“Karen’s Noggin’ 🧠 Nuggets” #25 ~ October 8, 2022
THESE ADHD HANDS ARE MADE FOR DOIN’!
There’s a song that came out in 1966 that makes reference to boots and walkin’ and it reminds me of what my hands are made to do! These ADHD hands are truly made for doing! And now I know how important it is for my hands to be doing so my brain can stay engaged.
During my classes at https://www.iactcenter.com/ with Laurie Dupar this year, it became a real wake-up call for me regarding the importance of my hands-brain connection. This explains why I was able to graduate college with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work along with a minor in Art. I had enough art classes to help me get through the other classes.
Now I have a true understanding of why as a little girl I was busy with my hands creating and doing just about any crafts and artwork. The list is huge of all the many different crafts and artwork I was busy doing! I had laser focus and it was not easy to pull me away from the craft of the day.
As a little girl, I spent every Saturday morning for years at our local CYC (Christian Youth Center) working on ceramics. I was busy making things from scratch with the clay, pouring slip into molds, or on the pottery wheel. I loved getting my hands into the clay, using the tools, painting, staining, or putting glaze on my artwork, and seeing the results each step of the way until I had a finished product to take home. Tada!
I started knitting when I was 10 years old. I taught myself how to knit and then took lessons from a sweet little old lady at our local Sears which was only a block away from my home. That didn’t last long as the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke coming from her each time I was given my instructions was more than this little girl wanted to endure. On to teaching myself at home. I knitted up a storm. Slippers for everyone in the family including my dog, Snowball. I moved on to afghans, and scarves and even knitted a sweater that turned out pretty good.
Whether it was macramé, gum wrapper chain, quilling, sewing, or cross-stitch I was on it and wanted to conquer it so I could move on to the next craft/artwork. As I get older, my ADHD didn’t just want to make items just to be making them, I needed a purpose. Of course, my family has all received handmade gifts from me and it’s a nice reminder of how creative I am.
Now, my hands are doin’ what they were made for! And doing more than I could ever imagine. With my hands engaged as I type this blog on my phone in my Pages app or write in my journals; which I’ve been writing since 1981, I have a message of hope for other ADHDers that also know their hands were made for doin’!
Finding out what works with your brain and how you can use your hands for that connection is huge. If you haven’t found that connection, I encourage you to keep searching. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you!
How in the world can you explain the fact that I’ve been able to write, now the 25th blog since August 16, 2022, when I’ve never read a blog before let alone write one? That’s only 54 days and I’m on my 25th blog. What? I’ll be first to tell you that I didn’t even know that I had a gift to write until I wrote that first blog in August for my graduation requirements for the iACTCenter. And I know 100% that this is a gift from God and I give Him all the glory I’m so appreciative that I have been given this gift and I get to use this gift to benefit others.
I hear some of you say, but Karen I don’t want to knit or play in clay or even write. I get it and you don’t have to. The connection between our hands and our brains is a fascinating relationship. That’s probably why there are tons of different fidget and sensory-type items to keep the hands busy so the brain can work. This is where my other life comes into play. For 4 years, I have been working as a dealer for promotional products as one of the Good News Girls Promotional Products through Celebrate Our Town. https://www.celebrateourtown.com/promos As I’ve worked in this industry and then with my studies, I’m excited to find lots of products available for those that need some type of fidget product. This can help in temporary situations or long-term in difficult projects. And as creative as we are as ADHDers, the great thing is I can also custom make products for people along with having access to over 500,000 products via over 1,000 different vendors. Do you have an idea, The Good News Girls can make it happen. http://goodnewsgirlspromotions.com/
I’m thankful for now being more sensitive to the brain and hand connection! Now I have awareness of this fact and hopefully, you have more awareness, as well and maybe your ADHD HANDS ARE MADE FOR DOIN’ too!
For more information on this subject and/or if you would like to work with a Life Coach to work through some struggles or have someone beside you as you navigate this life, contact me at https://happybrainlifecoach.com/
Think you for reading “Karen’s Noggin’ 🧠 Nuggets” #25 ~ October 8, 2022
