New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--from Childhood through Adulthood
Paperback, 208 pages
Published Jan. 4, 2022 by Ballantine Books.
Felt like I should have though. But alas, I can't control that. And that is sort of funny. I'll get back to it sometime. Maybe it's a book to have in physical format, read little bits of every week, and try to practice that lesson that week. Just reading through it felt like it would just fall off my head and a be for nothing. Yes, this is all very meta and recursive. Sort of.
This is my first time reading a book that talks about ADHD, so as a general overview, this was a good choice. Drs. Hallowell and Ratey are both psychiatrists and have ADHD themselves, so I trusted their thoughts. This book mostly focuses on specific strategies and discoveries related to ADHD, though much of the information seems to be consistent with things that have been known for a while; still, it was new-ish to me, and therefore useful to read. The short section on the task-positive network and default-mode network was incredibly interesting, and I do wish there were more on that—but that may also be reflective of their nature as emerging objects of neurological study.
Many, if not all, of the chapters also include anecdotes from the authors’ patients and other people they know or have helped. Reading these experiences was incredibly valuable, and it felt incredible to read about …
This is my first time reading a book that talks about ADHD, so as a general overview, this was a good choice. Drs. Hallowell and Ratey are both psychiatrists and have ADHD themselves, so I trusted their thoughts. This book mostly focuses on specific strategies and discoveries related to ADHD, though much of the information seems to be consistent with things that have been known for a while; still, it was new-ish to me, and therefore useful to read. The short section on the task-positive network and default-mode network was incredibly interesting, and I do wish there were more on that—but that may also be reflective of their nature as emerging objects of neurological study.
Many, if not all, of the chapters also include anecdotes from the authors’ patients and other people they know or have helped. Reading these experiences was incredibly valuable, and it felt incredible to read about people that I could relate a lot with. I started this book closer to the beginning of 2021 and only just finished it, with a huge gap of forgetting about it for a while in-between… that isn’t a fault of the book though, but it probably does say a lot about me. The book is quite easy to read and is presented in a simple way, with the authors taking care not to presume anything about the reader.
Since I hadn’t read anything like this before, it was a good starter. The authors do bring up tried-and-true suggestions like exercise and meditation, but they also do reference studies and particular anecdotes related to their suggestions. They also bring up things I didn’t know about, like the cerebellum connection and strengthening balance and emotional regulation. Being given the science and particular stories about these methods definitely helped me internalize them better, as opposed to the more logical sense of ‘exercise is good for you’ and similar ideas. Rationally, I know these things, but it’s nevertheless hard to implement.
The book presents plenty of helpful suggestions, ideas, and things to think about generally. The authors also give off an extremely supportive and positive vibe, and it’s hard not to let it get to you a little bit. All in all, it was a good primer on ADHD and I definitely want to take some of these recommendations and apply them to my life; a sensible routine and structure would be a good start. I do think this book has helped me find a more concrete way to think about these things, aside from previously having a vague sense of having to just ‘do better’.
“We want to help you find your feel and make it real. And we want to keep you out of the success/failure trap that prevents so many people from achieving happiness.”
“We leave you with our hope that you will stay in the game and focus on the moment. Try to appreciate how silly and shallow an overemphasis on winning truly is, and how shortsighted and unimaginative it is to allow defeat to define you. Try to remember that life’s great reward, its greatest joy, lies in the game itself—the trying to figure it out, the trying new ways to do so.”
