One thing that I have always struggled with is: What is normal? What is it like to not have ADHD? I am always going to have some level of distractibility. Even non-ADHDers do. So, where should I be? When it comes to treating and managing ADHD, am I where I should be? Do I need to be doing more? Do I need to up the dosage of my medication? Do I need to switch medications? Do I need more coping skills? Do I have non-ADHD issues getting in the way of managing my ADHD?

The struggles an ADHDer faces on a daily basis can take a toll on their mental health. When you mess up as much as an ADHDer does, you start to believe the negative messages you hear both from internal and external sources. This is especially relevant if the ADHD diagnosis does not happen early in childhood. The longer one goes without an ADHD diagnosis, the more one wonders, “What is wrong with me? I must lazy and/or dumb.”

One of the best ways for a person with ADHD to stay focused and be productive is to carefully choose the environment in which they operate. What do you need to succeed in each setting for each situation? You might need one thing while working and another while reading a book. Here are some things to think about when deciding on your ideal environments.

Extreme puzzle involves doing a jigsaw puzzle and running. I do the puzzle on my kitchen counter and, for every piece I place in the puzzle, I sprint up a nearby staircase. I have to hit both feet on the top of the stairs, it does not count. Typically, the sprint up the stairs occurs immediately after the piece has been placed in the puzzle. However, if I get on a roll, I allow myself to connect all of the pieces I can and then do however many sprints I owe in a row. For example, if I saw three pieces that I could immediately connect to the puzzle, I would place those three in the puzzle, and then I would do three sprints up the stairs in a row.