Hello, !
By this point in the month of December, you might find that stress is becoming a familiar companion. There are a lot of demands and expectations that can feel like they are piling on to an already heavy load of ordinary, daily responsibilities! How are you managing? Are you buckling a little under the weight, or are you loving the excitement of the challenging demands?
In this week's ADHD HINT we are going to look at the executive function of STRESS TOLERANCE and at the character strength of HUMOR. They go together quite well, I think.
the ability to thrive in stressful situations and to cope with uncertainty, change, and performance demands.
According to that definition, stress tolerance seems to mean much more than just tolerating stress. The definition describes an ability to THRIVE under stress. Lots of folks with ADHD excel at thriving in stressful situations and coping with uncertainty, change, and performance demands. Think of EMTs, firefighters, emergency room physicians, and others whose jobs put them in situations of danger or emergency. It's often said that in an emergency, the
person with ADHD is the calm one on the scene. The stimulation of the emergency makes an ADHD brain feel more "normal." It's a happy alternative to boredom!
We know that one thing that engages an ADHD brain is urgency. We often procrastinate until we feel urgency -- putting things off until the deadline looms, and we finally feel our brain engage in the face of the looming crisis. Then we get down to work in that stressful situation! (I wonder if that's how Santa and the reindeer are feeling about now?)
