Life Hacks for ADHD

Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher
YOUR ONLY LIMIT IS YOU: An Empowering Guide to Prosper with ADHD, by Clinton Middleton. 2022. 222pp.

How many children have been written off as lazy, unfocused or even stupid due to the effects of their undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? Clinton Middleton can speak about this from his own life experience.

In Your Only Limit Is You, he charts his life with ADHD from childhood to the point that it drove him to the verge of suicide. Diagnosed at 30, Middleton has written his book to encourage those with ADHD to overcome the limitations the condition can impose on their lives, and to guide those living with somebody who has ADHD to help them constructively.

The number of people with ADHD is not negligible. Estimates set the number at 4% of adults — and of those, 75% are undiagnosed. In prison populations, the number of people with ADHD rises to an estimated 50%. This an indication of the potentially damaging effects of ADHD on the lives of those affected by it, especially when it is undiagnosed and untreated, rather than a lack of moral fibre among those with the condition.

For Middleton, ADHD can be turned into a positive, and he presents his own achievements as evidence of that. He is a life coach and former advertising executive, and a father of two (his own father is a deacon in a Johannesburg parish). The author notes that medication helps, but the real challenge resides in living with the condition constructively. In ten chapters he guides readers through life-enriching attitudes, strategies and mechanisms.

He argues that addressing ADHD begins with personal development: learning to love oneself, building self-esteem, taking responsibility, developing a growth mindset. Middleton gives advice on practical matters such as time management, procrastination and job satisfaction. He also urges healthy habits — exercise, diet (some foods can exacerbate ADHD symptoms), and regular meditation (which can include prayer, such as the rosary).

Self-evidently, it is important that ADHD be diagnosed, whether in children or adults. Middleton advises that while medication can be effective, it is best to seek out a specialist who may offer a comprehensive treatment plan.

Middleton’s book addresses specifically those living with or are affected by ADHD. But much of this accessible book includes life hacks which anyone can fruitfully incorporate in their life.

Your Only Limit Is You can be ordered from www.youronlylimitisyoubook.com

Published in the March 2023 issue of The Southern Cross magazine