Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neuro-developmental disorder impacting approximately 300,000 Australian children and adolescents.

ADHD is due to differences in the brain's development and function, namely the impairment of our brain's executive functions. Executive functions are essential for daily life and include our short term memory, the flexibility of thoughts, and self-control. Every day executive functions are utilised to help us study, work, and govern our lives.

Executive function impairment in those with ADHD can make it increasingly difficult to focus, control impulses, follow instructions, manage emotions and be organised.

ADHD may have a substantial social influence on the lives of those who suffer from it, creating problems at school, work, and in relationships. ADHD symptoms may also be linked to greater risk-taking behaviour.

A wide range of behaviours are associated with ADHD. Some of the more common ones include:

having trouble focusing or concentrating on tasks.
being forgetful about completing tasks.
being easily distracted.
having difficulty sitting still.
interrupting people while they're talking.

Children and adolescents with ADHD struggle to concentrate and manage their emotions. This article is aimed to educate and provide solution-based approaches for both parents and teenagers diagnosed with ADHD.

Managing Emotion

The ability to detect our emotions without reacting immediately is one of the executive function skills. Otherwise, we would respond irrationally every time anything excites or agitates us. As a result, many people with ADHD have a short fuse, become easily frustrated, or become overwhelmed and shut down too quickly.

3 Tips for Managing Emotions

Write down constructive coping skills and their triggers. Coping skills are defined as any behaviour that individuals use to deal with stress while not harming themselves or others. This could include exercise, journaling, deep breaths, listening to music or speaking to a mate. Journaling your emotional triggers and listing your emotional response to them can help you work out what may be troubling you and ways to improve the situation. The goal is to interrupt the cycle before the emotional explosion.
Mindfulness. We perceive our emotions more precisely and with less resistance when we practise mindfulness. We become aware of our mental habits and intentionally choose to ignore them for a while: I'm in a terrible mood, it isn't my fault or anybody else's; it will pass. Box breathing is a particularly well-known mindfulness exercise. Try it for yourself! Exhale to a count of four, hold your lungs empty for four counts, inhale at the same rate, and maintain the air in your lungs for four counts before exhaling and repeat the cycle!
Take a time out. If you have the option of blowing up or walking away, it is preferable to walk away. Even five seconds could be enough to help you relax and organise your thoughts. Explain to someone that you have a long-term connection with that taking a break will help you collect your thoughts and lead to a better outcome for everyone.

Focus and Concentration

Why are those with ADHD more prone to lapses in focus and concentration, you ask? The explanation is in the chemistry of the brain. Two of the brain's most essential chemical messengers, Dopamine and Norepinephrine, regulate brain arousal and attention, and are at much lower levels in ADHD brains. Other non-ADHD peers may find they can easily "buckle down" and find focus; it is so much harder to achieve with ADHD.

4 Tips To Help Procrastination

Use physical or online to-do lists. Whether online or physical, using to-do lists has been an excellent way for kids with ADHD to keep themselves accountable and on schedule with daily or weekly tasks
Set deadlines earlier than the actual due date. Those with ADHD will know that keeping to deadlines is nearly always a challenge, kids with ADHD are 50% more inclined to experience chronic procrastination and leave tasks to the last minute. Setting a "fake" early deadline for a job is a great way to combat this tendency and allow extra emergency time if need be.
Avoid distractions and overstimulation. Those with ADHD find focusing much more difficult in noisy or distracting environments when compared to their neuro-typical counterparts. Find a quiet space with a closed-door where you can work. Try to keep distractions such as social media, alerts and loud background noise. A great app to avoid distractions such as social media is Flora which can be found on both Apple and Android App store's.
Let's talk hyperactivity. Take breaks for walking, stretching, or exercising. This will refresh your mind and give you an outlet for your energy. Exercise has additional very well known benefits of stress reduction, improved sleep and mood.

What this all means for Parents….

Encourage your child or adolescent to engage in healthy habits, this includes the obvious things like keeping a good sleep schedule, eating well and exercising regularly.

Parents must assist in creating a supportive environment in which teenagers feel comfortable discussing their thoughts and emotions. Listen to your teen’s emotional experiences, empathise with them, and validate them. In some instances, simply sitting back and listening may be more useful than asking direct questions. If your teen does not normally feel compelled to share information with you, they may be more inclined to do so if you try this technique.

It is really beneficial to teach your teenager to accept all feelings, both comfortable and hard emotions. If teenagers say to themselves, "This isn't comfortable or lovely, but I can accept it" or "This isn't the worst thing that could happen," they may find it easier to endure emotionally uncomfortable situations. It's also crucial to teach pupils that feelings come and go and aren't permanent.

Those with ADHD know best that you can't completely control or eliminate experiencing negative emotions, just as you cannot always harness focus to take on crucial tasks. However, you can make a positive difference in your relationship with yourself and others through the suggested tips.

If you are a teenager with ADHD or a parent of a teenager with ADHD and would like some help with executive functioning and emotion management, contact our administration team on (03) 9882 8874 or visit our website at melbournewellbeinggroup.com.au.

This blog was written and prepared by Ella - a 3rd year psychology student who was on placement with us here at MWG.