ADD and Female Brain – 5 Exercises to Improve Focus

Learn more about ADD and the female brain.

Do you struggle with ADD? 

Little girl with ADD

 Eve, a 9 year old girl didn’t like reading and was unhappy at school. She couldn’t sit still at her desk listening to the teacher, as her mind was wandering a hundred miles away, dreaming she was somewhere else playing with other kids. She was very bright but was not interested in doing her homework and the teacher was not happy with her results.  Her bedroom was disorganized because she liked to collect all kinds of little things…

Over 17 million people in the United States have ADD. It is the most common learning and behavioral problem in children and one of the most common problems in adults, leading to job failures, relationship breakups, loneliness, drug abuse, stress and a tremendous sense of underachievement.

ADD and female brain

Do you know kids or adults who are experiencing:

  • short attention span
  • distractability
  • disorganization
  • restlessness
  • procrastination
  • impulse control

Many girls are often overlooked!

 ADD is commonly thought of as a disorder of hyperactive, behaviorally troubled boys. Yet, it afflicts many girls who are often overlooked because they tend not to be as hyperactive and have fewer behavior problems. It’s important to understand the effects of ADD and the female brain.

Did you know this about ADD and the female brain?

 Although females have ADD in high numbers, males are diagnosed three to four times more than females. Missing ADD in females can have devastating lifelong effects on their health, mood, relationships, career, and finances.

Girls with ADD suffer more than 7 times the risk for both antisocial and mood disorders, three times the risk for anxiety disorders than those who do not have ADD. Additionally, they have a higher risk for eating disorders, such as bulimia and obesity.

The good news is:

 You are NOT stuck with the brain you have!  Neither are your loved ones!

What you need to know if you’re a female, or have a daughter or a granddaughter:

  • A traumatic brain injury can impact a woman’s IQ more than a man’s
  • The symptoms to pay attention to in yourself or a female loved one
  • ADD can affect your relationships
  • NeurOptimal-neurofeedback has been shown to be very helpful for those with ADD
  • What you choose for breakfast can help or hurt your ADD

We know today that brain health is central to all health and success. When your brain works right, you work right; and when your brain is troubled, you are much more likely to have trouble in your life.  Our work with our clients, as well as through our non-profit for Veterans with PTSD, has proven this hundreds of times. Our knowledge of ADD and the female brain will help you find solutions.

5 simple exercises for improving your concentration and focusing your mind 

It does not matter if your concentration is weak now.  It can be developed and strengthened like any other ability, through brain training.

Exercise 1

Take a book, any book, and count the words in any one paragraph. Then, count them again, to be sure that you have counted them correctly. After a few times, do so with two paragraphs. When this becomes easy, count the words of a whole page. Do the counting mentally and only with your eyes, without pointing your finger at each word.

Exercise 2

Count backwards in your mind, from one hundred to one.

Exercise 3

Count in your mind from one hundred to one, skipping each three numbers, that is 100, 97, 94, etc.

Exercise 4

Choose an inspiring word or phrase, or just a simple sound, and repeat it silently in your mind for five minutes. When your mind can concentrate more easily, try to reach ten minutes of uninterrupted concentration.

Exercise 5

Take an apple, orange, banana or any other fruit, and hold it in your hands. Examine the fruit from all its sides, while keeping your whole attention focused on it. Do not let yourself be carried away by irrelevant thoughts that might arise, or thoughts about the grocery where you bought the fruit, how and where it was grown, its nutritive value, etc. Stay calm, ignoring, and showing no interest in these thoughts.

Just look at the fruit, focus your attention on it without thinking about anything else, and examine its shape, smell, taste and the sensation it gives you when you touch it.

Back to the original story of Eve – her mom wanted to avoid medication and she came to us. Very quickly, doing our brain training program Eve was naturally doing her homework.  In a few weeks she was able to listen for longer periods of  time at school without being distracted. The teacher said to the mom “I don’t know what you’re doing but keep doing it!” Then the quality of her sleep improved and she was waking up full of energy and happy to go to school. Finally she reorganized her bedroom to have a brighter and cleaner room where she could invite her friends for sleepovers! Eve is bright and happy to be successful at school; Eve is now full of self-confidence. The future is smiling to her!

At InnerOptimal, Naturopathic Brain Training Center, we’re proud to have the potential to transform, support healing, and offer hope.

Call Dr. Danielle & her team today at 760.828.3111 to schedule your free informational 15 minute session to see how we can help you.

We’re using the world’s most advanced Brain Training tools including neurofeedback called NeurOptimal-neurofeedback to gently and safely address ADD and the female brain. Our hi-Tech tools are used all over the world and have already helped thousands of people to overcome and heal ADD, and they can help you too. With one of our programs of brain training sessions tailored to your unique needs, you can change your brain forever and change your life.

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