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From Ruth’s Desk: Insights & Strategies for Life with ADHD
Helpful articles, tips, and stories to support your academic and professional journey.
How to Help Your College Freshman Conquer Midterms
Why Hard Work Isn’t Enough: Proven Study Strategies to Help Your College Freshman Conquer Midterms The phone rings. It’s your daughter. Her voice is shaky, and before you know it, she’s in tears. She studied for hours—skipped the sorority mixer, stayed late in the...
ADHD Explained: Unlock Your Brain’s 7 Super Tools
Last month, I shared Dr. Russell Barkley’s big idea: ADHD is like driving a car with faulty brakes. The challenge isn’t intelligence—it’s self-regulation. You may know what you want to do, but putting on the brakes, pausing long enough to plan, and then moving forward...
ADHD Explained: The Brain’s Braking System
ADHD Brain, "I can't do what I know I should do." If you’ve recently been diagnosed with ADHD—or you’re beginning to wonder if it explains some of your daily struggles—you might feel both relieved and overwhelmed. Finally, there’s an explanation for why things feel so...
Top 3 ADHD-Friendly Strategies to Overcome Imposter Syndrome Part 4
Let's overcome Imposter Syndrome with these ADHD strategies! Here are my top three tips for shrinking the power that Imposter Syndrome has on me. I have used all these three strategies in my work with doctoral students and in my personal and professional life. These...
ADHD and Imposter Syndrome Part 3
Reframing ADHD as a Strength: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome The Problem with Viewing ADHD as a Deficit Many of my clients view an ADHD diagnosis as a problem—something that needs to be fixed, as if their brain is broken. From this line of thinking, it’s a small leap to...
Imposter Syndrome and ADHD Part 2
Why ADHD Thinkers Struggle More with Imposter Syndrome Executive Function Challenges and Identity ADHD thinkers often struggle with managing daily life and reaching long-term goals because ADHD impacts executive functions. These include planning, prioritization,...
Navigating Heightened Emotional Sensitivity during the Holiday Season: Loving Your ADHD Brain
Ah, the holidays — a time for joy, connection, and celebration… or, if you’re an ADHD thinker, a time for emotional roller coasters, last-minute stress, and occasionally feeling like you might implode at any given moment. If the hustle and bustle of the season has you...
The Honest Guide to Surviving Holiday Expectations (and Loving Your Fridge Photos)
The holidays are here - Thanksgiving, Christmas, the end of the year, and all the other holidays vying for our attention. All the planning and managing of expectations can leave a bitter taste in our mouths, even as we’re drowning in pumpkin spice everything....
Doing Thanksgiving with Kindness and Teamwork
One Thanksgiving, I found myself struggling with low self-esteem, battling my inner critic, and feeling overwhelmed. More than anything, I wanted to preserve my relationship with my nearly adult daughter. She was racing full speed ahead into adulthood, where it seemed...
Doing Thanksgiving with Humor
Thanksgiving comes every year. It's meant to be a celebration of gratitude and family values, right? But let’s be honest—who has time for gratitude when you’re busy planning an entire feast, coordinating family schedules, and gearing up for the Black Friday marathon...
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