Archived ADDvice Newsletters
June 2005
Welcome to ADDvice for ADD-Friendly Living
Each month, ADD-Friendly Living
provides tips, tools, and strategies to help you live well
despite your ADD. Last month, we helped moms deal with ADHD
within the family. Now that the summer weather is here, this
month we would like to highlight some ADD-Friendly Ways to
deal with the confusion, disarray, and frustration that changing
your wardrobe brings along each season. This month's ideas
come from THE A.D.D. Audio Coach Workbook (page 62). This
great program is specifically designed for adults living with
ADHD and can be purchased from www.addvance.com
(see below). This program receives a 5 star rating from ADD-Friendly
Living. Judge for yourself after reading the
information presented here.
Going through your wardrobe
Step 1: Look around your room and decide what space you have
available for clothes. Clothing should only take up about
half of your closet space, and 75% of your bureau space. In
your closet, you will then have enough space for other items
like shoes, bathrobes or accessories.
Step 2: Keep only items that you actually wear, and can match
with ease.
Step 3: ADD-Friendly method for going through a wardrobe.
- Start with pants or skirts. Put them on the bed.
- Separate into two piles: Work clothing and casual clothing.
After you have separated all the pants and skirts you
own into these two piles, you are on mission.
- Move through the piles and discard any items that do
not look great on you, just as a professional organizer
would do. Match a shirt and jacket (if you wear jackets).
Hang together in the closet. When the closet is half full,
you are done.
- If you live in a four-season environment, then you will
want to have storage for out-of-season clothing, but remember
the rule. When you take the clothing out of storage, keep
only the best and limit it to half the space available
for the clothing you want to keep in your closet. This
allows for free flowing movement and you will be forced
to keep only the best.
- When you are sure you have chosen only the best, bag
the rest for charity.
Requirements for keeping an item:
- It must be in perfect condition.
- You should feel very comfortable wearing it.
- It should look great on you.
- If you don't remember how it looks try it on right
now.
- If it meets at least two of the above, it is a keeper.
Underclothes: Gather up all. Look for
any old, worn items and discard immediately.
Socks: If you are looking at a mound of
mismatched socks, simply discard. Start fresh.
Stockings: Decide to keep "only the
best."
Suits, dresses and gowns: If you think
you may have too many suits, dresses or gowns, simplify.
If you can not decide, then take out your organizer, read
through your upcoming events and assign an outfit. If you
have very few events coming up over the next 12 months that
require these gowns, you may decide to pack them away safely
or donate the ones that are clearly outdated. If you own
any items that are too short, too long, or need tailoring,
you need to make a pile to go to the tailors. Discard. If
you are looking at a huge pile of possible outfits, you
may save yourself time and energy and by getting rid of
these worn articles immediately.
The goals are to:
- Simplify
- Streamline
- Automate
The process of caring for, storing, and using the clothing
that you keep should be designed with the above goals in
mind. If you never go to the dry cleaners, keep this in
mind when deciding what to keep. Move forward from this
point with the best wardrobe you can. Imagine what would
be accomplished if you hired a professional organizer and
a tailor. While you were out, they went through your wardrobe
and left you precisely the right amount of clothing neatly
folded away or hanging in your closet. What remains is the
best of the best. Make sure each outfit looks great on you
and that the material is in wonderful shape (no stains,
pulls, or worn areas). The colors have been chosen to work
together so that you can easily walk in and put together
a terrific match. Ah, the relief. No hunting, no worries,
no piles. No clogged-up, messy closet to live with!
 The
ADD Audio Coach
Published By: LifeLifters, Inc
Designed specifically for adults with AD/HD, this 87-minute,
3-CD audio course -- with companion 120-page workbook -- will
help you regain control over your time, home environment,
and personal finances. The CDs function like coaching sessions,
guiding you past your roadblocks, and offering new ways of
approaching old problems. The workbook includes exercises,
comprehensive lists, and visual tools that will help you put
these principles into practice every day. Even if you've never
been able to get organized before, this system will create
awareness of your specific challenges, provide tools for you
to rely on, and help build a plan for your future success.
Buy The
ADD Audio Coach Now!
Tip#1: Promote Better Interactions with
Your Child with ADHD
Intense emotions are often initially difficult for a child
with ADHD to describe or even contain. Emotions spill out
in inappropriate ways or the intensity of the emotion is out
of proportion to the situation. Helping your child regain
balance can occur if you acknowledge his or her feelings,
i.e., "It seems like it was really hard for you to hear
'no, just now" and, ignore the intensity or meet your
child’s intensity with a calm voice
and subdued attitude.
This month’s FOCUS
SERIES: Parents Helping Kids with ADD at Home includes
an article by Dr. Patrick Kilcarr on “The Importance
of a Dad in the Life of an ADD Child.”
Tip #2: Closets - managing the mess
For closets, take the doors off if possible. I do this because
then I can see everything in front of me. Also, I try to keep
clothes for the current season in the closet and store the
rest in labeled boxes or stand-up wardrobes. It also helps
to group colors together or put outfits together that you
know you like. Over time you may realize what you never wear.
Then, you can give them away or toss them out.
Sarah Walz Golden Valley, MN
 Survival
Tips for Women with AD/HD by Terry Matlen, Page 19
Buy Survival
Tips for Women with AD/HD Now!
Happy Father's Day!!!!
 Fathers
of children with ADHD have always touched me with their wit
and wisdom. They seem to be able to get at what is important
and to know what needs to be done. To read more about what
fathers have to say about ADHD be sure to read, Voices from
Fatherhood: Fathers, Sons, and ADHD by Drs Quinn and Kilcarr.
Buy Voices
from Fatherhood: Fathers, Sons and AD/HD Now!
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