caregivers who are raising children with  ADHD don't realize that they have ADHD therefore   they are providing feedback and criticism and  Punishment when the child is being hyperactive   when the child is not following directions when  the child is making mistakes Etc the child is   internalizing that as I'm bad the child is feeling  completely overwhelmed and doesn't know how to   do any better because they are functioning in a  different mental environment than the rest of than   their caregivers are because they are functioning  in this overwhelmed over stimulated environment   without the skills and tools they can't do better  when they don't do better they continue to receive   criticism they internalize that and they don't  feel safe they don't feel accepted they don't   feel sometimes loved which can lead to  the development of insecure attachment   people with ADHD find it hard to demonstrate what  they know to somebody else many times people with   ADHD and this is also true about having difficulty  getting into their wise mind to notice nuances and   choose the best response people with ADHD often  don't see the nuances and may not be able to   teach the nuances so they're teaching how to do  how to paint with big broad Strokes instead of   teaching all of the nuances between you know using  a small brush or a big brush or oil paints versus   acrylics or I'm not much of a painter but they uh  Overlook that they they move in big steps so it's   important to recognize that people with ADHD  that is uncontrolled may have more difficulty   teaching other people it doesn't mean they  can't do it it means they may have to stop and   write down what they're going to teach to  make sure they don't miss the instructions   same thing with noticing nuances and choosing  the best response it's important for them to   often retroactively reflect on what happened  and then think okay how is this similar to or   different from other situations and what could I  do differently the next time and we're going to   talk about this more in the next sections but for  now let's talk about how to motivate the person   with ADHD the person with ADHD remember is often  stressed is often being bombarded with all these   stimuli and has difficulty prioritizing what's  important when you have difficulty prioritizing   what's important it's hard to get motivated to  do any one thing because everything is sort of   calling your intent calling your attention but  motivation is essential for a person with ADHD the   importance of a task and the rewards of completing  it don't necessarily motivate them to get it done   why is that well it could be for some people  that there may be an important task and there   may be rewards for completing it but they don't  feel confident in their ability to do it so that   fear of failure that fear of rejection holds  them back it could be that they have difficulty   you know they see the importance of this task  and it's so overwhelming and it's such a big   task they don't know where to start so there's  a lot of reasons that a person with ADHD may see   the importance of the task and the  rewards but still not be motivated   embracing deeply held values or things that are  important can help the individual with ADHD get   things done and stay focused so by completing this  this shows that you are a good employee I don't   know okay if that's a deeply held belief  well great it's something that is really   important to you it's important to your values  to show that you are dedicated so let's figure   out how to make that happen an improved sense of  confidence also can help with motivation having   the person look back at similar situations that  they have successfully accomplished helping the   person come up with a plan that they can look  at and go yeah okay I can do that can also help   them get motivated if they feel confident that  they can do it then they're going to be more   likely to be motivated remember the person  with ADHD has often rightly or wrongly been criticized and experienced a lot of  failures and rejections that were   probably not necessary had they  had the appropriate interventions other motivation prompts what excites  you or recharges your batteries   think about a time in your past when completing  a similar type of task wasn't so hard what was   different and how could you do that now  so if they've done something similar in   the past and were able to do it maybe they  weren't as over tired maybe they weren't as   over committed maybe they were thinking about it  in a different way you know what was different   how can you break this task down into three  pieces so it feels more manageable how will   you reward yourself when you complete this what  needs to change and I love this one what needs to   change to turn your should into a want instead of  I should do the laundry I want to do the laundry   well I should do the laundry because it's dirty  I want to do the laundry because there's an   outfit in there that I want to wear next week so a  should is stressful you know most of us don't like   shoulds it's like uh I should do this but I don't  really want to a want identifies a reason to do it what negative self-talk can you let go of a lot of  people with ADHD have over the years internalize   those messages that they got from other people you  never finish things that you start you always make   careless mistakes blah blah blah blah blah so we  hear a lot of extreme language a lot of always   a lot of Nevers and those messages that they  received formed schemas that they internalized   now they use those schemas to anticipate  what's going to happen why should I start   this because I always make careless mistakes  and I never finish anything that I start well   that's kind of demotivating so we need to look  at some of those internal tapes that people have   programmed over the years and figure out how  to reprogram them and look at okay maybe they   haven't finished much of anything they've  started a lot of things and not finished   okay maybe that is true but why what would have  helped them finish those tasks along the way and   that is often the issue for the people with ADHD  they don't finish because they get overwhelmed   they get distracted they get criticism something  like that it's not that they didn't want to do it   so if we can't find exceptions if we can't find  times when the people actually did follow through   and finish things we can look at the things  they didn't finish through and say what finish   and and ask ourselves what would have helped you  complete this what kept you from completing this   what about this task is important or meaningful  to you now remember just because it's important   or meaningful doesn't mean they're going to get  motivated if they have this underlying fear of   failure or rejection but it is important to put  it out there okay it's important or meaningful   for this reason which may motivate you to address  the underlying fears when is the best time for   you to do this task just like anybody else  people with ADHD have high energy High Focus   times and not so good times so when is the  best time for people to do particular tasks   for me I do my cognitively intensive work in the  morning in the evening you know well for me after   12 noon I do a lot better with physical activities  whether it's cleaning house or going to the gym or   cooking or those sorts of things the cognitively  Intensive stuff I've got to do when I'm fresh   what support do you have to get this task  done support is going to look different for   different people some people need a cheerleader  you know somebody that's going to work with them   to provide scaffolding to provide support  when they get to a stuck Point other people   may need a coach that can check in on them  and make sure that they're continuing on   some people will need just some quiet undisturbed  time so they can get it done which means they need   people in their lives that can do the other stuff  so they can focus on this task so what support   do you need and what support do you have to get  this task done what obstacles are preventing you   from completing this task and which ones can you  eliminate now remember obstacles are things that   get in your way it doesn't mean you can't get over  them around them under them through them you just   have to figure out a workaround so what obstacles  are preventing you from completing this task   and finally how can you make this task fun  interesting or enjoyable now some things like   one of the things I'm working on right now is  our renewals for the CEUs for for uh next year   and that is probably my least favorite task in  existence however when I'm working on it I put   the television on and put a show on that doesn't  require a lot of attention but it amuses me and   so I have that on in the background so it doesn't  feel as much like work or I don't know it makes it   a more pleasant environment for me I also tend  to have coffee when I'm doing something that I   really don't like I will use my favorite decaf  coffee which tends to be more expensive than   than the daily coffee in order to reward myself  and make it more enjoyable I'm like okay well   if I'm if I do this then I can have that  that special coffee so what can you do some   of these are little just tricks that you're  playing with yourself but whatever it takes   people with ADHD forget the purpose of their tasks  so they may be uninspired to finish them they may   start on a task whatever that task is and forget  the ultimate goal because they start getting   focused on the task and then 17 other things  having a vision board can be really helpful for   people with ADHD to maintain their motivation what  is it that you are working toward for this task   Imagining the negative consequences of not  doing something is not a potent motivator for   people with ADHD they already are aware and have  experienced negative consequences so all you're   doing is ramping up their stress and ramping  up their hyper vigilance and increasing their   distractibility and increasing their difficulty  concentrating so what we need to do is help   them create a sense of safety and confidence  and a strategy not increase their discomfort imagine how great it will feel  to get your goal works better   and add visual reminders of the goal  including daily creative visualization   one hint is to put a medication reminder app on  your phone it will send you push notifications at   the same time each day and remind you to do your  creative visualization for getting that task done   or handling that issue if you are working on a  report for school or for work envisioning getting   it done whatever you're doing that day that  chapter can be very very helpful and then how good   you're going to feel once you get that chapter  done and handed to your boss or to your instructor instead of saying to yourself I need to get these  applications done for college or I need to get   this report done try thinking of about how awesome  it will be when you get when you achieve your goal   or when you finish this and finally start moving  toward the things that are important to you   how great will it feel when you've been accepted  to a college or you've gotten a promotion and can   see how your hard work paid off so these are  the goals that you're going to have on that   vision board you're going to see your promotion  you're going to see yourself as a happy person now getting started even when you're  unmotivated can be really difficult   it's kind of like moving my donkey  when she doesn't want to be moved   the first step is just to get started get up and  do it and whether you have ADHD or not this can   be helpful I find for doing things like doing  things outside when it's really hot I dread it   once I get out there I don't mind it so much but  having to put on all that sunscreen and everything   else is just I'm like really that's just more than  I can deal with right now but getting started just   getting up and putting one foot in front of the  other can help you get a task done create urgency   maybe set a time deadline so you need to get  this done so you can go out with friends tonight   keep a list of must dues and schedule them  in on your calendar like when are you going   to do your bills when are you going to do your  dishes when are you going to do your homework   Etc that having that scheduled in can be really  helpful because it reminds you of what you need   to get started on don't put too much stuff in one  day if you look at your calendar and there's 15   things that you must do that you must get started  you're probably just going to close your calendar   and be completely overwhelmed spread it out work  with a buddy if there are things that you don't   want to do sometimes misery loves company  if it is doing your laundry or doing your   taxes finding a friend that you can do it with  either in real life or virtually can be helpful   reward yourself take whatever task you're  working on break it into chunks and after   each chunk provide yourself with a reward  whether it is watching an episode of your   favorite show or going out to dinner with a  friend or whatever it is that works for you   start with the goal of good enough remember  I said a lot of times people with ADHD   have received a lot of criticism  because of quote careless mistakes   well yes however they were doing the best they  could starting with the goal of good enough   helps the person not start it and begin dreading  before they even get started begin dreading the   mistakes they're going to make and the criticisms  they're going to receive the first step is to get   through think of it like a rough draft start with  the goal of good enough then you can go back and   revise it after that and as I mentioned earlier  work during your peak times if you know that   you've got to do something that is cognitively  draining you know mentally draining when is your   peak time to do that and make sure that you set  aside that time to work on that particular task ADHD is a neuropsychological condition  it's not somebody who just chooses not   to pay attention or chooses to be careless  in their work it is a neuropsychological   condition and we know that there are structural  differences in the brains of people with ADHD   creating safety and solutions instead of stress  and strain can help the person with ADHD feel more   motivated if they feel like they can do this task  and even if it's not perfect they're not going to   get rejection or a bunch of criticism that's going  to help them feel safer if they feel like they've   got somebody that's going to support them and help  them along the way to do this task that may make   them feel more secure in taking those steps kind  of like when you learn to ride a bike and you had   somebody holding on to the back of the bike at  first so you wouldn't fall and skin your knee   identify the blocks to motivation such as  being overwhelmed break it into chunks a   lack of confidence figure out how to develop  that or if it's just not rewarding you know   you're looking at it going it's I don't want to  do that identifying these blocks to motivation   and figuring out how to address them can  help you develop motivation and momentum

Channel: Doc Snipes

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Keywords: Dawn Elise Snipes, Cheap CEUs, unlimited ceus, hpcsa, crcc, lcsw ceus, lcdc ceus, lmhc ceus, ce broker, addiction ceus, LADC CEU, MAC CEU, counseling techniques, counseling skills, yt:cc=on, donnelly snipes, doc snipes, counselor education, mental illness, allceus, all ceus, cognitive behavioral, certificate programs, counselor certification, online course, counseling, live ceus, live webinars, counselling, masterclass, self help, nce, ce4less, adhd, motivation, tips, strategies

Id: xvlomdifD5k

Length: 26min 44sec (1604 seconds)

Published: Wed Oct 19 2022