Rediscovery + Recovery
WHO Are You? Reshaping Your Self-Image
FEATURE SPOTLIGHT:
Wild Boy Adventures
Brando Yelavich's Journey to Recovery and Discovery
From Chaos to Calm 2020 ISSUE ONE
For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories Plato
From the Editor
The process of rediscovering who you are after getting diagnosed with ADHD is just as unique for each individual as ADHD itself. Many adults are now learning the reasons why they struggled with relationships, procrastination or overthinking and rumination. Many of us have been masking our true selves for years in order to cope with something we didn’t know. While we can’t change the past and erase those struggles, we can learn from them. Brando Yelavich tells us in his interview on page 30 that his struggles have created a strong level of resilience that drives his purpose every day. By turning our pain into healing for ourselves and others, we can move beyond rediscovery to find our purpose and create the life we were meant to live. Our confidence and trust in ourselves may be buried under a dark blanket filled with a lifetime of shame and guilt but we can reframe our old beliefs and use our inner power to develop forgiveness and healing within ourselves. We will continue to have struggles to battle every day but we can choose how we respond. Let go of what doesn't serve you and embrace your bravery, compassion, and resilience that has made you who you are today. You deserve it!
Steffanie Vagnozzi Creator, Founder, ADHD Advocate
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Mahatma Gandhi
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FEATURES
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Unmasking One mask I will never wear again: My journey of revealing my true self
ADHD at Work Relating your ADHD diagnosis to your employer
Brando Yelavich's Journey to Recovery and Rediscovery Discover how one man drew from his resilience and curiosity to find himself
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Rediscovering your WHO Reshape your self-image by challenging your beliefs and shifting your perspective
From the Expert: Eating for Brain Health Rebalance your diet for a healthy lifestyle and an optimal ADHD diet
Legal Notice: ADHD Lifestyle Magazine does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information provided is for informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute or replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always consult a qualified physician or health care provider before making any changes to your diet, medications, or other normal daily routines. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care provider because of anything published by ADHD Lifestyle Magazine.
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INTERACTIVE PAGES 7 Journal Prompt 9 Breathwork 13 I Am Embracing Myself 19 Reflections 23 Rediscover a Hobby 27 Map your Abilities 29 Coloring Page 42 Document your WHO 58 Food Journal 61 Shop the Rainbow
SUPPORT & TIPS 08 | 26 |
46 | 59 |
From Chaos to Calm How breathwork can support and control your emotions
Mapping your ADHD Abilities Use your abilities as opportunities to succeed in your workplace
COMMUNITY 02 From the Editor 11 Self Care Rituals 21 Contributor Poem 44 DIY Self Love 49 Meet the Coach
RSD Resilience: Fight the LOGIC Monster Use this powerful technique to take the power from your RSD
52 Member Spotlight 62 Simply Plated Recipes
Eat the Rainbow Add more colors to your diet to balance your bodies nutritional needs
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Rediscovery
Make a Journal Entry Think back to when you received your diagnosis or began to really understand the full impact that ADHD has had on your life. You may have felt relief at finally giving a name to your everyday struggles. You may have felt angry that you weren't diagnosed earlier or sad for what could have been if you did know before. Take a ten minute pause today to reflect on your feelings and understand what your emotions are telling you.
How did you feel when you received your diagnosis? Now think back to when you were a child, teenager or young adult.
What kind of role model did you need when you were younger? How can you be that role model for someone else? What would you say to your younger self?
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All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei
INTERACTIVE
Date:
Dear Me,
ADHD LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE | 7
BRANDO YELAVICH’S JOURNEY TO RECOVERY & REDISCOVERY By Janine White
Content Warning: This article discusses drug use and suicide
Brando Yelavich sees ADHD as a “gateway to unlimited potential” — and the explorer from New Zealand hasn’t just stepped through that gateway, he has leapt over the threshold. “I've used my ADHD over the last seven years to accomplish more than most people will in their entire lifetimes in adventures all over the world. I definitely couldn't have done that if I didn't have that neuro-different brain inside my head," Yelavich says. “It really drives me to be able to achieve what the neurotypical mind would see as crazy, impossible, just not practical in one lifetime.”
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At 27, Yelavich has already racked up an impressive list of life experiences. In 2014, he became the first person to walk the entire coastline of New Zealand. The journey took 600 days and covered over 5,000 miles (8,700 kilometers), and Yelavich hunted and fished for his food. That was the first of many expeditions that have led him to kayaking around Vancouver Island, exploring New Zealand’s most wild island, and crossing Greenland and Australia. He has given a TEDx Talk and written a best-selling book called Wildboy.
To anyone who has ever struggled to get off the couch or stick to a plan, the dizzying heights that Yelavich has reached might seem daunting. However, he’s emphatic in his belief that anyone with ADHD — anyone, period — has it within them to create the life they want. “I have struggled my entire life, from the earliest memory that I had,” he says. “That has created the strongest level of resilience in my life. I'm an ordinary person, just like everybody else. The only difference is I've chosen to do extraordinary things with my life. It's all a choice.” His deep well of resilience and an endless curiosity that drives him to pursue discovery and rediscovery both within himself and out in the world have served him well, especially during challenging times. “My ADHD, I would say that 60 percent of the time, I'm not really that good at managing it. I have ups and downs. I have arguments with my partner. I still struggle. I still have these same mental blocks that stop me from doing all these things that I'm talking about doing,” he explains. “But eventually, you'll reach a point where you realize, ‘hey, it's time for me to actually do this now. I felt bad for long enough. I just need to try.’ And you just use all the strength inside you to pick yourself up and do it. Just start. And if it doesn't work after five minutes or even 10 minutes then do something else. The ADHD mind needs stimulation, and it's not going to get stimulation from doing nothing.”
Still, that family structure didn’t keep him from going, as he puts it, “well and truly off the rails” as a teenager. He became addicted to drugs, always looking for his next high. Then one night, at age 19, he became violent with a dope dealer who tried to rip him off. When he got home that night, he looked in the mirror and, according to him, he didn’t like what he saw. “I was disgusted with myself. I was in this negative place looking at myself like I was a monster because I had become one,” Yelavich recalls. “I realized in that moment that I needed to change. Life wasn't just going to change unless I changed it myself.”
“I've used my ADHD over the last seven years to accomplish more than most people will in their entire lifetimes in adventures all over the world.
Facing the Mirror Diagnosed with ADHD at six years old while growing up in Auckland City, Yelavich was put on a low dose of Ritalin. He recalls not being able to sit still and frequently becoming distracted. “When I was three and a half, I had a question mark next to my name because I was just a little bit extreme,” he explains. “I used to bite kids in kindergarten and preschool.” He gives his parents enormous credit for their love and support. “My parents definitely put me on Ritalin for me, not so that I was easier to manage in the classroom or easier to manage at home, which I think is a big problem with a lot of ADHD medication,” he says.
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The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. Herbert Spencer
ADHD Lifestyle Magazine Steffanie Vagnozzi Founder + Editor-in-Chief
Philadelphia, PA
Jason Vagnozzi Director of Design Philadelphia, PA
Josh Lecker-Weissman Writer + Contributing Editor @adhd_nerdity Janine White Writer janinewords.com Annabel Louise Andy Gil
Writer
Marcelle Clavette
Writer
adhdgalaxy.com
andrewgil.com Writer
Sophie Tully Writer srtnutrition.co.uk Esther Nagle
Writer @stillwildmind
Karly Horowitz Writer
@chefkarlyrose
Photo Credits from Unsplash Page 8: Siora Photography Page 16: Vince Fleming Page 22: Alex Mihis Page 40: Motoki Tonn Page 50: Iulia Mihailov
ADHD Lifestyle Magazine, 2021 Issue One. ADHD Lifestyle Magazine is published by SRV Group LLC., All rights reserved. Printed in the USA
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The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. PLUTARCH