adhd tips from a girlie who was diagnosed in her late twenties and has had little to no support since and is being so brave about it:
1) Make it easy, make it accessible, and make it appealing. If anything this is the most important thing, all tips going forward are based around this concept.
2) That thing you think would help you but you havenât bought/done it yet because youâre technically surviving without it? buy it, you need it. doesnât matter if people around you might think itâs wasteful or that youâre lazy, youâre not, just do it, trust me.
3) expanding on tip #2, if youâre like me and eggs are your main source of protein because theyâre quick and easy and feeding yourself is a near insurmountable task- buy yourself an electric egg cooker, make a bunch of hard boiled eggs and keep them in your fridge for quick and easy protein to add to any meal (handful of crackers, a hard boiled egg and a banana? 5 star meal right there.). Other easy protein includes: potstickers (put them in instant ramen), edamame (they have microwaveable snack packs), chickpeas (put in salads!), beans (can of beans microwaved with shredded cheese and some tortilla chips), peanut butter (with crackers, apple and cheese, adult lunchable style) and tofu (cut into cubes, throw them into a ziplock with some seasoning and potato starch, shake that shit up and bake it until crispy).
4) spend a little extra (if you are able) on daily use items that excite you, it will make you more likely to remember/want to do said daily task. for example: the only reason i remember to use sunscreen is because i bought some fancy japanese sunscreen that smells like roses so i get excited to use it, same for laundry detergent and body wash! thereâs a gajillion different body wash scents out there, switch it up!
5) if thereâs a task you continuously struggle with take a moment to think about which part of the task is making it difficult, it could be something even as small as âi donât put my dirty clothes in the hamper because my hamper has a lid on it and lifting the lid is one step too manyâ sounds a little stupid huh? but trust your gut, itâs not stupid if it works. See tip #2 and BUY A HAMPER WITHOUT A LID.
6) if you are having trouble starting a task, break the task down further, sometimes the way i start tasks is just by going âok step 1) stand up-â and so forth. donât worry about the task as a whole just take it one step at a time.
7) if youâre halfway through a task and have to stop, leave it out. all this, âput things away when youâre done with them.â is bullshit. you will be much more likely to finish the task if restarting it is easier because you left it out. you can also create faux deadlines like âI gotta finish this project before my friend comes over on tuesday because after I finish it I can clean off the dinner table.â etc.
8) Itâs okay to outsource tasks and donât let anyone tell you otherwise, humans are designed to ask for, and to require help (what do babies do when theyâre first born?? cry for help!!) ask for help and receive help without shame, if it makes your life better, you are WINNING.
9) if you have one big overwhelming task that you think you need to get done before anything else, but you feel motivated to do other tasks, do those other tasks first, itâs okay. otherwise in all likelihood (at least in my case) youâll put everything off until the last minute and then have to do said overwhelming task and those other tasks wonât get done at all. doing smaller tasks also lowers the mental load and you can use them as a motivation launch pad to tackle bigger things.
10) If you notice you tend to not put something away/forget to do something, perhaps consider moving and storing the item closer to where it ultimately ends up or where you are more likely to see it. For example, my makeup, pills, and mail are all stored on my desk because thatâs where I tend to do my makeup, take my pills and deal with my mail. I used to store my pills in my bathroom medicine cabinet but all too often I would forget because they werenât in my line of sight. now that theyâre on my desk, I have multiple chances per day to pass by them, go âoh I gotta take those.â and take them.
11) Open storage, open storage, OPEN STORAGE
12) motivation can look like all kinds of things. sometimes the only reason I get out of bed is because i remember I have a fun snack and I get to go eat it if I get up. itâs okay to lean into those simple âanimal-brainâ type motivators, youâll eat because then you can use that fun new kitchen gadget you got a daiso? neat. youâll shower because then you can paint your nails that fun new color you got? fantastic. youâll go to the dmv and do that annoying thing because youâll take yourself out for boba after? superb. lean-IN to those small motivators, they arenât stupid or childish, they are VITAL.
13) donât buy into the cult of âif itâs worth doing, do it properlyâ itâs guaranteed to set you up for failure. if itâs worth doing, do it in whatever capacity you are able to. i put sunscreen on once a day because thatâs fucking better than not doing it at all and i sure as all hell will fail at reapplying it multiple times a day. if itâs worth doing, do it half-assed babieeee.
go forth and prosper!!! xoxo âïžđ©”
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