8 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR A BETTER ADHD LIFE
By Areaona Roberson
1) Burnout?
Being “burnout” simply comes from too many responsibilities/priorities in your life at the same time without adequate support. When you feel like you’re trying hard but making no progress, irritable, with a crappy eating schedule, and even crappier sleep schedule, your nervous system is begging you to stop. But, how can you?? Because ADHD sometimes can interfere with decision making, I have resorted to a coin toss. Heads to let go of one project/position and tails for the other.
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2) Clean Room? 🤣🤣
Many with ADHD struggle with organization, lengthy/repetitive tasks, which sums up keeping a clean room. But, I try to live by “Clear room, clear mind.” I find myself able to function better if I don’t have to see the cup I meant to take to the kitchen two days ago, or the 100 bracelet beads I knocked over looking for my hairbrush. Solutions include, A) The take-in/take-out method. When I leave my room, I try to take one thing out that doesn’t belong. B) Speed cleaning. This is where I would set a timer for 2 minutes and clean as much as I can as fast as I can. C) If possible dedicate a day of the month as a deep cleaning day. Maybe the last day of the month?
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3) Sucky Memory?
Guilty!! I was at work just yesterday and could not remember what a person said. They spoke for less than 15 seconds and my mind was blank. Many ADHDers have trouble with working memory. Working memory refers to information needed to complete small tasks. A) Try Looking into their eyes and not at the shirt that reminds you of that one tv episode. B) “Chewing the information”. By this I mean, not only paying attention but also taking the information in bite size bites. C) Deep/slow breaths. D) After lectures, voice record everything you remember without looking at your notes.
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4) Feeling Crappy?
We’re basically emotional, noisy plants with bills and aspirations. About 75% of our body is water. Like plants, we need food. So, go chug a bottle real quick and grab a snack. I’ll wait.🥫🧁As stated before, boundaries help. Have you ever seen a plant interacting with several types of animals at the same time?? No! It would die. It can’t feed the four legged animals, provide shelter for microscopic bugs, all while dealing with diseases and insects attacking its roots. While a rotting tree is still a tree, we do not want it to get that far.
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5) How to Deal with Sensory Overload?
This depends on what sense(s) is being overloaded the most in your experience. For me, it's repetitive noises like people talking. And it’s ten times worse when I’m burned out. Ironically, I don’t love silence. I just love control over the noises and noise level. You can try using headphones/ear plugs when not in class. If those aren’t an option, try humming or some other self made noise that helps you focus.
6) Time Management? 😢
Deciding what and how long you give time to something is a skill that many struggle with. Some reasons why are A) Focusing on something longer than 10 minutes is draining. B) Starting any lengthy project can be overwhelming. C) Wrapping up the last 25% of a project can be equally overwhelming. Some solutions I have used are setting timers and doing tasks as fast as possible.
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7) What’s a Boundary and How Can It Help?
Boundaries are things that you decide are not good for you and you actively avoid/deter them. Examples of boundaries can be no social media after a certain time or on certain days, not answering the phone on occasions, and not interacting with someone. Boundaries are hard as humans. That struggle intensifies when you add perfectionism, hyper focus, etc. I suggest just starting with “No.”
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8) Acronyms? Yes, Please.
One strategy to learn a lot of information is by using acronyms. In school, you’ve used PEMDAS and DNA. You can use acronyms for remembering your class schedule. Biology, Calculus, Theater, French=BCTF or Be Cutf. It can be helpful for chores. Laundry, Grocery Shopping, Vacuuming, Dishes, YardWork could be GLVYD or Gliveyed.