Are you a divergent or convergent thinker?
…or maybe a little of each? Divergent thinkers are primarily intuitive. A word will unleash a wide variety of remote and original associations. Most creative people and people with Attention Deficit Disorder are divergent thinkers.
Convergent thinking is analytical and linear. STEP is a useful way to think about how convergent thinker’s function. S-strategies, T-time, E-energy, P-perseverance. Instead of being blocked by a new project or assignment, a convergent thinker will come up with a strategy. They will imagine how much time will be needed for the whole and for each part. By doing so they’ll know how much energy is required, and commit to persevering.
Divergent thinkers often find convergent thinking challenging. On the other hand, convergent thinkers tend to find divergent thinkers a bit insane.
Alas, at some point we all need to have some convergent thoughts. By thinking of the STEPs and applying them, we can take on a new task or project without a big confrontation going on in our heads.
- Sydney Metrick
Now versus Later
The brain only knows now. This is where we are, this is what we focus on.
Many people can become so involved in what they are currently working on that thoughts of what was done or what is to be done never come up. Being able to completely focus on only one aspect of now frequently happens when, and is beneficial for, project work, studying, or meditation.
However, on the other side of the proverbial coin, there are people so easily distracted by past or future thoughts, ideas, needs, or tasks that staying focused on one immediate task can be difficult. This happens when the brain cannot filter every other aspect of now from the task at hand.
When you live in the unfiltered now, your mind has a myriad of things swimming around in it rather than just one. This might mean that you miss due dates, run late, or have more things started than completed.
For those of us who are not linear thinkers, we often have a number of ideas, thoughts, and “to-do’s” all vying for attention. Besides being distracting, this can make it difficult to pick a task to work on, let alone focus on it. When you are confronting the various “must do’s” in every category of your life (work, home, health, family, and so on), give importance to deadlines and items you have already identified as having higher priority.
I have a deadline for getting out two monthly newsletters. I open a blank doc for each at the beginning of the month and write in thoughts and ideas as they come to me. By the last week of the month, I commit to organizing a first draft. Typically, I’ll re-read and edit in a few days. Because I have a short attention span this works for me. It’s the small chunks idea.
I’m successful at getting these newsletters out because I’ve come up with a process that works for me. Plus, I’m committed to the recipients of my newsletters and I value commitment.
Finding systems that work for you can be challenging. Perhaps prioritizing, setting deadlines for small bits, and making a commitment is the process for you. Give it a go.
-Sydney Metrick
Rambling Roads—the thought process of those with ADHD
Have you ever had a conversation with someone that didn’t end anywhere near the original destination? Or, maybe, you reached the original destination, just not directly.
Some people are natural ramblers. One thought leads to another, which spurs a memory, and connects to a related story … all possibly off topic from where the conversation was originally headed.
Then there’s thought distraction in which an outside comment, or something passing in the visual field, or even a sudden “pop up” of a “to do” can lead the conversation down an entirely different path.
You might also be, or know someone who is, a star at monopolization. One idea is so closely connected to the previous one, and they run together so swiftly that the other party can’t even begin to get a word in edgewise.
While rambling conversations do not require a participant to have ADHD, they are certainly more common in the ADHD world. We are especially good at blurting and interrupting – another aspect of rambling.
Perhaps something said by another triggers a thought for the person with ADHD, and the impulsivity common to those with ADHD means the thought that entered their head pops right on out of their mouth, with no filter mechanism.
These conversational journeys are not common to all who have attention deficit disorder, and do not happen in every conversation with those who do take them. Realize that anyone who has ADHD will never be neurotypical, which is defined as free from neurological atypical patterns of thought or behavior. Neurotypicals often assume that their experience of the world is the only one and the only correct one. They are wrong.
Music and the Brain
“Nothing activates the brain so extensively as music,” said the late Oliver Sacks, M.D., neurologist, and author of Musicophilia. Music not only provides structure, it increases the level of dopamine in the brain. This is especially important for those with conditions like ADHD and Autism.
My friend, Ellen Hoffman, is an extraordinary woman. She’s a self-employed musician - pianist, composer, arranger, teacher, music director and producer who happens to also have attention deficit disorder. I talked with her about the amazing ways music can affect the brain and she shared the following story about a young autistic man, Ryan, she worked with at Napa State Hospital.
Like many autistic children, this boy was drawn to music. He loved listening to music - the radio, the record player, and especially to the piano. He had a sweet singing voice which had not changed yet. His favorite song to sing was Your Cheatin' Heart. He knew all the words – even though he had no idea what they meant. He knew fragments of other songs, but this was the only song he knew all the way through. When he was in a good mood, he would sing the whole song, much like those of us who are not autistic might do.
Other than singing, he was generally non-verbal, rarely speaking more than a short sentence at a time. However, he was much more communicative thru music. If I asked him a question "Ryan, do you want a cookie?" and he was in a good mood, he would SING the answer, "Yes, I want a cookie" - in a melody all his own. Or "Ryan, how are you feeling right now?" His melodic answer might be, "Ryan is OK right now."
I learned that if I sang to him, he was more likely to answer. If I played the piano AND sang, he was MUCH more likely to answer. The more I provided music for him, the more he related to me, and the less combative he was. Music calmed him down, made him almost happy, and improved his ability to relate to those around him, even for just a short time.
While ADHD is not nearly as extreme as Autism, music can still be vital to how someone with ADHD functions. I have one client who regularly listens to music while working. Her explanation: the music filters out the world so that she only has to filter out the music.
How music helps people with ADHD was perfectly summed up in an article I read recently called How Music Unlocked My Son’s ADHD Brain in ADDitude:
Music builds and strengthens the auditory, visual/spatial, and motor cortices of the brain. These areas are tied to speech and language, reading, reading comprehension, math, problem solving, brain organization, focusing, concentration, and attention issues.
-Sydney Metrick
Check Please
You know that phrase, “It seemed like a good idea at the time”?
In the western film, "The Magnificent Seven," Steve McQueen, in the role of Vin, gives an example worth watching.
The thing is, what seems like a good idea at the time or in the moment, may have consequences that, in retrospect, lead more to “What was I thinking?”
We’re all plagued by impulsivity from time to time; but for those with ADHD, impulsivity may be an ongoing challenge. Fortunately, there is a process that can broaden the sense of time so that actions taken in the present are seen to have repercussions in the future. Think of it as a future check.
First, you have to be aware that you are making a decision about something. This can actually be the hardest part. Instead of just going along with the moment, stop and acknowledge that you are actually making a decision to do/not do something.
Call this your decision point. It’s like standing at a fork in the road and determining the way to go. Be there two or multiple options, you are now at step two in the process.
Second, use “if/then” thinking to consider your choices. Examples would be, “If I hang out on the internet instead of writing my newsletter, what would that mean to me and my business tomorrow or next week?” Or, “Those lemon bars are my favorite dessert. If I eat four of them (which would be so delicious and my mouth is watering) how will I feel later today and will my pants fit tomorrow?” Or, “How about I buy myself one too? Will I be able to pay my mortgage at the end of the month?”
Those of us who are not linear thinkers tend to make “in the moment” decisions based on what feels good right then. However, this month, with all the opportunities for buying and eating more than we need or can afford, it’s an excellent time to develop the habit of stopping at a decision point and considering consequences.
-Sydney Metrick
4 Words That Keep You Small
Do any of these phrases sound familiar?
“I can’t find time to…”
“I really should get to bed earlier/exercise more/eat better.”
“I’ll try.”
“I never get anywhere on time.”
Those four words: “can’t,” “should,” “try,” and “never” may be keeping you from the successes you want. Each of these words creates a mental limitation.
- You can but you don’t or won’t, so you feel bad about yourself.
- You should… but you’re not, so you feel bad about yourself.
- You’ll try, but either you haven’t made a commitment or you lack some confidence, and maybe you end up feeling bad about yourself if you don’t manage to fulfill your intention.
- You never…, so why believe change is possible. Yes, you probably end up feeling bad about yourself.
All of these words make you feel bad about yourself, so stop using them and start being honest with yourself and others.
It is OK to say that you are not interested in doing something, or that you need help to accomplish something. There are very few things a person cannot do if they have the interest, tools, and support.- “Should” is a matter of other people’s opinion. If those things are in alignment with your perspective, you’ll do them. If not, then they are not of your concern.
- When you try, you open the door in your brain to fail. Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work." You don’t need to try, you just need to find the way that works for you.
- Just because you never have does not mean that you never will. You could accidentally show up on time – you’ve just debunked your never. The phrase “never say never” is valuable because you really do not know what’s to come.
It is easy to fall into limiting language – it’s all around us. When you catch yourself, stop. Even if you’re in the middle of a sentence. Even if you are only talking or thinking to yourself. Stop, rephrase, move forward.
-Sydney Metrick
“Now where did I put my…?”
Does this ever happen to you? You’re carrying a few bags of groceries from the car to the house. In a hurry to go out again later that day, you’re distressed to discover your keys are nowhere to be found.
There are only so many things you can fully attend to at a time. When you’re engaged in a conversation, or have ten things on your mind something as “trivial” as where you set something down may not shoot right past your short term memory.
My uncle Leon would have his glasses pushed up on top of his head. Look all over the house for them and offer me a quarter if I could find them for him. That was the easiest quarter I ever made. Like Leon, everyone misplaces things from time to time-you put your keys in your pocket because you’re carrying a few bags, hang up your jacket and later wonder where your keys are, or put your phone down to get some information in another room then return and don’t remember where you set the phone.
Two solutions. Places where you always (okay almost always) put certain items, like keys, phone, wallet, shoes. It’s kind of like having the address for them. Once you develop the habit, chances are lots higher that you’ll find your items where they belong.
But sometimes you won’t put things where they belong, right? Even if you’re in a rush, stop. Sit down. Close your eyes and breathe. Think about what you were doing when you last had the item. Recreate your steps. Do this as calmly as possible.
How do you decide where something “belongs” anyway? Have you ever put something important in a safe place and then forgotten just where that place is? Again, having a special safe place that you use all the time can make a huge difference. Trust me. I still haven’t found two hundred dollar bills I put safely away last fall.
Wouldn’t it be Nice if…
Let’s play a game. It’s called “Wouldn’t it be nice if…”
Here’s how to play-- think of something specific you want to do, have, or be. Add that to the framework. For example, “Wouldn’t it be nice if I got eight hours of sleep,” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if it was easy for me to prioritize.”
Sure, there are some things that would be nice … winning the lottery, finding the fountain of youth, having a chauffeur. But those may be just a bit beyond your reach. However, sufficient sleep or being able to prioritize are totally doable. That is if you really want them and are ready to make it happen.
John Asseraf said, “If you’re interested you’ll do what’s convenient; if you’re committed, you’ll do whatever it takes.”
Sometimes it’s easier to know what you don’t want than what you do want. So get clear about what you really want. Can you imagine being the person who does what it takes to have what you say you want?
- Do you believe you can have it, that you deserve to have it?
- Do you really want it or just think it would be nice?
- Finally, are you ready to do whatever it takes?
Let’s look at your answers:
- If the answer to #1 is “not sure” or “no” you might want to start smaller and work your way up to your bigger, ultimate goal.
- How about #2? Do you think you “should” want to do, have, or be whatever you have in mind? For example, you have friends with new cars and you have an old Toyota that you actually love, but wonder what kind of statement it makes about you. I am anti-should, so don’t let others tell you what you feel. On the other hand, it never hurts to get an outsider’s opinion on how your image is impacting your reputation.
- Number #3 is easy. If you’re ready, it’s good to have support. Here’s where I can help. As a coach, I help you clarify your goals, create realistic action plans, schedule the steps, work through obstacles, and get results.
Thoughts Impact Our Feelings and Actions – Steps to help shift overwhelm
Guest Blog
- Bowbang Feng, LMFT
“I always mess it up! I never get it right!”
“I’m making progress. It’s easier when I break it down it to smaller steps.”
When you read those two sentences how do you feel? Thoughts like these may be helpful at times and lead to positive feelings and effective coping; or, strong negative thoughts can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, or overwhelm.
Many non-linear thinkers develop patterns of negative thinking and have a strong internalized critical voice. Negative thoughts are typically based on irrational beliefs or cognitive distortions. These beliefs are often things we may have been told by others or by society. See if any of these sound familiar. Most of us do these sometimes.
Examples include:
- all-or-nothing thinking, which gives rise to perfectionism
- The belief that it has to be perfect or it has no value, and you failed. This can lead to procrastination, worry, and frustration.
- selective attention to negative events or outcomes (and overlooking positive outcomes)
- It’s hard to hold on to the positives when it feels like the negatives are so huge and overwhelming. We overlook the positives as if they weren’t true.
catastrophizing, believing that it would be a catastrophe if something does or does not occur
- Imagining all the horrible things that might or might not happen and projecting them into the future. This can lead to being in a state of flight, fight or freeze – perceiving a constant threat.
- personalization, seeing oneself as the cause of some negative external event for which one is not, in fact, primarily responsible. This often leads to feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety.
- My partner is upset…it must be my fault.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy offers a simple technique that can be very helpful – a Thought Record. This is a way of slowing down and mindfully looking at a situation. Writing down the facts along with our automatic thoughts and feelings gives a reality check that allows us to come up with a more balanced thought or belief. Give it a try.
Here are the steps:
- What is the situation? Just the facts. Who, What, When, Where, etc.
- Mood: How do you feel? How intense is that feeling from 1-100?
- Automatic Thoughts: What beliefs come up? What am I afraid of? What does this mean about me or the world? What images or memories does it evoke? What are the possible irrational beliefs?
- What is the evidence that supports this idea?
- What is the evidence against this idea?
- Is there an alternative view point that is able to take a balanced perspective of all the evidence? Come from a place of self-compassion and a non-judgmental perspective.
- You can also explore what is the effect of my believing the automatic thought or belief?
- What could be the effect of changing my thinking or how might I feel different?
- Check back in on your mood. How intense is it now on a scale of 1-100? Often times we feel better when we shift our thoughts and perspective.
The more you do this, the easier it gets. It can be a simple and powerful tool to shift our thoughts, moods, and behaviors as well as to gain more understanding about what it is that is really upsetting us. Once we understand the real problem, we can deal with it.
Bowbay Feng, LMFT
510-629-0239
bowbayfeng@gmail.com
www.bowbayfeng.com
Routine or Ritual?
Habits and routines created with intention can make life easier in so many ways. I don’t mean the unconscious habits of going for a snack when you’re bored or throwing clothes on the chair rather than hanging them up. Those are the habits that most people say they’d like to change.
What I’m talking about are the productive behaviors you want to change the problem behaviors to. I’m also including other positive routines and habits – such as regular sleep and wake time, paying bills every Friday, that kind of thing. For example, I have a morning routine that goes breakfast, exercise, shower and dress, work. Sometimes I have an early client and have exercise or shower after that. The actions of the routine may get shuffled but not neglected because they’ve become habitual.
Now with a ritual you are adding an additional element—the conscious intention of the behavior helping you be more of the person you wish to be. Here’s an example that uses the process of ritual:
Intention: Organizing a space in which you can find things, get things done, and keep what’s important to you safe. Hold the intention of creating your space as a sanctuary where you can be comfortable and focus on what is meaningful.
Planning: Schedule a block of time to look at all of the things in your space. During this time, you will make a decision about every item in your space. If something has no use or meaning, or is no longer important to you, consider letting it go. Some things will be tossed, some given away, and some perhaps stored elsewhere because they are rarely used. Next, look at what will stay – the things you want to keep and use all the time. Think about where it makes the most sense to put the items you’ve decided are special to you and support your intention.
Preparation: Your first action step is the clearing and de-cluttering. A cleansing process is often done to make way for something new. After clearing, find the right kinds of containers for the things you have. Now, take a break.
Manifestation: Set aside a morning or afternoon for the ritual. Enter the room and close the door. Sit down and focus on your intention.
Select one type of object—say books. As you recognize in what way they reflect who you are and what’s important to you, you can claim them as power objects. Put them in the areas you’ve decided upon.
To close the ritual, imagine doing what you will be doing in each area of the room. Do you feel better, worse or, the same as before? Make sure you feel good everywhere. Take a photograph of your space.
Integration: Put the photograph on the wall or in your journal. Use it as a daily or weekly reminder as perhaps the first step of a maintenance ritual.
Are you the driver or the passenger?
You know how when you're in a car riding “shotgun” and the driver’s going dangerously fast, you press your foot against the floor really hard as if there was a brake pedal there?
When someone else has the controls you’re along for the ride. If the driver makes a risky move, there’s not much you can do.
How is this relevant to your life? Well, let’s talk about “locus of control.”
If you feel you have no control over the events in your life, in psychological terms that would be called having an external locus of control. When things don’t go as you wish, you might blame bad luck, injustice, or even “Mercury in Retrograde.” On the other hand, with an internal locus of control you feel that you, yourself, are responsible for outcomes. And if not the outcome itself, your response to it. Think of it as responsibility.
Even when you have specific goals and well-thought out plans things may not work out as you intend. Perhaps you had some internal obstacles you couldn’t foresee…not your fault. Or there was some sort of glitch that interfered when you were just tooling along perfectly, like road work that caused a detour and added minutes to your journey. Again, no one to blame. The road workers hadn’t come up with an elaborate plan just to frustrate you.
Life doesn’t always seem to comply with our wishes and our best intentions often go astray. These times are opportunities. Use them as lessons to either prevent similar future problems that might arise in the future, or to practice letting go of expectations and focusing on all the things that are right in your life.
What's Your Story?
When I was studying to be a coach, I was introduced to a book called, Taming Your Gremlin.
No, it is not a manual for those who have mythological pets. Rather it addresses all of us who have that voice in our head that says things like, “you can’t…,” “you’re not…,” or “you should.” Despite the fact that the voice is likely disparaging, we have a tendency to listen and believe what it says. We are believing that story as if it were fact.
Belief. That is the key here.
You may have heard the quote by Henry Ford that goes, “whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right.” Fortunately, because we have the ability to learn and change we can change our beliefs. We can create new “mindsets.” Our mindsets are beliefs that determine how we deal with life and make choices.
Do you feel like your brain is holding you back? Or, maybe, it’s not that obvious. Have you ever felt like no matter what you cannot get past this certain place? That is still your mindset – that little voice telling you that you cannot do better. If you want to make changes in limiting mindsets, the first step is to recognize that there is a self-limiting story that’s running the show. The next step is to consider re-writing the story.
Yes. You can do it. It takes practice to get the new story to take hold but it’s worth it. For example if you have a story that you “have to” do something and you find yourself resisting, try thinking that you “get to” do it. Or when you hear yourself thinking “I failed miserably with…” how about thinking, “I learned what works and what doesn’t so I can do things differently the next time.”
On the other hand, “Argue for your limitations and sure enough they’re yours.” Said Richard Bach in Jonathan Livingston Seagull. You’re so much better than that.
Why play small when you can fly?
To-Do, or Not To-Do
Is your To-Do list the bane of your existence? Or is it an effective time management tool? Those of us list-makers find that writing things down can alleviate possible memory issues, such as going to the market and leaving without the most important item, or packing for a trip to a beachside resort and discovering you forgot to pack a swim suit.
But some people personify the To-Do list and hear it relentlessly nagging with “you should…” or “when are you going to...” If you have a list with countless items and you don’t begin because you don’t know where to begin, you are likely to have thoughts like that run through your head.
Why not find ways to effectively manage your to do list?
- Categorize items
- Prioritize items in each category according to things like due dates
- Estimate roughly how much time, and when you can realistically attend to the high priority tasks
- Schedule them in your calendar as appointments
If you still feel that your To-Do list is more like the Grim Reaper constantly hovering over you than a helpful reminder of what you’d like to get done, how about a Not-To-Do list?
In her article “To-Do Lists are Great but Do-Not-Do lists Might Be Even Better for You,” Caroline Liu argues that a Do Not Do list lets you dump (or limit) the things that are keeping you from what’s really important. This list makes you look at all the things that you do do in your day and say, “this is not worthy of my time, I’m not going to do it any more.”
The key thing is to NOT. DO. THEM. ANY. MORE.
Three Tips for Managing Holiday Madness
Have you noticed that the winter holidays are starting earlier each year?
Even as days grow shorter and colder, calendars are filling up with all kinds of festive events and obligations. While our wallets aren’t getting any fatter, marketing for the “big” winter holidays is inescapable. We’re bombarded with ads and invitations to buy, buy, BUY. A whirlwind of parties, shopping, eating, and visiting families engulfs us. It all takes an emotional toll even as they allege good times.
Most creatures practice some form of hibernation during the winter months. In contradiction to nature, we humans rev up the action. You can protect yourself from the physical and emotional stress by following these simple steps:
- Learn to say no. It’s not mandatory to:
- do everything (Try, “Oh, jeez. Looks like I’m already committed then.”)
- see everyone (The above idea can work on this one, too.)
- eat whatever is offered (Choose what you really, really want and go for small amounts.)
- If you’re experiencing the anniversary of a loss in November or December, give yourself time to grieve.
- Try going a week without the newspaper, television, or social media... okay a day. A vacation from advertising and news can make a big difference in how you feel.
But if, for whatever reason, the season gets you down…don’t be afraid to see a professional. Help is always available. If I can’t help I’ll do my best to provide qualified referrals.
Decluttering Your Commitments
“Every minute you spend in planning saves ten minutes in execution,” asserts Brian Tracy. I agree. Create a routine for the beginning and end of day planning and you’ll have lots more control over your schedule and your life.
At today’s end, look at your calendar and note what you accomplished (yay) and if there are follow up steps you can schedule. See if there are things you couldn’t complete (for any reason) and reschedule likely times for those items. If you have projects with deadlines, make sure the action items on the timeline are in place in your calendar. This will likely take five to ten minutes.
In the morning open your calendar and review. Did you receive phone calls or emails that require making changes? Will your top priorities stay on top? Are you leaving time cushions for changes that might arise? Here again, you can do this in five or ten minutes.
Do the same thing at the beginning and the end of the week. Develop this routine and be in charge of your life.
The Upside of Failing
Did you know -- At age 23 Oprah was fired from her first reporting job? Or that Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer when he was 24? How about this fun fact-- at 28, J.K. Rowling was a single parent living on Welfare. And finally, Def Jam Records dropped Lady Gaga after three months. She went on to earn six Grammy awards and thirteen MTV Video Music awards!
Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates famously said, “it’s fine to celebrate success, but more important are the lessons of failure.” The key word here is lessons.
Lessons mean you get to look at your intention, review what worked, what didn’t and then make adjustments. Failing at anything, from eating a big dessert three days into a new diet to writing a report that you discover is missing a paragraph only after it goes to print, means you get to learn how to make future attempts get more pleasing results.
This is lots of what we do in coaching. We shape behaviors so improvement is constant.