The creator of the YouTube channel “How to ADHD” shares hard-won insights and everyday strategies that help her thrive in this accessible and shame-free guide to working with, understanding, and celebrating the ADHD brain.
Diagnosed with ADHD at age twelve, Jessica McCabe struggled with a brain that she didn't understand. She constantly lost track of important items and had trouble with relationships. By thirty-two, she had dropped out of college twice, changed jobs fifteen times, and ruined her credit. Determined to understand her challenges, Jessica reached out to experts, read articles, and shared her discoveries on YouTube.
In “How to ADHD”, Jessica reveals the insights and tools that have changed her life while offering an unflinching look at the realities of living with ADHD. The key to navigating a world not built for the neurodivergent brain isn't to fix or fight against its natural tendencies but to understand and embrace them. She explains how ADHD affects everyday life, covering executive function impairments, rejection sensitivity, difficulties with attention regulation, and more. You'll learn to identify the invisible obstacles that those with ADHD face and find tried-and-true strategies for adapting your environment, routines, and systems to work with the ADHD brain, including:
• Boost the signal and decrease the noise. Facilitate focus by putting your goals where you can see them and fighting distractions with distractions.
• Have less stuff to manage. Learn why you have trouble planning and prioritizing, and why doing more starts with doing less.
• Build your "time wisdom." Work backward when you plan and track how long it actually takes for you to complete a task.
• Learn about your emotions. Understand how naming your emotions, letting yourself experience them, and appreciating the guidance they provide will make them easier to regulate.
With quotes from Jessica's online community, chapter summaries, and reading shortcuts designed for the neurodivergent reader, “How to ADHD” will help you recognize your challenges, tackle "bad brain days," and be kinder to yourself in the process.
