In the article “ADHD Catastrophizing in Times of Crisis: What To Do When Fear Spirals,” author Tamara Rosier describes that when you experience fear taking over, it is important to take a second to regroup and calm your ADHD brain in order to release the anxiety and problem solve appropriately. Managing ADHD during a pandemic may increase feelings of confusion, frustration, and anxiety and this may make it difficult to adjust to new situations, such as distance learning or working from home.

Below, Rosier states some strategies for managing this illness.

• Conduct a Daily Check Up: This means evaluating a situation. Not only looking at a situation from a different perspective, but taking a second to check in with yourself and your emotions and anxiety level. Based on these levels, regroup and figure out what can be cut out, minimized from, or added to your daily routine.

• Reorient yourself: Individuals may have irrational thoughts focus on the worst possible situation and thereby spending less time regrouping or problem solving. By combining the daily, reality checks of your reality and taking deep, slow breaths, you are allowing yourself to regroup. 

• Recalibrate yourself: Do a brain dump and get rid of all your thoughts and worries that are making you anxious by writing them down on a piece of paper. Visually seeing what is causing you stress allows you to realize what is or isn’t manageable and realistic to possibly keep or get rid of. Rosier suggests asking these three questions to check in with yourself:

  • How am I feeling right now?

  • How is that feeling affecting my day?

  • Do I want to change how I am feeling right now?

• Keep a Daily Schedule: By scheduling a routine, you can prevent the tendency to leave plans open-ended and instead, improve your productivity. Rosier suggests following the usual routine with sleeping, eating, and exercising regularly like you would on weekdays, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can do this by asking yourself what needs to get done in the day and doing it during your designated productivity time. 

• Set a Rhythm for the Day: Create and follow the usual routine that works for your brain and the tasks that you need to complete. For example, when you know you are not a morning person, wait for your medications to kick in before you seriously start working. While waiting, you can prepare yourself for the day by following the strategies listed above.

• Avoid Unhealthy Hyper focus: It is important to block out the things that make you lose track of time, whether this is social media, worries, or people. This could be setting a few boundaries to limit one’s self of spending too much time on a task.

• Stay Social: It is crucial to stay connected with the outside world and with others in order to build that emotional bond. Find time and ways each day to have a conversation with someone. Connecting and talking with others increases your mental health and thereby your ability to manage your day.

Although it can be difficult at first to accommodate these new strategies, practice does make better. In times of crisis as this COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to make connections, have conversations, and seek guidance. For more information on how we can help manage your ADHD symptoms and create routines that work for you, please contact us or visit Hilber Psychological Services. 

• Written by Lily Schmitt and Tanya L. Hilber, PsyD

References

Rosier, Tamara. “ADHD Catastrophizing in Times of Crisis: What To Do When Fear Spirals.” ADDitude. 24, April 2020. https://www.additudemag.com/adhd-catastrophizing-coronavirus-fear/

When navigating Coronavirus as a Family, author Dara Winely, found that her discussions with her clients shifted from “talking about what brought them into therapy to how do I talk to my children about the coronavirus?” As we all have experienced, this global epidemic has brought fear and anxiety to many. In specific, to seniors, as they are the ones most at risk. While daycares and schools are closing down temporarily, families are having trouble occupying their young ones without always resorting to screen time.

Studies have discovered “that children in families with high cohesion are likely to demonstrate low anxiety symptoms compared to children in families with low cohesion (Peleg-Popko & Dar, 2001; Victor, et al., 2007).” Below, Winely suggests this weekly calendar of entertaining activities to do with the family:

Mazed Monday. 

• Work on a puzzle or make one

• Create a scavenger hunt around the house

• Create your own escape room. 

1. Agree on a theme

2. Have everybody come up with 3-5 clues

3. Place them around the house

4. Make a list of rules

5. Set a time limit

6. PLAY!

Tuesday Tunes. 

• Create a playlist together

  • Each person is responsible for adding 3-5 songs

• Have a karaoke night 

• Listen to music all-day

Wind Down Wednesday. During these times, it is okay to feel anxious and concerned about the future. It is best to just take a step back sometimes and look at what is right in front of you: your loved ones. 

• Start the day off with a morning exercise or stretch

• Meditate or sit in silence 

• Listen to soothing nature sounds, ocean waves, or piano music

Thriving Thursday. 

• Help your kids stay on task by creating a brief “to-do list” 

  • This may include chores, homework assignments, reading time, and playtime. 

  • It also helps to set some guidelines as to when these tasks should be done and what the consequences or rewards maybe if done so or not to ensure goals are met. 

  • Don’t forget to include breaks

Fancy Friday. 

• Have your child pick a fun, family activity

  • Picnics in the backyard

  • Backyard tent camping

  • Late night dance party

  • Dinner and a movie

  • Play a board game

  • Cook for the next day’s meals or dessert

Sit Down Saturday. 

• Take time to answer any questions your child may have

• Ask them if you can help them with the transition from in school to at-home learning

• Openly process new information with them

• Have family meetings to listen to everyone’s needs

• Check-in with your child

  • What is on your mind? 

  • What do you care about? 

  • What are your values? 

Soul Sunday. 

• Take time to reflect on this past week

  • Winley recommends to take 15 minutes to do so by asking yourself these few questions and sharing them as you wish:

1. What was your favorite part of your day/week?

2. What has been the most challenging?

3. What do you hope to change this week? 

• Journal

• Take some “me time”

• Write letters to loved ones, checking in on how they are doing

By taking this time to spend with the family and by reaching out to others, it may help you feel less isolated. You may even discover something new about yourself or others. For more information on how to manage family weeks with COVID-19, please visit our website at Hilber Psychological Services or Contact Us for more information.

• Written by Lily Schmitt and Tanya L. Hilber, PsyD

References

Fuhs, M. W., Nesbitt, K. T., & Jackson, H. (2018). Chronic absenteeism and preschool children's executive functioning skills development. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 23(1-2), 39-52.

Peleg-Popko, O., & Dar, R. (2001). Marital quality, family patterns, and children's fears and social anxiety. Contemporary Family Therapy, 23(4), 465-487.

Victor, A. M., Bernat, D. H., Bernstein, G. A., & Layne, A. E. (2007). Effects of parent and family characteristics on treatment outcome of anxious children. Journal of anxiety disorders, 21(6), 835-848.

Winely, Dana. “Navigating Coronavirus as a Family.” Psychology Today. 17, March 2020. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/take-care-black-women/202003/navigating-coronavirus-family

In the article “What Is Executive Function? 7 Deficits Tied to ADHD,” author Russell Barkley discusses that an executive function “is the cognitive process that organizes thoughts and activities, prioritizes tasks, manages time efficiently, and makes decisions.” This is essentially the project manager for your brain.

Executive function skills are skills that motivate us to keep moving forward whether that is with a project or daily activities. Barkley states that ”Individuals with executive dysfunction often struggle to analyze, plan, organize, schedule, and complete tasks at all…” These executive functions are executed by the prefrontal cortex of the brain. 

Barkley notes that there are four circuits in the ADHD Brain and Executive functions:

• The “What” Circuit: Goes from the frontal lobe — linked to working memory and helps guide us on daily activities 

• The “When” Circuit: Goes from the prefrontal area to the cerebellum — it is the timing circuit of the brain —it determines the sequence in which we do tasks — explains why people with ADHD often have difficulties with time management.

• The “Why” Circuit: Goes from the frontal lobe to the central part of the brain to the amygdala — linked to our emotions —  helps us make final decisions based on how we feel. 

• The “Who” Circuit: Goes from the frontal lobe to the very back of the hemisphere —  where self-awareness originates from. 

By understanding these four circuits and relating them to those who have ADHD, you can see what types of symptoms an individual may or may not have with certain deficits with emotion regulation, time management and memory deficits. 

Executive functions helps people reach goals and future plans. Furthermore, ”it’s about how we behave toward our future goals and what mental abilities we need to accomplish them” (Barkley).

Executive function is determined by the strength of these seven skills and how they affect/change one’s behavior and self regulation:

1. Self-awareness

2. Inhibition

3. Non-Verbal Working Memory

4. Verbal Working Memory

5. Emotional Self-Regulation

6. Self-motivation

7. Planning and Problem Solving

These seven executive functions develop over time generally in chronological order. People who exhibit classic ADHD symptoms may have trouble with these seven executive functions. For example, those with ADHD who have problems with inhibition may have impulsive behaviors.

With awareness of these executive functions, parents can look for a professional evaluation to determine if their child has ADHD early on before it is apparent in their learning or grades at school. Then, those with ADHD can use knowledge, tools, techniques, and other treatments to improve their executive functions over time. 

For more information on how Hilber Psychological Services can help you or your child/teen with ADHD and executive functions, please visit our website or contact us for more questions.

- Written by Lily Schmitt and Tanya L. Hilber, PsyD

Reference
Barkley, Russell and ADHD Editorial Board. “What Is Executive Function? 7 Deficits Tied to ADHD.”  ADDitude. 3 Oct. 2019. https://www.additudemag.com/7-executive-function-deficits-linked-to-adhd/

In the article “Anxiety or Aggression? When Anxiety in Children Looks Like Anger, Tantrums, or Meltdowns,” author Karen Young denotes that children have tantrums not because they want to, but because something in their environment is making them anxious.

Kids may consider the simplest things as a threat, such as a test, a teacher coming over to talk to them, or even them being late to something and worrying about the repercussions of being late. Young notes that “for kids with anxiety, any situation that is new, unfamiliar, difficult or stressful counts as a potential threat.” With this realization of a potential threat, our amygdala, a structure of our brain that controls our emotions, goes into high alert to either fight or flight. When it senses a threat, it floods our bodies with hormones and adrenaline to make the body react faster and stronger (Young). This causes our emotions to turn on and tears to be drawn.

The buildup of this anxiety is very difficult for children to control on their own. It is then where parents should step in and ask their child if they need to talk. For most children, it is very difficult to open up right away, but through consistent connection, parents can slowly peel back the layers. The goal of talking with your child is to help them understand why they are getting anxious and how to identify the signs of anxiety in order to later stop the response.

According to the Healthline some signs of anxiety are:

• Excessive worrying

• Feeling agitated

• Restlessness

• Fatigue

• Difficulty concentrating

• Irritability

• Tense muscles

• Trouble falling or staying asleep

• Difficulty breathing

• Avoiding social situations

• Irrational fears or worries

Young states some ways that parents can help assist their children to relax their brain and understand their anxiety include the following tools.

Explain where anxiety comes from

Anxiety can come from anything, anywhere, but it is how you cope or deal with it that will determine how long this anxiety will occur. It helps to list out the events or people in your child’s life that may be causing your child stress, anxiety, or anger. From there, you and your child can break down the scenario and regulate the instances your child interacts with this person or does an activity. Anything that is causing your child to be stressed should be looked into depth because although your child may not be physically showing their anxiety, their mental health is being strained.

Breathe

Deep breaths help you relax and regain control of the present situation whether or not you are having an anxiety attack or just need to slow down. It is always okay to take a second and get yourself together. As parents, it is important to encourage your children to take a few deep breathes when they are feeling stressed. This way they can check themselves and relax for a second before they go again. Kids these days are really anxious about getting their work done on time and especially without mistakes. It is necessary to let your child know that it is okay to make mistakes: mistakes are how we learn. Practice your breathing and practice making mistakes and learning how to fix them because both are okay to do.

Have your Powerful thoughts ready

Have your powerful thoughts ready in the sense that when you think that you or your child is going to be angry or upset, have in mind what you are going to say to yourself to calm yourself down and to keep yourself motivated to keep going.

For example, Young says to say ‘It’s okay warrior dude. We’re all good here. You can relax. There’s nothing that can hurt us here.’ Then, keep practicing your strong brave thoughts until they become automatic, which they will.’

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is about stepping back and looking at yourself from an outside perspective and seeing your feelings come and go without any judgment what so ever. Do you see yourself tensing up? Do you see yourself getting short of breathe? Do you see yourself getting anxious? If so, take a moment to yourself and just breathe. Stay mindful of what is in the present rather than what will happen in the future. Young states that “mindfulness for children generally works best [if] it’s kept to about five minutes or less but let them keep going for as long as they want to.” Here are some fun ways to practice mindfulness with kids.

Name it to tame it

Acknowledge your emotions in order to figure out how to control them. Young declares that if you can see that your child is getting angry or is feeling a certain way, you should act on it:

‘I can see that you’re really angry right now.’ ‘It has really upset you that you weren’t allowed to run through the supermarket. I get that. It’s hard having to be still sometimes isn’t it.’

“Hearing the words that fit with their feelings will help to strengthen the connection between the right and left sides of their brain” (Young) along with your parent-child bond because your child knows that you understand how they are feeling and are noticing it too and want to help.

Lift them up

When kids are down on themselves for doing something wrong or throwing tantrums, lift them up and tell them it is okay not to be perfect all the time, teach them to focus on the good and what they are doing right, encourage them to be nicer to themselves. Here are some common ones that come with anxiety.

If you find that your child is getting anxious or anger easily, sit down with them and talk about what may be causing these emotions to occur. If you find the root of it, then they will more likely to find a better response because they understand why this is happening to them and they can work on changing it.

Young identifies that “as adults, it is critical to be open to the possibility that beneath an aggressive, disruptive child, is an anxious one looking for security and comfort.”

For more information on how Hilber Psychological Services can help you with understanding and assisting your children or teens with anxiety, worries, or parenting, please contact us.

- Written by Lily Schmitt and Tanya L. Hilber, PsyD

References

Julson, Erica.”11 Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders.” Healthline. 10, April 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/anxiety-disorder-symptoms#section6

Young, Karen. “Anxiety or Aggression? When Anxiety in Children Looks Like Anger, Tantrums, or Meltdowns.” Hey Sigmund. https://www.heysigmund.com/anxiety-or-aggression-children/

Young, Karen. “Mindfulness for Children: Fun, Effective Ways to Strengthen Mind, Body, Spirit.” Hey Sigmund. https://www.heysigmund.com/mindfulness-for-children-fun-effective-ways-to-strengthen-mind-body-spirit/