Most often people are not aware that they have ADHD. Even if they know that they have different traits they would not know it as ADHD. Often people come to know about it later in life (esp adults).
What to do after diagnosis?. There are multiple approaches/solutions to manage ADHD. Below are some of key solutions often used.
- Medication: This is most debated – to use or not use. Side effects vs benefits, etc. Of course, one has to go with qualified doctor advise. But my personal view is one has to try and see how much medication is beneficial for ones situation
- Diet: Diet plays a significant role in managing the symptoms. High protein and low carbs is a must. Simple carbs makes things worse. Sugar is most dangerous for ADHD people. Extra care should be taken care in diet selection. Experiment with High protein vs High carb diet and you will find the difference. There is a direct relation between Dopamine and Protien diet
- Exercise: Diet combined with Exercise will make miracles in a such a way that you yourself will not believe that you have ADHD issue. 30 mins exercise will produce enough Dopamine to sustain entire day focus and it is almost equivalent to taking medicine. For normal people exercise could be optional. But for ADHD people it is a MUST. You can easily and very easily make out the difference between the days with exercise vs no exercise. This is really a gift for ADHD people
- CBT/Coaching: Prolonged undianosed ADHD will result into lot of psychological issues like low self esteem, anxiety, etc. Professional CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) will significantly help to get rid of deep rooted beliefs and patterns. ADHD Coach can help and really make a big difference. Finding one could be very challenging though.
Above are some key solutions. There are lot more approaches and techniques to be used especially when we start focusing on strengths of ADHD. More on this in the coming parts.