What is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is not just a diagnosis…
it’s a unique way of experiencing and interacting with the world.
Like a lively wildflower garden, an ADHD mind is full of color, diversity, and potential – it simply requires a different approach to cultivation.
Understanding Your Mental Landscape
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how our brains process information and manage attention. It’s like having a mental garden with a vibrant and varied ecosystem where thoughts and ideas sprout rapidly and in unexpected places.
Key features of this diverse mental landscape include:
Attention Variability: Like a garden with ever-changing light patterns, your focus may shift quickly between tasks.
Executive Function Challenges: Think of executive functions as your garden’s irrigation system—sometimes it works perfectly, and other times it needs adjustment.
Emotional Intensity: Your emotions might be as vivid and intense as the brightest flowers in bloom.
Hyperactivity or Restlessness: Imagine a constant breeze rustling through your mental foliage, keeping things in perpetual motion.
Reframing ADHD: The Floriss Method Approach
The Floriss Method encourages us to see ADHD not as a deficit but as a different type of abundance. Just as a wildflower meadow isn’t less valuable than a carefully manicured lawn, your ADHD mind isn’t “wrong” – it’s wonderfully unique.
Redefining Productivity
Traditional productivity models often feel like trying to grow roses in a desert. Instead, we need to understand our natural rhythms and strengths. Maybe you don’t tend to your garden steadily or consistently; instead, perhaps you burst with creativity in intense spurts. Embrace these cycles and plan your tasks to align with them.
Holistic Wellness
ADHD impacts more than just attention or focus. It influences sleep, nutrition, exercise, emotional well-being, and, really, your overall daily routine.
The Floriss Method advocates for tending to all aspects of your mental garden:
Nourishment: Ensure you provide yourself with the right ‘nutrients’ through diet and possibly medication.
Rest: Create spaces for your mind to recharge and regenerate.
Exercise: Physical activity is a form of tending to your garden, helping to shape and direct your mental energy.
Shedding the Weeds of Shame
Understanding ADHD and its biological basis is crucial for eliminating self-blame. Your brain’s unique chemistry isn’t a flaw—it’s part of what makes you, you. By learning about ADHD, you can start distinguishing between the ‘weeds’ of negative self-talk and the valuable, diverse ecosystem of your mind. The first step in embracing who you are and figuring out how you flourish best is understanding what isn’t your fault and recognizing these traits shouldn’t be considered faults in the first place.
Cultivating Your ADHD Garden
Here are some strategies to help your mental garden thrive:
Identify Your Native Plants: Recognize your natural strengths and the activities or “tasks” that naturally energize you.
Create Micro-Environments: Set up different spaces for different types of work or activities, all aligned with you.
For instance, just because having a coach in your living room is typical doesn’t automatically mean it works for you. If the floor is more your thing, find a cozy rug and a few cushions and blankets to lay down and fill out that space instead!
Use Natural Supports: Just as plants might need stakes or trellises, find tools and systems that support your growth. The more tailored to you, the better!
Embrace Biodiversity: Allow variety in your daily life to keep your mind engaged and inspired.
Practice Patience: Remember, even the most beautiful gardens take time to mature.
By understanding and working with your ADHD rather than against it, you can cultivate a mental landscape that is curious, creative, and uniquely beautiful, not to mention more at peace. We believe that spending most of your time focusing on these traits versus chasing modern productivity culture standards results in more productivity anyway but in the interest of your whole being and evolvement.