Productivity on the 'Crazy Days'

Chuck Mullikin

When my wife first told me about NeurOptimal® and the world of neurofeedback I was a weird combination of skeptical and curious. As I began looking into the testimonials and as much of the science as I could understand the curiosity grew and the skepticism was slowly, but not fully replaced with optimism. We looked into a few options that were available to us and went with NeurOptimal® knowing we could get the most bang for our buck with unlimited session for a one month rental. To be honest, about a week and a half in I was not sure there was going to be significant change for our family, but by the end of the second week several small changes across the board became evident, and these changes combined for a wonderful cumulative effect in myself and in our home. I started doing sessions with the hope that NeurOptimal® would help with daily stress and anxiety as well as make my adult ADHD more manageable.

In regards to my adult ADHD, I have tried several things over the last few years in hopes of not using pharmaceuticals with undesirable side effects. I’ve tried setting timers for work and breaks, more exercise and various nootropics. Any results I had, particularly from the nootropics felt short lived. Since starting NeurOptimal® I’ve noticed, like with my family, small subtle changes that add up. It used to be that if I had a chaotic day with surprise meetings, interruptions, or just more going on than usual in the office that my weekly task productivity would slide and suffer; sometimes requiring me to work from home in the evenings or come in on a day off to finish what needed to be done. The other day I came home after one of those ‘crazy days’ and when my wife asked me how the day went I was able to confidently say ‘It was crazy, but I got a lot done’. The significance of this statement did not strike me until she pointed it out, then I realized I had two such days that week without falling behind. I still struggle with focus, but I’ve found when I start to disappear down the rabbit hole, I come back up a lot faster and am able to switch tasks more efficiently.

I have also noticed my anxiety and frustration have lowered.  It’s hard to describe other than to say the hard edges have been rounded off. I still recognize the weight of a given situation and have to work through things outside of my control, but the sharp edges of the emotion of the pressure are much more subdued. One result of this is feeling like I’m able to be more present for my wife and kids, especially at the end of a long day or week.

I haven’t had a moment when after a session I felt transformed or different, although I did joke that I learned Japanese. At the same time, I can look back over the first month of sessions and confidently say I am thankful for the changes I’ve seen and can’t wait to see where this takes me. Now, NeurOptimal® feels like part of my self-care and family-care plan.