Jan 26
In this episode of ADHD for Smart Ass Women, Tracy talks about the basics of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT); what it is, who it is for, how it works with ADHD. Learn how: CBT incorporates cognition(what we’re thinking), behaviors (what we do) and emotions. CBT does not treat ADHD, but works to lessen how it impairs your life through symptoms like procrastination, time management, disorganization CBT educates ADHDers about their brain and why it is the way it is CBT, helps to build workarounds manage negative expectations and emotions discover negative behaviors that interfere with your ability to live to your potential. CBT can look different for each patient because it’s set up to their individual needs. Learn where CBT came from and how what you’re saying to yourself can really affect your life: what jobs you’ll apply for, what relationships you’ll enter into, what risks you’re willing to take. Discover how the experience of growing up with ADHD, especially undiagnosed ADHD, can impact how you think, what you think about yourself, how you cope, your attitudes and your beliefs. Learn how the lens that you see the world through definitely affects who we become.
Discover how what you’re thinking can impact your life. And that: Your thoughts create your feelings/emotions Your feelings create your actions Your actions create your results. Everything starts with your thoughts. How our thoughts are responsible for our emotions. Tracy states: “Don’t believe everything you think.” It doesn’t matter if you had that negative thought a million times. It’s not going to affect you now unless you think about it again. You don’t have to undo those thoughts, you just have to break the pattern of the thought. Tracy shares that CBT looks for where your thoughts are distorted and it has you question them. In CBT, you’re also learning how to use specific strategies for managing your ADHD like getting to work on time, starting a project you don’t want to do, sticking to your planner, building better relationships. Discover what you should do when you can’t start a project or task. Also learn CBT strategies around Prioritization Self-regulation Time management Managing emotions Managing behavior Procrastination Discover how CBT compares to medication and what kind of Cognitive Behavioral therapist you should hire.
APPLE
SPOTIFY
YOUTUBE
"Instead of asking what is wrong with me when you do something that's not great? How about asking, How can I make this work for me? We just have to ask better questions."
- Tracy Otsuka
"What I have come to discover about myself is I crave action. That is the way I've learned to get myself out of every hole."
- Tracy Otsuka
"So with CBT, you learn to develop these strategies that forced you to act rather than intending to act, but actually doing nothing."
- Tracy Otsuka
- Tracy shares her positive experience with CBT, emphasizing its focus on action and changing thoughts to improve emotions and results.
- Tracy discusses the importance of self-esteem and self-efficacy for ADHD individuals, citing their tendency to be pessimistic and self-critical.
- Tracy discusses the impact of negative thoughts on emotions and behavior, emphasizing the need to challenge and reframe distorted thoughts.
[23:11 - 33:03] ADHD Coping Strategies and CBT
- Tracy discusses her struggles with time management and ADHD, sharing how she uses CBT to challenge her negative thoughts and develop new coping strategies.
- Tracy explains how she uses clocks throughout her home to help her stay on track and manage her time more effectively.
- Tracy emphasizes the importance of setting SMART goals and using CBT strategies to manage ADHD and improve relationships, and encourages listeners to try these techniques for themselves.
[33:03 - 41:46] ADHD, CBT, and Personal Experiences
- Tracy emphasizes the effectiveness of CBT for ADHD, citing a 2010 study by Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Tracy shares her personal experience with ADHD, including a pregnancy brain and a brain change in her 40s, and highlights the importance of finding a cognitive behavioral therapist who specializes in ADHD.
- Tracy her experiences with ADHD, noting that she had difficulty with transitions and memorization as a child but didn't qualify for a diagnosis due to her good grades and lack of relationship problems.
