Andrea Toole Andrea Toole

Why I Walk

Why do I go on walks? Meditation, introspection, rumination, lots of "-ations".

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Andrea Toole Andrea Toole

A Guide to Understanding Your Friends with ADHD

I joke that everyone should come with a user manual. I have ADHD, and I believe that if I had a guidebook for friends, dates, and partners, this could be a chunk of it. It would make life easier, wouldn’t it?

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Brain Food

Expanding on my previous post, mostly from the perspective of the food we eat. This is a long post because there are a lot of related concepts. It discusses allergies, illness, candida and the food we eat.

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Your Body Has Two Brains

In which I talk about the "second brain", neurotransmitters, mood and food, and share some cool facts about the gut microbiome. Also, I make a reference to a movie from 1989.

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The first panic attack I remember

I was in grade 7 (“7th grade”) shop class. The teacher was explaining how to make a spice rack. I tuned out, likely daydreaming. In those days, no one knew about ADHD. The memory of that kid’s mocking haunted me for years.

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Allowing Feelings

When we “empathize” by relating our own stories, we make it about us. It’s not always intentional, but it’s a risk. Thoughts inspired by the book The Gift by Edith Egar.

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ADHD and Overwhelm

What is overwhelm and what can someone with ADHD - or someone without - do about it? I've got 10 ways to deal with overwhelm.

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Masking ADHD

ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) share symptoms such as masking. Girls with ASD will imitate what they see in order to seem "normal".

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ADHD and Emotions

If you have ADHD, do you find yourself in full meltdown mode when emotions are released? Do you show your emotions easily or do you hide them in fear?

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ADHD and Selfishness

Do you get accused of being selfish, even though you are not? This question was asked in an online group. Here are some answers, including my own.

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