Feeling overwhelmed isn’t automatically a positive or a negative experience; it depends on the emotion and on the meaning you give to the emotion you’re feeling.  You could be overwhelmed with gratitude and self-love or overwhelmed with grief and shame.

The meaning I give overwhelmed is that it implies “too much” or “more than someone can comfortably handle.”  Is that you?

Every time I imagine what life is like WITHOUT well-developed executive function skills before the pandemic, and then imagine it during this pandemic, the impact just 10x’d itself in terms of the negative overwhelm and impact that it is having on your lives.  And so many of you are telling me exactly that.

The good news?

Executive Function skills can be learned, no matter what age you are.  No matter where you are located in the world.  All it takes is the right training, strategies and support. 

In this episode Dr B talks about:

• What...

Being an Achiever isn’t just about developing your EF Skills; you also need to become the person who is the Achiever, instead of thinking of yourself as the person who is the ADDer.  Saying “I am an Achiever” is the first step to taking on an empowering new Identity, just as saying “I am an ADDer, is a step that reinforces keeping the same old disempowering Identity.    

Are you telling yourself stories or reliving your past failed attempts and making that your reality today?  You’re probably not doing this consciously, however, many of us base our current reality on possibilities of what you’ve done in the past.  Statements like, “this is just how I am” or “this doesn’t feel like me” or “I can’t see myself living that way” are common.  

The good news?

Executive Function skills can be learned, no matter what age you are.  No matter where you are...

According to government stats, last updated in 2018, there are a lot of unhappy people that are suffering in the world. In the U.S. alone:

• 32 million people suffer from anxiety
• 17 million suffer from depression
• Around 12 million suffer from PTSD

And, according to Forbes magazine, the Self-Help industry generates over $11 billion annually. What I find interesting is that many of the self-help books and videos that get purchased sit on the shelf collecting dust. So for today’s podcast, I wanted to explore this phenomenon and help you get curious about what does work and why.  How much time do we have?  Not much.  So let’s get to it.

    HAPPENING FOR A LIMITED TIME!   ADDventures in Achievement Foundational Skills program is open for enrollment until July 2, 2020.  

Enrollment is closed now.  If you want to gain control of your life, click HERE for more information and to get on the Waitlist for January 2021.  ...

I have something a little different for you today.  In case you missed listening to my interview with Meredith for Real:  The Curious Introvert, she was kind enough to share the episode with me, so I could share it with you all directly.  I love responding to questions and thoroughly enjoyed my interview with Meredith.

If my podcast show is the first time you’ve been hearing about the difference between ADHD and executive function skills, you're not alone.  If you’re an adult who received a diagnosis of adult ADHD, executive function skills should also have been assessed and discussed with you, in my humble opinion.  The odds of having under-developed executive function skills along with ADHD are very high; in fact, almost a given that you will.  It's also highly probable that you will have under-developed executive function skills if you've lived with chronic depression, chronic anxiety, trauma, addictions, or chronic...

I love responding to questions and enjoyed being interviewed by Meredith for Real so much that I decided to change the format of my show to focusing on a topic and responding to questions about it.  So, if you have a topic you’d like me to talk about and half a dozen questions you’d like answered on that topic, submit your topic and 6 questions to me directly at: https://www.drbarbaracohen.com/ask-dr-b

If my podcast show is the first time you’ve been hearing about executive function skills and strategies, you are not alone.  If you’re an adult who received a diagnosis of adult ADHD, executive function skills should also have been assessed and discussed with you, in my humble opinion.  The odds of having executive function deficits along with ADHD are very high; in fact, almost a given that you will. 

Today’s episode is about the executive function skill of Initiating and some strategies to get you started on developing this...

For those of you who don’t know me yet …

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

That was me; living the majority of my academic life believing I was stupid, and chasing degrees to prove I wasn’t. The degrees never resolved the feelings; only accepting the truth did. I was smart; just differently. I wasn’t broken. I didn’t need fixing. I needed to understand what was great about me and build on that. I have, and so can you!

The meanings you give the events of your life is so important.  They can either empower or destroy you. 

In this episode Dr B talks about:

• Defining what ADDulting will look like for you
• Success comes from building a strong foundation and continuing to practice the basics
• Six important concepts that have radically transformed my life and others who apply these concepts
• The...

We have a multi-dimensional mental health problem in the world. Many professionals aren’t trained to recognize nor address issues with ADHD or executive function training. Our family members might have had the same challenges we experience and just made the best of them. And of course, whatever they modeled for us is what we learned. Plus, nowhere along the way was it ever mentioned that we could do something about these challenges ourselves – even without a diagnosis!

Prescribers aren’t recommending executive function skills training. Therapists aren’t recommending executive function skills training. Colleges aren’t recommending or offering executive function skills training; neither are employers. So, if all the main people in your life weren’t making these recommendations, why would you even know or consider this as something you can do for yourself?

In this episode Dr B talks about:

• Multi-dimensional mental health problem in the world
• ...

The topic of menopause and ADHD is an important one and not often talked about. It’s important if you’re pre-menopause, peri-menopause, going through menopause or post-menopause, and wondering at any point what hit you! And it’s important even if you’re a male listener, since you most likely live with or work with such women.

In this episode Dr B talks about:

• Drops in estrogen and cognitive functioning
• Importance of gut health for brain health
• Not turning your behaviors into your identity
• The importance of celebrating your wins

My mission is to put an end to the worldwide needless suffering of adults with ADHD and those with under-developed Executive Function Skills - whether from ADHD, chronic depression or anxiety, trauma, addictions or chronic illnesses.  And, you don't need a formal diagnosis to know you need help developing these EF skills in order to greatly reduce your suffering.

Episode Resources:

• Download the mp3 audio file...

Today’s episode is part 4 of 4 of my interview with Danny, a writer and director who has been sharing the ups and downs of his life with ADHD.

We begin this section discussing the use of alcohol or other substances to slow down what Danny calls the “cacophony” going on in his head.

And then we dive into all the ways your brain can be retrained so that you can get better outcomes for your life. That is, how to work with your unique brain, how to love it’s quirkiness and how to envision a positive future.

• Free Episode Resources: 
  • Download the mp3 audio file and listen whenever you like
  • Download the episode transcript if that's important to you
  • Join me in the Living Beyond ADHD Facebook group for community, support, live videos and more
  • Check out my Dr B page on Facebook
  • Click HERE for lots of free resources to serve your needs

Thanks for listening to my first podcast interview. I had a lot of fun with this...

Today I’m continuing my interview with Danny, who, in the last episode, described how getting diagnosed with ADHD and learning about wins from something I taught at our local MeetUp group pulled him out of darkness and started him on a bright new path.

In Part 3 of this interview I discuss “cognitive hyperactivity,” which is barely being talked about even though it causes huge problems for people.

And then we start talking about solutions.

So settle in for some great tips as we continue Danny’s interview…

• Free Episode Resources:

  • Download the mp3 audio file and listen whenever you like
  • Download the episode transcript if that's important to you
  • Join me in the Living Beyond ADHD Facebook group for community, support, live videos and more
  • Check out my Dr B page on Facebook
  • Click HERE for lots of free resources to serve your needs

  It doesn’t feel good when your brain isn’t running the show well. In...