Each of our newsletters in the last eleven months has focused on an executive function. Last but certainly not least is Metacognition - our ability to think about our thoughts. It is the critical component that enables individuals to develop that elusive self-awareness, which is so vital for our short- and long-term success.

For those of us with ADHD, thinking toward a goal is hard because it requires awareness of our thoughts. Here are some strategies to leverage that might help you in your journey toward developing the self-awareness that enables our social, personal, and professional success:

Think outside of your head – With ADHD, we have impaired working memory. Among other things, this means we will struggle to think inside of our heads. Thinking out loud can really help with this. For instance, I have friends who talk to themselves in the grocery store and clients who sing their to-do lists. I put my morning routine on the bathroom mirror. Externalizing our thoughts not only helps us remember them, but it helps bring awareness to our thoughts so we can think about them more clearly.

Recognize language – Oftentimes, with ADHD, we are not aware of our thoughts or our feelings, and perhaps most importantly, the difference between the two. Rarely a session goes by where a client doesn’t use the phrase “I feel like…” or “I don’t feel like…” As a coach, this tells me my client isn’t thinking; they are feeling, and those feelings serve as navigators rather than indicators. The other phrase I hear a lot of is “I just need to…” This is typically an attempt to escape thinking through a problem or challenge. When you are actively looking for these phrases and are aware of them, you can stop yourself from having an emotional reaction instead of thinking through the problem or challenge.

Analyze your success – Clients often speak about an inability to do things like write a paper or remember milk on the way home. But they can discuss a time when they actually did remember the milk or write that paper. In other words, they can do it (and so can you!). They attribute this success to luck, but typically, they did something different to enable that success. When we consider our success, we can replicate that success. Unfortunately, with ADHD, we don’t often analyze or consider how we completed that arduous task; we aren’t aware of our thought process around that successful experience. Being aware of our thoughts can help us create our recipe for success.

Watch out for rumination – On the opposite end of analyzing our successes is ruminating on our failures, real or perceived. Rumination can be on just about anything from social or professional rejection to which pair of shoes to buy. Again, the issue here is thinking and being aware of our thoughts. Our ADHD brains love to tell us stories, often with little to no evidence to support those stories. If we are paying attention and aware of this storytelling, we can shift our focus and our thoughts onto productive or honest analyses of our experiences.

Thinking about our thoughts is hard; it often leaves us feeling vulnerable and out of place. Remember to be patient with yourself as you work toward having a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to help cultivate the awareness that comes with metacognition.

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Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed or unsure of the next steps for managing ADHD? Getting ADHD diagnosed and exploring your treatment options is a great start. But what we have learned is it requires a few more key approaches to effectively manage and navigate your ADHD for the better.

The Masterful Living with ADHD Group is geared toward folks in their mid-30s and up who are juggling multiple roles and increasing responsibilities. This group also works well for the newly diagnosed or those feeling like they had a good handle on their ADHD, but life transitions and tipping points calls on more support, encouragement, and accountability to achieve desired goals.

The College Success Squad is designed for college students heading back to school who found the fall semester a bit more difficult than they anticipated. This group will help students get a fast jumpstart on the new semester, as well as stay organized and on top of their assignments and responsibilities week by week.

Executive Function: Metacognition

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