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Happy Holidays!!!  

Light Sculptures in Portland, Maine

In the last edition of Attention Talk News, I told you I would be driving downtown in Portland to see the amazing light sculptures that we have around town.  I wanted to share this with you.  It always makes all of us smile as we drive around the streets of the Old Port.  It's the one great thing about it being dark early at this time of year.  

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season.  I know this time of year can inspire the best of moods and the worst of moods for me.  I love the excitement that being "allowed" to go on shopping sprees in well-adorned stores and malls brings for me.  When I run into friends, we have plenty to chat about and set all kinds of intentions for getting together as soon as the holidays are over.  On the downside, I hate wrapping presents.  It is also disappointing when those good intentions to see friends do not occur.  As a coach I have learned to ask for a specific date as soon as possible in order to increase the chances of getting together for coffee. While I may seem pushy, my friends and time to socialize with them are important to me.  What do you do to make sure you avoid the post-holiday slump?  

Most of you know how much Jeff loves referring to his interviews with Dr. Barkley. As a gift to Jeff, I thought I would share a clip of Dr. Barkley talking about the inclusion of emotional regulation among the symptoms of ADHD. Happy Holidays!

Click image to view the video.

Dr. Russell Barkley on ADHD Emotional Regulation

Just Released on Attention Talk Video

Technology is exploding, along with the need to manage home, cell, work phones, email, texts, instant messages, and direct posts on Twitter and Facebook.  All this can create problems for ADDers who are organizationally challenged.  Other technologies, like the move towards centralized data in the "cloud" and new tools to manage that information, can be a dream come true. In this episode of Attention Talk Video, host, Jeff Copper, interviews Dr. David Nowell, clinical neuropsychologist (www.drnowell.com), on technology and tactical tools that can help you get organized.

Click image to view the video.

Jeff Copper and Dr. David Nowell: ADHD: The Cloud is Here to Set You Free

Véronique St-Martin is an Attention Talk Radio listener in Canada who has been blogging her comments about our upcoming and recent shows.  We thought we would take the opportunity to occasionally feature some of her thoughts in "Veronique's Corner."  (Some of this content has been edited for grammar, as much of her content is written on the fly.)     

Dr. Bernstein

Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein December 5, 2012 

It's really not obvious how to respond to someone.  We can hear what the others say, but we don't necessarily understand what they meant or we can misinterpret what they say.  Also, as we are easily distracted, we can think so many other things while the other person is speaking, so we don't know what they were talking about! We can also have a bad memory, so we often have difficulties remembering what has just been said! 

All these challenges have complicated my communications, and with time, I became more silent during conversations.  I am always afraid of saying something wrong, making a mistake, or saying something I could regret. However, I really loved the part where your guest (Dr. Bernstein) was saying that we aren't lazy, but rather, we are "emotionally blocked." Because the trouble is more caused by a feeling problem than by a laziness problem. In fact, we really want to communicate with the others, and we truly are interested by them.  Because of our emotional ups and downs (cursed dopamine!), we hardly show it.  

I also loved the part where Dr. Bernstein said that understanding is key in good communication. We ADDers often feel misunderstood by the others and that's why we sometimes  close down during conversations. Plus, I liked the tricks that your guest gave, such as explaining to others what ADHD is and how it can affect us... without using it as an excuse.  And trying to find people who will have empathy for us, who will understand us.

9 Magic Dots

If you read our last newsletter, you will recognize the dots below.  If you didn't read the last edition of Attention Talk News in our archives or you got distracted before you got to the attention teaser, go back and look at the last one before doing this week's teaser.

 

This Issue's Puzzle: Use three connecting straight lines that touch each dot only once. If you don't solve it, be wary of mind funnels, assumed boundaries, unwarranted assumptions, and unstated criteria that block you.   

Answer at bottom of page 

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