Addiction is an extremely difficult topic for me, and yet, so important to talk about.
People with ADHD are at much higher risk of addiction than the neurotypical population. 50% of adults with ADHD have a history of substance abuse at some point in their lives, compared to 25% of neurotypicals. A whopping half of adults with ADHD have struggled, struggle, or will struggle with substance abuse.
But one thing can help prevent this.
ADHD can really complicate life sometimes. But we can make it a bit easier by using the right strategies and tools. What everyday items can you get to simplify things and help you be rested, organized, and productive? Let’s have a look at some things that make life more ADHD-friendly.
If you are neurodivergent, you may struggle with getting hydrated. Autistic people often have problems with drinking plain water, while people with ADHD can forget to drink enough. Whether you need tips to make drinking water more sensory-friendly, reminders to keep hydration on your radar, or creative alternatives to traditional water, this blog post is here to help. You’ll find here practical strategies designed with neurodivergent needs in mind, from flavor hacks to clever routines. Ready to make staying hydrated easier? Let’s dive in!
I have read a very interesting chapter in the book ADHD 2.0 that suggests that balancing exercises may improve the symptoms of ADHD. Why? Apparently, both physical balance and executive functioning are controlled by a part of the brain called the cerebellum. The cerebellum is a small part of the brain – it takes only 10% of its volume, but it contains a staggering 75% of all neurons of the brain. It has been long known that together with the vestibular system, it controls your balance.
For most people with ADHD, caffeine doesn’t work as it would for neurotypical people. Instead of a boost of energy, it makes them calm and sleepy. I’m one of those odd ADHDers for whom caffeine works normally. I have asked around and apparntly, it happens. But if you are not one of the fortunate, what to do to get an extra kick when you have stuff to finish? Here are some tips!
You are running late. You are always running late and you don’t understand why. You woke up extra early, and yet you are late. Again. The stress and shame is eating at you. You desperately WANT to be on time, try to be on time, just to fail every time. People are angry at you. They think you are lazy and disrespectful. They don’t understand that you are angry at yourself too. That you are trying so hard. Everyone around you is able to show up on time, and you are not. Again and again, you try, you promise yourself you will do better, and you fail.
It has nothing to do with character. We often imagine that some people have a lot of willpower, while some have less. We judge people on this basis. That is a terrible oversimplification. The same person has varying amounts of willpower throughout their day and throughout their life. There aren’t weak-willed people, there are just weak-willed periods and moments. Everyone has them. And they don’t mean anything bad. It’s absolutely normal not to have 100% energy and motivation to charge into doing things all the time.
When you have ADHD, it can be insanely hard to get anything done, ever. That goes for keeping your house clean and organized too. It can be hard when you need to adult every day, but your brain just won’t have it. So I found some methods to work with the quirks my brain has. I adapt my daily tasks according to what I know about myself and it shows some results. I hope some of this will help you too.
For quite some time, I have been gathering tips about natural supplements to help manage ADHD. I have lurked in ADHD Facebook groups, and from time to time, someone would come up with an ADHD supplement that helped them greatly. I paid attention and added it to my list if other people said it helped them too. I looked for the best supplements for ADHD on Reddit as well. I googled. I put the information together bit by bit. Here is a list of the most often mentioned ADHD supplements for adults and children.
If you tried decluttering at all, you are probably familiar with the famous technique “Set your timer for 15 minutes and go!”
It works for a variety of reasons. One of them is that it lowers the bar for beginning, and sets a doable goal. Another is that it gives you a corrected timeframe — if you are time-blind, you can feel like the tasks you can do in 15 minutes take an hour, so you may be pleasantly surprised by how short a time it really takes. Yet another advantage can be that it gives you a deadline, allowing you to race against the clock, making it into a competition with yourself.