ADDitude Magazine has offered up a cute little solution to "To-Do List Shame," with an article on creating a “Ta-Da” list. For just a little while, forget your to-do list—you know, the one that just keeps getting longer and longer, the one that makes you feel bad. Instead, jot down a ta-da list.

My legs are sore, but in a good way. This weekend I took the family camping and hiking in Tunica Hills, north of St. Francisville. For someone used to living below sea level, the steep bluffs of Clark Creek Natural Area provide a welcome challenge.

Here’s another article for those of you that like brain research like I do: "Effects of gratitude meditation on neural network functional connectivity and brain-heart coupling." Practicing gratitude meditation on a regular basis makes you feel better.

Last week I attended a talk by Tulane graduate Dr. Ned Hallowell, author of the classic international best seller, Driven to Distraction. After a trip down memory lane recalling his Tulane days, he shared his New England childhood struggles with learning differences and how those led to his years of research and successful treatment of both children and adults with ADHD.

Mind Coach NOLA is looking for a project-based multimedia manager to build an easy, fun, and empowering online training program, using the latest technology.

Mindfulness for empowerment? Yes! Take 5 minutes now or 5 later, but try this today. In the excitement of work, family and life, I have to consciously make time for self-care. There are times when I find it difficult to believe that I deserve to be so happy and am not as open as I should be to receive love. This is human, yet something I can work on.

Many people seek a coach to help reduce their anxiety. It’s a common problem in our day and age, with the media inflicting images of doom, and gloom glowering from every corner of our cobwebbed minds in the middle of the night.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about mindfulness and how we should all be practicing it. I found the article "What Does Mindfulness Mediation to For Your Brain?" at the Scientific American that explains the biology behind it in an easy way.

What would it be like to be your keys? Would you have a nice cozy place to call home? Or would you be a nomad, wandering and hiding in all sorts of interesting places? Here are some tips to help you stay organized and save time. My favorite tip? Invest in a trash can (or recycling bin) and use it mercilessly!

"ADHD's Common Denominators: 11 Hidden Truths That Unlock Treatment Success" over at ADDitude Magazine is a superb summary of how to approach treatment for ADHD or executive function disorder. My favorite:

Sometimes in life we need an accountability partner. This person can be a professional coach, but it can also be a friend, a family member or even an online community. Say you want to train for the Crescent City Classic. You have the perfect training schedule to finish that 10k, but how will you ever get the motivation to follow it?

I’ve had a few interesting conversations lately with clients about days off. One client was back at her childhood home for a vacation and the other was easing into the weekend. Both are in the early relationship stages with their planner. Yes, days off are for relaxing and letting the mind wander: both necessary activities for inciting juices to flow and innovation to spawn.

Maybe some of you have given up alcohol for Lent. Maybe some of you thought about giving up alcohol for Lent. Maybe some of you have a great intention. In any case, I came across this inspiring letter written by someone who struggled with both ADHD and alcoholism: quite a typical co-morbid pair. 

When I first became aware that my son might have ADHD, I realized I needed help. I needed to to put together a support team—not just for him, but for myself and for my family’s sanity. I will forever be indebted to the learning specialist at his school who gave me pep talks and told me who to call and where to go.

We all know the importance of sleep for your body and your brain. Especially to improve working memory, the brain has to rest and process all of the information it’s been fed all day. Ideally, remove all technology from the bedroom at least an hour before sleep. Blue light disrupts melatonin production. That melatonin suffuses the brain and tells it to shut down and go to sleep. So bring it on, melatonin!

You are what you eat. Forget bikini season, think Beautiful Brain Lifestyle! Luckily, we don’t need any special diets or supplements for a happy, high-functioning mind. Eating a variety of fresh and colorful natural foods, as suggested in the article "9 Foods to Supercharge Your Brain," will do the trick. Pretty on your plate and you can think straight!

This Saturday, March 3rd, please join NOLA CHADD at 9 am at the Broadmoor Arts & Wellness Center for our monthly informal meet-up for parents of children diagnosed with ADHD. I'll be there, and I look forward to seeing everyone. Please help spread the word! 

When you’re a mom with ADHD, parenting can be even harder, as this article, "Never Good Enough: The Emotional Toll of Motherhood," explains. So forget super mom! All you have to be is super You.

Studies show that pursuing goals that are in alignment with our core values is a key to happiness. That sounds so simple, doesn’t it?  But what are your core values? If someone asked you now, would your answer be the same tomorrow? What do you value in life?

The article "Is Your Child a Phone Addict?" from The New York Times demonstrates how parents can have difficulty distinguishing phone abuse from appropriate use.I recommend the apps Moment and Forest so that you become aware of your habits and use your phone mindfully. Working with a coach like Mind Coach NOLA can also help you or your family members!