Stress has a way of finding a constant place in our lives. Tack on living with challenges such as hyperactivity, trouble focusing, and poor organizational skills, stress comes with the territory. Living with ADHD can lead to feelings of overwhelm, hopelessness and loss of control as well as co-existing mental health conditions. However, no matter how stressful things get, you can regain control.
We do our best as parents and teachers to vigilantly support our students throughout their school years. The challenge is that by the time our kids reach high school, our well-intended support can backfire when our students do not learn skills for themselves. As well-meaning parents, we tend to shield our kids from experiencing failure because it’s painful to watch, as their self-esteem plunges. Our task is to figure out how to best pass the baton onto our kids when the ADHD brain may need more experiences than what is perceived as typical for learning to take place.
Summer’s in full swing and for families living with ADHD that means freedom from homework headaches and school stress. The hope is a more relaxed, less structured summer. That said, we know all too well that small setbacks can blow up into frustration, outbursts and meltdowns. With summer finally here, how do we manage these long sunny days, so “the livin’ is easy?”
