Finding Your LD/ADD Pride Accepting Your LD/ADD

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CREATIVITY TIME! - LD/ADD ENVELOPES EXERCISE

Here is fun part of the module! This is your chance to express your creative side and start keeping track of your thoughts and feelings about having LD/ADD in order to accept it and recognize your strengths. Most importantly, this is a concrete way of working towards realizing your LD/ADD Pride.

Instructions:

 

1.	Gather all the materials you will need including:  eraser (optional)  pencil (optional)  two white 8 x11 envelopes  two white regular letter size envelopes  pencil crayons, markers or paints  scissors  white or lined paper
2.	Start by working with the two large envelopes. Label one of the large envelopes as your "LD/ADD Grief Envelope". Label the other envelope as your "LD/ADD Gifts Envelope". Design your Envelopes to reflect what they are about. This step is optional, but highly recommended to help you release your emotions. (See Figure1and 2 for below for examples): Figure 1 Figure 2
3.	Now turn your attention to the letter size envelopes. Label each envelopes with one stage of the grief process including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
4.	Place all five letter size envelopes in your "LD/ADD Grief Envelope"
5.	Now turn your attention to your white or lined paper. You will be using this paper to record your thoughts and feelings about the acceptance process and the various gifts you possess to be distributed into their respective envelopes. For the next few weeks try to be aware of your thoughts and feelings about the accepting your LD/ADD (You will be working with your "LD/ADD Grief Envelope") Whenever you have a thought or feeling about your LD/ADD attempt to choose what stage of the grieving process it applies to and write the thought down on a piece of paper. After writing your thought or feeling down cut it out and place it into the most appropriate letter size envelope (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) and put it back into your "LD/ADD Grief Envelope". Simultaneously work with "LD/ADD Gifts envelope". Record as many gifts as you possibly can. Try to record at least one gift for every three thoughts or feelings included in your "LD/ADD Grief Envelope". It may help to start by recording the gifts you outlined in section 3 "What are your strengths?". This envelope may take a real effort on your part to fill up especially if you don't feel very confident in your abilities right now, but in order to make this exercise worth while it is important that you keep trying.
6.	Once you are satisfied with the contents of both your "LD/ADD Grief "and "LD/ADD Gifts" envelope (give yourself a few weeks to think about and record your contributions) open the envelopes and review your contributions. You are likely to be amazed by the degree of emotion expressed in your LD/ADD Grief Envelope, especially if you have kept these emotions pent up inside yourself for a long time. Do not let the depth of your emotion scare you away from this activity. It is normal to have strong emotions during the acceptance process. You can temper this process by alternating your attention between your "LD/ADD Grief" Envelope and your "LD/ADD Gifts Envelope". Also don't forget to make contributions to your "acceptance envelope" (one of the letter size envelopes located in your LD/ADD Grief Envelope).
7.	You may find it takes a while to build up the number of contributions in your "acceptance envelope". Take your time. Go at your own pace and don't expect the acceptance process to happen right away.
8.	When you feel comfortable, share your envelopes with somebody you trust (e.g. a close friend, relative, counselor) and what you have learned about accepting and living with LD/ADD.

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Proceed to Section 9 - Ready to Find Your LD/ADD Pride!