ADHD Off Day for the Win
Monday was a hard day, a long day, a rainy and gloomy day. It started off rough and felt like the day was going to be a total loss in regards to getting anything done. We’ve all been here, right?
Here is how the day went.
7:45am I woke Emily up after letting her sleep for an extra hour.
8:00am Emily was at the kitchen table with her school computer but had not eaten breakfast. I prompted her to eat some food.
8:15am Emily was slumped over in her chair with her head down. This was not going well. I suggested she get up and walk around to get her body moving.
9:00am I prompted Emily and asked what subject sounded interesting to her today and she said nothing. “I want to be on a break.” I reminded her that she just had a fall break. Emily’s sisters have a longer break at their school and so they were off doing whatever they wanted. Even though the girls were being quiet, I think we can all relate to wanting to be off doing just about anything else.
10:00am I had a few meetings over the next couple of hours so I had Emily set some timers to make sure she was prompted to do some tasks. She was still very much struggling. At this point, I had written off the morning and had decided we would try again later that afternoon.
12:30pm Emily left for work.
4:45pm Emily arrived home from work. She did not go to math tutoring and was still in an unproductive mood.
6:30pm Emily’s dad talked with her about her schedule for the week and outlined what needed to happen today in order for her to be successful this week. She fought a little but agreed to work until 7pm.
8:16pm Emily was actively working and getting things done. She was doing great, was in a great mood, and voluntarily extending her work time to get things done! Finally!
So what are the takeaways and tips from our day? Sometimes we have an off day and just can’t seem to get going. Emily said multiple times that her brain just wasn’t turning on. We tried choosing the most interesting subject, we tried walking, we tried getting snacks, we tried, we tried, we tried… It seemed like it was a lost cause and that nothing was working. But then something clicked and her brain was on and ready to go. We’ve learned that on days where her brain never turns on that it is ok and that we can be flexible to find alternate solutions and be understanding of having a hard day and sometimes that means we do the dishes for her and let some other things wait for another day. BUT, when her brain turns on that we capitalize on those moments. On days like Monday, the best thing we can do is support her by being consistent in our message, remaining positive, work to limit our own frustration, and cheer her on for each action she takes. Ultimately, I believe our relationship and Emily’s self-image were the biggest wins because we didn’t allow the lack of productivity to create a negative environment. Sometimes what feels like an unproductive day gives us the biggest wins as we build the foundational pieces for future success.