Lawyers with ADHD are in Good Company

An ABA study reveals that a higher percentage of lawyers experience ADHD than the general population.

What is ADHD?

ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Although some folks call it ADD, ADHD is the correct name. There are three main types of ADHD:

• Predominantly inattentive
• Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive
• A combination of inattentiveness and hyperactivity and impulsivity

Good Company

As a lawyer, you are in good company. Here are folks that have ADHD and have managed it, and it has not stopped their success:

1. Bill Gates
2. Walt Disney
3. Richard Branson
4. Erin Brockovich-Ellis
5. IKEA founder and chairman Ingvar Kamprad
6. Jet Blue founder David Neeleman
7. Audra McDonald
8. Cisco Systems CEO John T. Chambers
9. Jim Carrey
10. Zooey Deschanel
11. Simone Biles
12. Howie Mandel
13. Lisa Ling

These individuals found ways to find complete order in their disorder. As a lawyer, you can do the same.

Although lawyers are intelligent, high-functioning professionals, they may harbor low self-worth feelings. Most lawyers with ADHD are undiagnosed, so they do not associate these feelings with the disorder.

Many successful attorneys often see themselves as failures. They set unreasonably high expectations and feel like they are letting others down.

What are some signs that may indicate that they have ADHD?

• Constantly distracted (addicted to devices or social media)
• Disorganized having a hard time prioritizing duties
• Difficulty focusing and shifting from one task to another
• Slow to process information and make decisions
• Easily frustrated
• Short term or long term memory lapses
• Unable to regulate sleep patterns
• Difficulty self-regulating their actions.
• Constant procrastination

What Should I Do If You Think You Have ADHD?

Since ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, it can be difficult to focus and control impulsive behaviors.

If someone thinks that they have ADHD, it is good to get an assessment. Once our clients are formally assessed and diagnosed, we can begin a coaching program to help them to compensate for their ADHD in their law practice. Also, we began stress-relieving practices that include an introduction to meditation.

Here are Eight Steps to Control Your ADHD

First, please understand that ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition. Therefore, it does not go away. You can create powerful habits to overcome and triumph over these mental conditions. Many seek relief with medication. However, here are eight steps to help you overcome ADHD without medication.

1. Stop being critical of yourself. It is a common trait for lawyers to beat upon themselves. By always focusing on what they or others did wrong is a self-defeating habit. Get help to stop this bad habit.
2. Learn how to control your thoughts. One of the most difficult habits for many lawyers to learn is meditation. Meditation is the best way to learn how to manage your thoughts. Lawyer’s thoughts can be like a stampede of wild stallions. Sitting down and learning how to stop those wild thoughts is not easy. Once accomplished, this habit creates fantastic results in one’s daily life.
3. Get Restful Sleep. People with ADHD commonly have insomnia. When one does not control their thoughts, nighttime can be a terrible time. Worries about life, the world, politics, family matters, health challenges surface at night. By creating a nighttime routine and learning how to retrain the mind will help.
4. Improve Nutrition. Most people with ADHD do not plan their meals. They may consume large amounts of caffeine because they are frequently sleepy from lack of sleep. Also, they may crave sugary, starchy carbohydrates to get spurts of energy throughout the day. To strengthen one’s mental focus having a balanced and healthy diet is necessary.
5. Get an organizational structure and support outside of yourself. ADHD causes individuals to be forgetful, hate monotonous routines. Many are addicted to their devices and social media. The day flies by without having accomplished much. To be effective, you need to get support to help you stay organized in your life and law practice.
6. Join a goals group or create a mastermind group. This support can help with organization. Accountability helps lawyers stay on track with diet, exercise, meditation, and their law practice. You have to think of yourself as a person with diabetes feels about their insulin. A diabetic who ignores their medication runs into serious problems. Likewise, individuals with ADHD must find structure in their lives to find happiness, peace of mind, and order in their lives and law practice.
7. Avoid procrastination. Know that procrastination for an individual with ADHD spells disaster. This is where having a coach, goals, or a mastermind group can help keep you on track.
8. Improve your brain function with regular exercise. It is proven that individuals who exercise produce chemicals that improve brain function. Make it a priority to go for a walk, a run, or go to the gym is vital to keep your mind clear and to function at a high level. Yoga and Pilates are excellent practices to consider for both men and women.

ADHD In lawyers Can Be Managed.

Put yourself in the company of talented super-achievers, as we mentioned:

• Bill Gates
• Walt Disney
• Richard Branson
• Erin Brockovich-Ellis
• IKEA founder and chairman Ingvar Kamprad
• Jet Blue founder David Neeleman
• Audra McDonald
• Cisco Systems CEO John T. Chambers
• Jim CarreyZooey Deschanel
• Simone Biles
• Howie Mandel
• Lisa Ling

Take charge of your life and attain your goals of a successful law practice and a harmonious family life.