This week I am chatting with Nicole Winer, who is a business strategist, mentoring coach, and entrepreneur, and she’s also really passionate about having a healthy balance in life. Today, we’re going to focus on ADHD because this is ADHD awareness month, and we want to shed light on the real impact it can have on everyday life.
Nicole has been running her business for five and a half years, leveraging her experience in psychology and business operations. While she hasn’t been clinically diagnosed with ADHD, her journey started through hearing others’ stories. She made a list of experiences that resonated with her, leading to her self-awareness. Acknowledging ADHD has been liberating and helped her understand her challenges. This awareness lifted a cloud, helping Nicole to understand why certain things were difficult for her. Overstimulation, especially with noise and smells, triggered migraines and knowing this helped her to manage her stress response better. She learned and used techniques like deep breathing, opening the hands, and embracing quiet moments, making a significant difference in her overall well-being and everyday functioning.
Overstimulation is an issue for many of us, and we discussed various techniques that are helpful. Simple techniques that stimulate the vagus nerve, like singing, dancing, or deep breathing are good, and it also helps to learn to notice signs of tension and release it consciously. Embracing nature is a powerful tool, but people may need to be mindful of sensitivities or overstimulation, like avoiding direct sunlight.
Nicole finds that high-intensity workouts are a struggle but embracing gentler activities like yoga, Pilates or walking and synchronising with her breath are beneficial. She has worked with her personal trainer to tailor exercise and activity around her cycle which maximises her strength and energy levels at certain times, and focusing on relaxation and flexibility at others.
Understanding her hormonal cycle and embracing flexibility has been a game-changer for Nicole for both activity and behaviour change. Starting new habits at the right phase of her cycle has made a significant difference as tuning into the natural rhythms of her body, allows her to work more effectively with her ADHD.
So in conclusion, particularly for women, learning how your cycle affects your energy, focus and ability is crucial in creating sustainable activity and work patterns. It may take time to track this but once you can see the patterns it will really help you balance your life.
Key Points from the Conversation:
Understanding Energy Patterns: Sarah and Nicole delve into the concept of creating habits and understanding energy patterns, especially for individuals with ADHD. They emphasize the importance of tailored approaches rather than generic ones, emphasizing flexibility and self-awareness in managing productivity and energy levels.
Working with Natural Rhythms: Nicole emphasizes the significance of working with your natural energy rhythms. She stresses the need to align tasks with periods of high energy, advocating for self-acceptance and judgment-free flexibility.
Conscious Stillness and Pause: Sarah and Nicole discuss the idea of pausing instead of stopping when feeling overwhelmed. Nicole suggests associating tasks with rewards and positive reinforcement to facilitate habit changes.
Empathy and Adaptability in Fitness: Nicole advises fitness professionals to ask clients about their preferences, energy levels, and focus areas for the day. She emphasizes the importance of tailoring workouts to individual needs, promoting a holistic understanding of a client’s well-being beyond physical fitness.
Empowering Through Understanding: Sarah and Nicole conclude the conversation by underlining the empowering impact of tailored approaches on clients. They stress the ripple effect of self-acceptance and flexibility, emphasizing that understanding one’s energy patterns can enhance overall well-being.
Feel free to listen to the full episode to gain deeper insights into embracing ADHD and understanding your body and mind. Stay tuned for more empowering conversations on Creating Active Lives!
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