Hacking Your ADHD William Curb

Hey Team!

Today on the podcast, we're exploring the lighter side of living with ADHD, featuring the hilariously honest Ellie Hino. A stand-up comic who finds humor in the everyday, Ellie has featured for comics such as Maria Bamford, Laurie Kilmartin, and Atsuko Okatsuka. She recently released her debut album, Soft Bones.

In our conversation today she brings her personal journey with ADHD into the spotlight, sharing stories and strategies that hit home for many of us. We discuss getting a diagnosis later life, getting started on medication, impulsivity and time mismanagement. This episode is packed with relatable stories and actionable tips for tackling the day-to-day hurdles of ADHD. Whether you're newly diagnosed, a seasoned pro, or just curious, you'll find valuable insights and plenty to relate to.

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Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/179

This Episode's Top Tips 
Make living spaces ADHD-friendly with functional organization and storage solutions that work for you. Think of using hooks instead of traditional hangers or bins and baskets for clothes instead of keeping your clothes in a dresser.We can channel our impulsivity into creative outlets like comedy or improv that allow us to embrace those sides of ourselves on a regular basis.Acknowledge and plan for the real time it takes to do tasks, while it may feel like it only takes a minute for us to get out the door we acknowledge all the steps involved if we want o have an accurate picture of how long things take.

Hey team!
This week we’re going to be discussing the challenges of managing ADHD within a relationship where both partners have ADHD and how that can lead to the amplification of symptoms and the struggle to maintain routines and tools.

We’ll also be diving into the potential difficulties of managing ADHD later in life but also how we can lean into the strengths that we have already developed.

This is another listener questions episode and if you’d like to potentially have your question answered on the show head over to hackingyouradhd.com/contact and click on the orange button.

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Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/178

This Episode's Top Tips 
In relationships, clear communication is key, and it’s important to foster accountability while making sure that you are also staying out of judgment.Find a balance between structure and flexibility in daily routines, and make sure you’re creating room for accepting your ADHD (and your partners).When examining your previously created coping strategies, be sure to explore how you developed them and figure out if they are still helping you or if they need to be adjusted.

Hey team!
We’ve got another listener question today, this time from my friend Aggie:

  
Hi, Will, Aggie here. Longtime listener, first time caller. To give listeners context, you and I did admin work together and accountability coaching groups. Then we actually got to meet in person at the Chad conference before COVID hit. I myself have a background as a special education teacher, uh, specializing in severe disabilities and autism specific programs. So behavior is one of my strong skills. Implementing understanding. and executing behavior interventions. My question is this, planning and scheduling and time tracking are all great preventative strategies.Do you have any insight or resources around when you know you're already late, probably rushing, and you're trying to stay calm and collected and still show up the way you want to, Even when you were already late. So I'm trying not to show up flustered and discombobulated. I'm thinking maybe some people have coping strategies or other people can share what they do to, to do what I described and give me a jumping off point on how to reframe that emotional state.In the moment of slight or major panic. Would love to hear your ideas or other listeners ideas in response. And thank you so much for your podcast. You're seriously crushing it.
Thanks for the question; Aggie and I think this is an issue we can all relate to. Being late sucks. So, in this episode, we tackle the struggle of showing up calm and composed when maybe we don’t feel calm and collected. We’ll be looking at a number of tools that we can use to try and get ourselves in the right head space, as well as jumping into what we can do so that we might not be late quite as often.

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Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/177

This Episode's Top Tips 
Practice acceptance of your ADHD and that sometimes lateness will happen. Work on changing the narrative from self-criticism to understanding and try to give yourself some compassion when you’re running late.Try reframing "I'm sorry I'm late" to "Thank you for your patience" to create a more positive atmosphere and show your gratitude when someone waits for you.Deep breathing can be especially helpful in calming your nervous system - when we’re running late and stressed, our prefrontal cortex is impaired, and that makes rational decision-making harder. By slowing down and activating our parasympathetic nervous system through deep breathing, we can calm ourselves and get into the right headspace.

Hey team!
This week I’m talking with Jamie Cutino, a licensed Occupational Therapist, TEDx Speaker, ADHD Coach and a fervent advocate for the ADHD community. In today's episode, Jamie shares her insightful and empowering journey from discovering their ADHD diagnosis to utilizing skills she learned as an occupational therapist to enhance daily life. Jamie has her own podcast, Outsmart ADHD, where she and her guests go over the latest research, share stories and look to provide you with actionable advice.
In our conversation today we talk about what occupational therapy is and how it can help with ADHD management, how sensory issues can impact our ADHD and get into some of the tips and strategies that can help with these issues. And since Jamie is also a podcaster we get into some stuff about the podcast and things I’m looking to improve.

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Find the full show notes at HackingYourADHD.com/176

This Episode's Top Tips 
Occupational therapy can provide strategies for improving executive functioning, task initiation, and completion, as well as transitioning between tasks. It is designed to help you develop and maintain the meaningful activities that are hard for your ADHD brain.Since needs can vary daily, having a range of strategies to address different challenges is crucial for effective ADHD management. Tools like noise-canceling headphones and well-lit environments can drastically improve focus and comfort but will work differently for different people.Recognizing that you can't do everything alone and leveraging support can lead to more enjoyment and success in both personal and professional life. When you can, it is great to outsource and delegate the things that are hard for you to complete.

Hey Team!
I’ve got an exciting interview today that I’ve been hoping to do for a while now.
Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist and a lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He specializes in the treatment of ADHD and within the field of ADHD, he further specializes in comorbid disorders, such as OCD, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder.
However, in true ADHD, fashion during our pre-interview chat we decided to switch the direction of the podcast to instead deal with sleep. In our conversation we talk about Dr. Olivardia’s own issues with sleep and how sleep is just one of those issues that seems to plague everyone with ADHD. We get into some of what underpins ADHD sleep issues and some of the things that we can do to try and get ourselves a good night’s sleep.
I had a blast recording this and I hope you enjoy just as much as I did.

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Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/175

This Episode's Top Tips 
Establish a pre-sleep routine that signals to your brain that it's time for bed. This might include changing into comfortable sleepwear, dimming the lights, and engaging in a relaxing activity like reading or listening to music. Or, as was the case for Dr. Olivardia, going and getting a workout in. Remember that sometimes to calm your ADHD brain down, you need a bit more stimulation.Underpinning that last point again, not everything that is typically recommended for getting a good night's sleep always works for our ADHD. It’s important to experiment with different techniques to see what works and doesn’t work for you.If sleep problems persist despite your best efforts it’s always good to consider consulting with a sleep specialist. We often don’t know what we don’t know when it comes to sleep and a specialist can help identify any underlying issues and recommend additional treatments.

Hey Team!
With us today is Mattia Maurée and we’re going to be diving into the experiences of living with both autism and ADHD, also known as AuDHD. I was recently on Mattia’s podcast, AuDHD Flourishing, to talk about subclinical autism (which I was diagnosed with in 2022) so if you want to hear more about that head on over to their show, links in the shownotes.
In our conversation today, Mattia shared their story and the insights they've gained through their journey. Our conversation aimed to shed light on the similarities, differences, and unique challenges faced by individuals navigating both conditions.
And just for a little background on the connection of ADHD and autism, we do see quite a lot of this comorbid condition, with about 50% of people diagnosed with autism also getting an ADHD diagnosis (and just as a note, that percentage doesn’t go the other way because of the difference in population sizes, there are a lot more people with ADHD than those diagnosed with autism). Also interesting to note that before 2013 the DSM didn’t allow for a dual diagnosis of autism and ADHD. And that just gives a little insight into how recently the idea of the two of them being intertwined became and because of that there aren’t a ton of resources out there for AuDHD individuals.
So I hope this episode can help start bridging more of that gap.

Be sure to check out Mattia's Podcast AuDHD Flourishing

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Find the full show note at HackingYourADHD.com/174

This Episode's Top Tips 
Monotropism is our tendency to narrow our focus and is a characteristic of both ADHD and autism and can lead us to miss things outside of this attention tunnel. By learning about attention tunnels, we can work on creating more effective coping strategies that take into account our narrow band of focus.Simplifying one's environment and commitments to minimize overwhelming stimuli and demands can help maintain focus and reduce anxiety.Regularly reflecting on what works and what doesn't can help tailor our personal strategies for managing symptoms and challenges, acknowledging that what works may evolve over time.When seeking a proper diagnosis, it is important to find a healthcare provider who is knowledgeable about the nuances of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders to make sure that you’re getting an accurate diagnosis. Who is assessing you can make all of the difference.