Self-Help Book Good For ADHD | ADHD Information
pilgrim-
"Delivered from Distraction" and "Driven to Distraction" were written by ________. Sorry, the name just left me. I will find out though.
"Driven to Distraction" is actually the book that I read a few years ago that led to me believe that I had adhd. I plan on reading "Delivered from Distraction" too. I've heard from others also that the book is very good.
Let me play fill in the blank!Edward M Hallowell & its very ADHD reader friendly
It is a great book and it really works.....If you follow through and
remember to do it. My problem is once I put a book down ...It's like I
never read it.
What you said, Barb, about 'trying to not talk negative to yourself' reminded me of another thing the book talked about. It said that we may try to start talking/thinking more positive thoughts to ourselves, and it may work for a very short while, but eventually our brain will take over with our original "mental programming" and make us revert back to our old negative thinking. It says that to permanently change our thinking, we have to "re-program" our brain by replacing the old negative thoughts/beliefs with new thoughts/beliefs.
I thought of my mother who is overweight who talks about how our family is "cursed" with a slow metabolism after age 30. Whether it is true or not, that is a negative belief. That negative belief gets in the way of her successfully losing weight. Just as our beliefs determine our actions, her belief of her metabolism determines her actions in relation to losing weight. She may not do all that she can do to lose weight, thinking "it's no use anyway with my poor metabolism." But, if she tries to replace that belief with statements like: "I am in complete control of my own metabolism. It is my own daily food and exercise choices that will make or break my metabolism. I enjoy choosing to increase my metabolism so that I can reach my weight goal."
I hope I'm not giving too much info. I tend to do that a lot. 
Now, all I need to do is follow through with Shad's advice! 
Oops! 
That's negative talk! I'll say instead, "I always follow through on things that are important or will help me reach my goals. It's a great feeling to be in charge of myself and in control." 
"Delivered..." is 1 of the BEST ADDr books i've read...should be mandetory for every ADhD person in the world !
Just keep repeating 'it does help, it does help'
It's weird i could be 'kinda just space'n out' and somebody will say something or there will be a noise and I can 'pick up' on what my negative 'tape' was playing, before the door to that part of my mind shuts...
jlieb;;;sounds like an interesting subject/book...has Shad written anything else that u know of...thanks for posting @ it...Have you heard @ "Delivered from Distraction"...can't think of who wrote it....has some good stuff in it..
I wanted to post this message because it is an excellent book for adhder's in particular, in my opinion.
The book is called "What to Say When You Talk To Yourself" by Shad Helmstetter. I recommend it to anyone, especially ADD'ers. In a nutshell, it talks about how our ACTIONS/BEHAVIORS are shaped by our BELIEFS and ATTITUDES; which are determined by our "MENTAL PROGRAMMING".
"MENTAL PROGRAMMING" is everything that goes into our brain. Our brain is like a computer. Anything and everything that we hear from others and ourselves goes into our brains (even our own negative and positive thoughts about ourselves), and never comes out. The book basically says that our brains are constantly being programmed daily, even from the time we are born. It talks about research on the brain that says our brain BELIEVES ANYTHING IT HEARS, EVEN IF IT'S NOT TRUE. That's quite scary. For an examle: if we are told that we are lazy and worthless most of our life (mental programming), then we will BELIEVE that we are lazy and worthless (BELIEFS), and then, we will ACT lazy and worthless (actions).
It says the only way to effectively change our actions and behavior permanently is by changing our mental programming. how to do this?
1--first make a list of all the things that we want to change about ourselves (one thing for me is: "I wish I wouldn't procrastinate", for example); and then
2--write a sentence(s) that is the opposite (or THE WAY WE WANT TO BE). for example, I would write, "I always begin projects when they need to be started, and get the whole thing done when it needs to be done. I love the feeling of being in control and on top of things."
3--then, repeat that sentence(s) several times a day, out loud to yourself. better yet, it says to tape record yourself saying these sentences and listen to it daily, like while you are shaving, driving to work,etc... it says that after hearing these positive statements about yourself enough times, your brain will eventually BELIEVE it and you will eventually ACT THAT WAY.
it sounds crazy, but it has really been working for me. my synopsis above is just a nutshell. i really recommend reading this book. it's easy to read and very easy to begin implementing right away!