ADHD friendly Strategies for tracking keys

 

8 ADHD friendly Strategies for Keeping Track of Your Keys 

by Jacqueline Sinfield 

To get into my office, I tap my key card on the card reader by the door handle. When the red light turns green, I can open the door.

It’s a good system, unless you accidentally leave your key card inside your office, which I did one winter evening.

When I peeped through the window, I could see the key card sitting safely on the desk next to my cell phone.

Also inside my office were my winter coat and snow boots 

I couldn’t call anyone for help, and I couldn’t leave and come back the next day when the office staff would be around because it was snowy and minus 30 degrees.

I needed my key card.

Over the next 30 minutes, a few mini miracles occurred. Although most people had gone home, I spotted one person. Dispite not having met before, I asked to borrow her phone, and she graciously agreed.

I called the office admin number and, as expected, reached their out-of-office message.

I left a message anyway.

Then, I sat and waited, thinking through my options.

After 15 minutes, I saw the office manager walking down the hall! I couldn’t believe my luck.

He was working late, heard my message, and came with the master key card to let me in.

Phew.

I felt lucky but also silly. I also didn’t want to go through that experience again, so first thing the following day, I went to the office supply store and bought a blue plastic sleeve for the card to make it more visible. The white card looked practically invisible on my white office desk.

I also bought a lanyard to wear around my neck.

I had resisted wearing lanyards because I thought they looked too official. But now, I didn’t mind at all!

As well as making the keycard very visible (blue plastic sleeve) and always with me (lanyard), I developed the habit of checking that the card was around my neck before closing the office door.

I am happy to report I haven’t locked myself out of my office since.

I also updated the lanyard to one I like.

The combination of visibility and new habits helped.

Losing your keys or locking yourself out may seem like a little thing but it can have a significant ripple effect.

It can make you feel embarrassed, sad, and disorganized when you don’t have your keys when you need them.

It can also make you late for important events and be expensive. For example, I know someone who lost their only car key. They had to get their car towed to the garage and then pay for a new key.

Another client regularly locked her car keys in her car and had to call roadside assistance to get them.

Here are some techniques to help keep track of your keys.

ADHD friendly Strategies for Keeping Track of Your Keys 

1. A Designated Spot

Create Specific Spots for Your Keys at Home and Work

Having a designated spot for your keys is super helpful for keeping track of them.

Consider using a key hook or bowl close to your front door or the door you use the most.

Next, develop the habit of always placing your keys in your key spot as soon as you get home.

I have a key hook at home, where I keep my house and car keys.

At work, my house keys stay in my bag, always in the same pocket.

2 Visual

Make your keys noticeable! 

I got a blue sleeve to make the white key card easier to see.

I got pretty keyrings for my house keys that I like the look of and make my keys easier to notice.

How could you make your keys more visible?

3. Key Finder Device

If you frequently misplace your keys, using a key-finding device can save you a lot of time and upset.

There are Bluetooth trackers, like Tile Mate or Track R, that you attach to your keyring and connect to an app.

When you can’t find your keys, you can simply open the app on your phone, and your key-finding device will either make a sound or show you where it is on a map.

Smart Keychains. There are clever keychains that will make a noise if you clap so that you can find them!

4 Habits

Establishing habits with your keys can help you keep track of them.

For example, one client struggled to find her keys in the morning as she was heading to work because of her evening habit.

When she walked through the door, her three cats ran to greet her. It’s hard to resist a furry welcome, so she put her keys down absentmindedly in the excitement.

Our solution was to create a new habit: when she walked in the door, she would resist her cats’ for the first two seconds, hang her keys on the hook, then reward herself by enjoying her cats’ company.

What habit would help you keep track of your keys?

5 Mindfulness.

Mindfulness helps you be fully aware of the present moment. For the client who frequently locked her keys in her car, we created a mindfulness practice.

Before closing the car door, she would say out loud, “I now have the keys in my hand.”

This simple practice helped her stay present in the moment and stopped her from going on autopilot and leaving her keys inside.

Perhaps you could do something similar.

6. Backup set

Have spare keys just in case. You might not be able to think of a situation where you’d need a spare set, but there is a saying, ‘It’s better to have and not need than to need and not have.’

You can keep them in a safe place at home or give a set to a family member, trusted neighbor, or friend.

7. Group your keys

If you have a lot of keys, it can be helpful to group them so you aren’t carrying around a heavy key ring all the time.

Grouping keys can also make it quicker to find the key you need, and if you ever lose your keys, you haven’t lost ALL your keys, which means less hassle if need to replace them.

The trick to grouping them is that they make sense to you, your brain, and your life.

Here are some examples

Group keys together based on their specific use, for example.

• Home keys, including the mailbox key, on one key ring.
• Car keys
• Work keys
• Shed, storage locker

Another way to group your keys could be by how often you use them.

Group keys you use daily together,

Home and car and office keys together.

Less frequently

your shed or storage locker.

8.Labeling

Labeling can help you quickly identify which key is for which lock, which is handy if you have multiple keys that look similar. 

However, it’s good to be aware of security concerns when labeling keys:

Rather than writing down your address on the label or the specific door, it unlocks the ‘front door,’ so you could be vaguer and write ‘home.

Even better, you could code your keys in a way that only makes sense to you. For example, I put a spot of pale nail varnish on one of my keys to help me distinguish it from the others.

click here to read CBT for ADHD

credits to 

https://untappedbrilliance.com/adhd-keys

ADHD PARENTING-mindfulness

 

Stay Calm and Mom (or Dad) On-Mark Bertin, M.D.

(credits to additudemag.com)

When that tantrum in the grocery store nearly snaps your last straw, breathe in, breathe out. Then, remember these mindful parenting techniques to return from the brink of your own meltdown.

The traditional definition of mindfulness involves switching out of autopilot and paying more attention to your immediate experience with a measure of openness, objectivity, and compassion. Mindfulness doesn't mean achieving a completely still mind, or feeling like it’s "all good" when it's clearly not. Mindfulness is a type of meditation — one of the most accessible — that helps us train our brains to be more aware.

Mindfulness can be very restful and peaceful, especially if you use it as a break from a busy schedule. It can also be very challenging — it’s hard to quiet your mind for 15 whole minutes! By practicing every day — even when it's tough — you’ll build up calming skills that kick in when stressful moments do come up.

One common type of mindfulness is breath focus. There’s really nothing special about breathing — it’s just something to focus your attention on that isn’t the mental mess inside your head. Simply focusing on your breath — and gently bringing your attention back to it when you feel your mind wander — is a great place to start a mindfulness practice. It’s important for anyone starting out to recognize that you will get distracted. Don’t give up — you’ll get better over time!

Stress, uncertainty, and being a parent all go hand in hand. This stress affects how you live, how you relate to others, and how effectively you manage your child’s ADHD.

Some amount of stress keeps us motivated and safe. When we feel threatened, our nervous system is wired to produce the physiological reactions known as the stress response, readying us to protect ourselves or flee from danger. These reactions can be lifesaving when we’re in actual danger.

The problem is our response to stress isn’t subtle. The same physiological reactions arise after anything rattles us, including thoughts. Most often, stress starts with a perception, perhaps outside of our conscious awareness, that something isn’t as we think it should be. We’re just running a little late or worried about our to-do list. Yet that same intense stress reaction occurs.

Nothing will ever completely eliminate stress. However, our bodies aren’t wired to withstand overly frequent or intense stress. And because excessive stress undermines both physical and mental health, it affects not just you, but the people around you. Among other things, it can make it hard for you to stay on top of your child’s ADHD care.

But you can elect to cultivate traits that will be helpful in managing stress and whatever life brings your way. That typically starts with devoting more attention to your real-time experience and finding more space between what you observe and what you decide to do next. Setting aside even a few minutes daily for a mindfulness practice, such as the one that follows, will help you build this capacity.

Awareness of the Breath

This practice will help you guide your attention more often to the present, rather than being caught up in your mind. The sensation of breathing is often used only because your breath is with you all the time. The practice isn’t about trying to change how you breathe; your breath simply provides a focus for your attention.

With mindfulness, the only intention is to attend to the moment the best you can. You aren’t striving to transcend anything, get anywhere, or block anything out. The goal isn’t even relaxation. That often happens, but you can’t force yourself into feeling it.

You cannot be good or bad at meditation. You’ll never fix unwavering attention on your breath. On some days, meditation allows you a few moments of peace; on other days your mind will remain busy. If you’re distracted almost the entire time and still come back to one breath, that’s perfect. And if you practice, you’ll find yourself focusing more often on life with less effort.

Below, you’ll find instructions for practising focused awareness:

1. Sit comfortably, finding a stable position you can maintain for a while, either on the floor or in a chair. Set a timer to avoid clock-watching.

2. Close your eyes if you like, or leave them open and gaze downward toward the floor.

3. Draw attention to the physical sensation of breathing, perhaps noticing the always-present rising and falling of your abdomen or chest, or perhaps the air moving in and out through your nose or mouth. With each breath, bring attention to these sensations. If you like, mentally note, “Breathing in, breathing out.”

4. Many times you’ll be distracted by thoughts or feelings. You may feel distracted more often than not. That’s normal. There’s no need to block or eliminate thinking or anything else. Without giving yourself a hard time or expecting anything different, when you discover that your attention has wandered, notice whatever has distracted you and then come back to the breath.

5. Practice pausing before making any physical adjustments, such as moving your body or scratching an itch. With intention, shift at a moment you choose, allowing space between what you experience and what you choose to do.

6. Let go of any sense of trying to make something happen. For these few minutes, create an opportunity to not plan or fix anything, or whatever else is your habit. Exert enough effort to sustain this practice, but without causing yourself mental strain. Seek balance — if you find yourself mostly daydreaming and off in fantasy, devote a little extra effort to maintaining your focus.

7. Breathing in and breathing out, return your attention to the breath each time it wanders elsewhere.

8. Practice observing without the need to react. Just sit and pay attention. As hard as it is to maintain, that’s all there is. Come back over and over again without judgment or expectation. It may seem simple, but it’s never easy.

Informal Mindfulness Practice

Practices like the preceding one are generally considered to be formal practices, conducted at scheduled times and usually in a set location. You can also practice mindfulness informally during any activity — folding the laundry, conversing with a coworker, walking to work. Here’s how:

Meditation classes are a great starting point. You will also find many guided meditations online. My website, Developmental Doctor, is a great place to start looking for resources. It doesn’t really matter which method you choose — the important thing is that you dedicate some time every day to focus on your breathing and advance your mindfulness skills.

How does mindfulness factor into the way you respond to your child’s ADHD? By bringing this kind of awareness to your day-to-day life, you can be responsive instead of reactive — meaning you carefully consider the situation and plan your response accordingly instead of immediately falling back on your gut reaction, which can often be negative.

An example: If your child struggles to get ready for school and this leads to daily fights, consistently practicing mindful parenting techniques can help you change your mindset to one of compassion. If you pause, focus on your breath, and consider your child’s difficulties, you can think more flexibly about the problem — and good solutions. Mindfulness isn’t a “fix-all.” It’s more like physical fitness — the more you practice, the more “in shape” you’ll get.

Mindfulness also helps when dealing with angry outbursts. Children with ADHD or ODD can be rude, defiant, and sometimes downright obnoxious. How do parents keep their cool? Mindfulness teaches you that the only person you can control in any confrontation is yourself. If you regroup and focus on your breathing before you react, you’ll find yourself more able to focus on the big picture — like what long-term structure your child needs to work on her anger.

Can children practice mindfulness, too? Yes — but it has to start with you. If you practice mindfulness techniques consistently and learn how to proactively apply them to your day-to-day interactions, your child can learn from your example and from your teachings. Beyond that, there are also classroom-based mindfulness programs you can try, or you can look into psychologists who are familiar with the technique.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ADHD

 COMMON MYTHS ABOUT ADHD

( CREDITS TO https://www.additudemag.com/slideshows/common-myths-about-adhd/ )

Enough Is Enough

When you’re doing the best you can raising your child with ADHD, it can be frustrating to hear misinformed comments from well-meaning friends, relatives, and even total strangers. Here are the top 10 insensitive remarks and myths about ADHD that parents hear far too frequently.

1.ADHD is just an excuse for bad parenting.-WRONG

അവർക്ക് ആ കൊച്ചിന് ഒരു അടി കൊടുത്താലെന്താ ?

We’ve all heard the judgmental whispers: “Why can’t they control their child?” “I’d never let my child do that.” 

ADHD is a medical neurological condition that can cause very real behavioral problems that parents and children struggle with every day. Comparing the behavior of children with ADHD to that of their neuro-typical peers is unproductive and insensitive. 

 അമിതപ്രവർത്തന രീതി( എ ഡി എഛ് ഡി )   നമുക്ക് കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യാൻ നല്ല പ്രയാസമുളവാക്കുന്ന തരത്തിലുള്ള ,യഥാർത്ഥ സ്വഭാവ പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾക്കു കാരണമാകുന്ന   ഒരു നാഡീവ്യവസ്ഥാ അവസ്ഥ ആണ് . കുട്ടികളുടെ  ഇത്തരം പെരുമാറ്റങ്ങളെ  സമപ്രായക്കാരുടെ സ്വഭാവവുമായി താരതമ്യം ചെയ്യുന്നത് ഗുണകരമല്ലാത്തതും വിവരംകെട്ടതുമായ രീതിയാണ് . 

2.He’ll outgrow it.NO....

വലുതാകുമ്പോ നേരെയാകും എന്നത് അബദ്ധ ധാരണയാണ് .

ADHD isn’t just a “growing pain,” and there’s no guarantee that symptoms will improve as a child ages. In fact, up to two-thirds of children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to struggle with the condition into adulthood.

3.ADHD kids have an unfair advantage at school.NO.IT IS FAIR !

The school accommodations outlined in 504 Plans and IEPs level the playing field for a child who is struggling in school due to ADHD and/or learning disabilities. The law guarantees that these services are made available to students who need them; don’t let misinformed comments stop you from getting your child the tutoring, extra time, or classroom attention she needs.

4.She’s just a troublemaker.DESERVES A SPANK....NO....

Spanking and other harsh punishments are actually counterproductive on children with ADHD who struggle to sit still, keep quiet, or adhere to strict rules. Traditional types of discipline don't work when the behavior stems from a neurological condition beyond the child's control, so parents (and teachers) may have to try new approaches like behavior therapy and positive parenting.

5.ADHD is caused by too much TV....WRONG

Nope. There is no evidence to support a link between television (or video games or smart phones) and ADHD. In fact, plenty of children who watch no TV at all are diagnosed with attention deficit. More and more research points to a genetic connection.

6.She’s just a little hyper.NO...

If only. While hyperactivity is a highly visible, trademark symptom of some ADHD, other manifestations — like impulsivity and inattention — are nearly impossible for strangers to see but seriously impact a child's day-to-day life.

7.No one had ADHD when I was a kid.WRONG...!

The term may be new, but the phenomenon is not — many of us diagnosed with ADHD now would have once been called lazy, stupid, or incapable of learning — or even diagnosed with a "Defect of Moral Control."

8.It’s probably just too much sugar....WRONG

While symptoms may be aggravated by too many sweets, sugar cannot cause ADHD. Some parents report seeing no difference at all in their child’s ADHD symptoms, even when they completely cut out sugar.

9.Parents are too quick to medicate....WRONG

The decision to medicate is between a family and its doctor, and it isn’t made lightly by anyone. Parents usually turn to medication only after changes in eating habits, supplements, and other behavioral modifications have proven ineffective.

10.He just needs to work out his energy...WRONG

Well-meaning — but woefully misinformed — observers often think kids with ADHD just need to be “tired out,” and finding the right activity will solve all the child’s problems. Unfortunately, soccer or paint ball can’t control ADHD symptoms — only proper treatment can.

-CKR 19/06/2024