ADHD Life Resources: Books*

How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis LPC

ADHD-friendly approach to doing the basic things of life. “Licensed therapist and TikTok star K.C. Davis answered your questions on Thursday about managing guilt around housekeeping. She struggled with doing housework after becoming a mom, when she was dealing with postpartum depression and ADHD. But she realized she was not alone, and came up with an approach to help people keep their homes tidy without feeling guilty about what they were not getting done.” - Washington Post chat where I found this book.

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall B. Rosenberg PhD

This classic is the only book I’ve come across to define the human needs and to fully describe feelings, who feelings belong to, and help distinguish thoughts from feelings. With this new understanding, you then learn models of how to communicate with others: how to listen; how to make requests; how to express anger.

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are by Brene Brown

You are “enough.” This is THE guidebook for living an authentic life, and antidote to ADHD shame.

Boundaries for Leaders: How To Be Ridiculously In Charge by Henry Cloud

This is not an ADHD-directed book, but it illustrates with examples how to actively manage your “executive functions.” Whether you are the CEO of an organization or the “CEO of you,” this will apply.

Crucial Conversations by Grenny, Patterson, McMillan, Switzler, and Gregory

If self-expression ties you in knots, this book helps you know what to say and how to say it, from the perspective that “Dialogue skills are learnable.” You might be familiar with the term “social scripts,” for helping you be prepared and feel less anxious about speaking out - this book gives you the formulas for how to speak up. (This link summarizes the book’s take-aways pretty well, if you want the condensed version.)

The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD by Lidia Zylowska

If you’ve wondered, “What am I supposed to be being mindful of?” or “What do I do with what I become aware of?” this book gives you specific ideas or “exercises,” such as in the chapter “Step 8: Slow Down to Be More Effective; Mindful Decisions and Actions.”

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell

Do you think your problem is that you should be doing more? I might counter with this very thoughtful book grappling with the forces of culture and technology that divide us from our human needs. This is dense, not an easy read, but nearly any page will engage you with a new perspective on how to use your time: “…thought and deliberation require not just incubation space (solitude and/or a defined context) but incubation time. …Whether the dialogue I want is with myself, a friend, or a group of people…there are concrete conditions for dialogue. Without space and time, these dialogues wil not only die, they will never be born in the first place.”

The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology by Lee Ross and Richard Nisbett

How much of behavior is a result of the situation itself? Turns out, quite a lot! Rather than try to figure out or engineer the person, this supports looking at the context of events for understanding. As a coach, I find this perspective is very freeing for my clients. This is a textbook, so the writing is dense, but it is also easy to get value from a brief reading. Apply these lessons to your home or business!

Lifeskills for Adult Children by Jane Geringer Woititz and Alan Garner

This book describes and teaches the life skills for navigating the world and meeting your needs - things you didn’t learn in childhood - for whatever reason. Chapters cover:
Social contact - expressing feelings - active listening - asking for what you want - giving others what they want - solving problems - asking others to change their behavior - handling criticism - establishing and defending boundaries - fighting fair - ending conversations and visits - ending relationships.

The Sensory Child Gets Organized by Carolyn Dalgliesh

Could sensory issues be behind moods and behaviors in your household? The basics of sensory organizing at home to support executive functioning and reduce anxiety, overwhelm, and distractibility. Ideas for creating structure, routines, and visual aids to support sensory sensitive families, using their gifts such as visual processing. Includes examples of what sensory processing difficulties look like, and some specific ideas for how to help.

Worry-Free Money by Shannon Lee Simmons

Guilt-free and simple approach to spending money, so that you are not making spending decisions constantly. If you’ve had an emotional approach to spending, this is a reality-based antidote for stewarding the important life resource that is money.

*NOTE: These are not affiliate links! I link to Amazon just because you’ll probably read more about these books there before you buy them.