ADD and the Evolving Workplace

As technology evolves, workplaces continue to change. Many workplaces offer work from home opportunities, allowing employees to do their jobs without stepping foot in a workplace. Working in a bathrobe and slippers without leaving the house may sounds luxurious to some.

For people suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (or ADD), a condition known to impact a person's ability to focus or complete tasks, remote work may make it difficult to complete tasks. Fortunately, there are ways to address these challenges utilizing one or more of the following strategies:

1. Get a noise machine

ADD can cause car horns, thunder, and other everyday sounds to shift concentration away from work. Getting a noise machine can help to drown out background noise, making focusing on tasks more manageable.  Noise machines come with different sounds, such as white noise or rain sounds. There is no one size fits all way to program the machine; try experimenting with different sound and volume settings to see what works best for you.

2. See a psychiatrist

Stimulants are commonly utilized by psychiatrists to help patients with ADD stay focused. Additionally, some anti depressants can be used off label to help manage ADD side effects. Speak with a psychiatrist to explore what option may work best for you.

3. Go to therapy

For people with and without mental health diagnoses, task completion can be difficult when there is a lot on the mind. This is particularly true or people with conditions that impede their ability to maintain concentration. Talking to a therapist can help process emotions you may be struggling with. In addition, some therapists can help identify and work on coping skills specifically related to ADD symptoms.

4. Workout

Staying focused while sedentary at home the whole day is nearly impossible. Incorporating exercise into a workday has been shown to improve productivity and concentration. This does not necessarily mean you need to join a gym. Something as simple as taking a long walk or doing a yoga video can be helpful.

ADD symptom management is possible, even when working remotely! Anyone with the condition can try these different coping skills to help mitigate symptoms associated with ADD.

Written by: Sara Fraum

Warning Signs of Anxiety

Anxiety is commonly defined as a feeling of “worry, nervousness, or unease,” often pertaining to an event or uncertainty around an outcome. These feelings of anxiety may interfere with day-to-day routines and may be difficult to control. In more extreme circumstances, sudden and intensified feelings of anxiety may result in panic attacks where the perceived danger is blown out of proportion, lasting as short as a few moments to a longer period of time.

Although many people associate anxiety with worrying too much, constantly feeling nervous, and too often focus on symptoms of the mind, warning signs can be felt in one’s body and observed in one’s behaviors. Common physical signs include increased heart rate, rapid breathing or hyperventilating, sweating, experiencing GI (gastrointestinal) issues, sweating, feeling weak or tired, and difficulties falling asleep. Changes in behavior may be present with increased irritability and avoiding things, persons, or situations that trigger feelings of anxiety like for example, skipping class on the day of a presentation or procrastinating making a phone call to set up a doctor’s appointment.

If you notice some of these signs within your own mind, body, and behaviors, it is important to seek help early as symptoms and signs can worsen over time. If you notice your worries getting in the way of your work, relationships, and other aspects of your life along with difficulties in keeping these worries under control, take the step in seeking the support that you need and deserve. Your anxiety does not define you! Remind yourself that your anxiety is a normal process and you have the potential and power to change how you think about, experience, and react to it.

Navigating Depression & Anxiety Amid a Pandemic

In our current state of uncertainty concerning the continuous spread of COVID-19, it is no surprise that depression and anxiety are also on the rise. According to data reports, young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are especially affected. From long periods spent in quarantine to adapting to new ways of doing routine tasks like grocery shopping or attending classes via Zoom, can lead to intense feelings of isolation, de-stabilization, panic, and lack of control. Not to mention constant information overload from news headlines, social media, and conversations with your loved ones, friends, or co-workers, all exacerbating fear and worry. 

It is also important to note that this age group has been forced to let go of significant life events among those: walking with your peers at your high school or college graduation, not getting a “normal” college experience, or having to postpone celebrations like 21st birthdays, graduation parties, and even weddings. Many of these experiences we look forward to our whole lives and it is okay to be sad when they are taken away from us. I have peers who expressed feeling guilty for crying about not having their graduation ceremony this year when really, they “should” be grateful for their health and the health of their families. Sure, it is undeniably important to have gratitude in times like these, but it is just as important to process any losses, sit with your feelings, and seek out support.

Being in the aforementioned age group myself, I find myself in what seems like a never-ending battle toward regaining some semblance of balance in my daily life. There are days where I can accept the circumstances of my immediate surroundings and changes to routine, but I would be lying if I said that scary thoughts do not resurface. Or that I smoothly navigate through a near panic attack when overwhelmed by the number of people at my neighborhood grocery store, picking produce while standing next to me too close for comfort. Often, I would rather spend my days away at home but I find that although this form of safety and security helps alleviate my anxiety, my other good friend, depression, is ready for action (or lack thereof I should say). 

So, what do we do? How do we navigate through these challenges that are inevitably impacting our mental health? We can start by practicing self-care, compassion, and forgiveness toward ourselves in ways that will be most meaningful to us. Whether that means getting out of bed even if it is just to make it to your couch or logging your thoughts in a journal, every little task counts! Remind yourself that you can do hard things and “this too shall pass,” whether we are referring to an intrusive thought, a low week, or the pandemic itself – you got this! Even if you feel like you do not, it’s okay to communicate these feelings with your loved ones and/or seek out professional support – for this exemplifies inner strength and the necessary steps toward regaining inner balance in our current unbalanced world.