A Little Help from Your Friends at ADDitude
We know many people are feeling lonely and lost right now. Please know that the ADDitude team has your back. We will do everything in our power to lighten your load — though it’s worth mentioning that babysitting is off the table.
Dear ADDitude readers,
We live in the upside down now. All of us — in isolation, but together in circumstance and in solidarity.
I am writing to you today from a desk crammed in the corner of my kids’ playroom. Within sight are a Playmobil dragon lair, a haphazard list of essential pantry supplies, 3 coffee cups (all empty), a stack of artwork completed in the last 72 hours, and both of my kids making peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches in the kitchen (don’t judge; we all respond to different incentives). Our schools are closed — likely until Fall — and I’m learning how to homeschool on the fly while also trying like heck to provide useful resources to our ADDitude readers during this unimaginable time.
I am alone, but not alone.
My colleague Lilly is holed up in her childhood home with parents and siblings who normally live hundreds of miles apart. Ann has all four of her adult children home, everyone getting up to speed (literally) on e-learning and telecommuting in real time. Eve has worked remotely for years, but is adjusting to a work-from-home schedule with kids in the mix. Nathaly is keeping the office running (we’re not 100% sure how) from another borough. And Susan, Wayne, Anne, Ron, and Joe are putting the finishing touches on the summer issue of ADDitude thanks to ftp, slack, and Zoom. We hope.
What I’m saying is this: The time for kindness and empathy has arrived. The time for forgiving our shortcomings and appreciating our best efforts is here. The time for picking our battles, recognizing small victories, and relaxing screen-time rules is now. We are doing our best, and that simply must be enough.
The next few weeks won’t be pretty, but we can make it to the other side by supporting one another whenever and however possible. At ADDitude, we understand that we can’t realistically erase your daily challenges, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to lessen them or at least show that we’re thinking of you. That said, we’d like to offer the following to our loyal readers:
- Our ebook Mindfulness & Other Natural Treatments for ADHD is now free of charge in the ADDitude Store. We hope you will download it and put to use its strategies for practicing deep breathing, yoga, and mindful meditation during this stressful time.
- Our ADHD experts are adding daily to ADDitude’s new library of articles about parenting, working, and managing anxiety during the pandemic.
- The ADDitude editors are actively seeking input and requests from readers: What resources do you wish you had at your fingertips? What problems are already popping up? How can we help? Click here to share the comments that will help us craft new content in the weeks ahead.
We know many people are feeling lonely and lost right now. Please know that the ADDitude team has your back. We will do everything in our power to lighten your load — though it’s worth mentioning that babysitting is off the table. ☺
Stay safe,
Anni Rodgers and the ADDitude team
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