Dealing with Nasty People…An ADD & ADHD Perspective

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have been working very hard at trying to go more with the flow and being less up-tight. Today testing my limits and I am proud of the way I handled a potentially dangerous situation. For those of you that have ADD and ADHD or have a loved one that has it, you know that sometimes we let our emotions control our mouths and actions.

I went to my son’s school for his last day. The teacher told me to come in the morning. I showed up and the secretary gave me the third degree then decided to ask the teacher if it was OK for me to be at the school. The secretary came back and rudely told me that I was supposed to come back an hour later (mind you I moved my whole morning around to be at the school and the teacher didn’t indicate a specific time). When I asked if was OK for me just to go say hello to my son, she shot back in a snotty tone with a chuckle…come back when you are supposed to be here.

It took every ounce of strength not to explode at this woman. As one professional told me, when it comes to your family, all bets are off. You’re likely to act much more than you think. Being ADHD and impulsive, it is quite a challenge not to have given her a piece of my mind.

But, I am very proud. I took that second I advise my clients about to pause the moment before reacting. There is no reason to immediately react. After thinking it through, I said, OK and I walked away. It was a proud moment. My lack of pausing has gotten me into situations in the past. In my son’s old day care, the director told me that I was belligerent to the staff. It wasn’t my intention, but how your respond to a situation can make a mountain out of a molehill. When family is involved, we all want to do the right thing. But sometimes, our actions can make the situation ugly.

So here is my lesson…when that person is nasty to you, take a step back and weigh how a nasty reaction will be interpreted. Is it really worth the drama? In most cases, being the bigger person will get you much further in life.

For more information on my ADD, ADHD and Executive Functioning coaching, please visit www.adhdefcoach.com. In addition to working with clients in-person, I also work with clients all over the United States and World online, please visit www.onlineadhdcoach.com for more information. To learn more about my other services, please visit www.carrolleducationalgroup.com & www.iepexperts.com. I can be found on Twitter at ADHDGuru. You can also find me on Facebook, Google Plus and Tumblr. Feel free to email me at [email protected] or call 877.398.ADHD (2343) with any additional questions.

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