If you have ADHD, you’re not alone. You’re one of the millions of adults in the US suffering from this condition. ADHD can be debilitating as it makes it harder for a person suffering from the condition to stay focused on a single task. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways for you to cope with the symptoms of ADHD as an adult.
For example, you can improve daily habits, learn to determine your strengths and use them to battle ADHD, and even develop techniques and strategies to help you be more organized and efficient as possible as an adult. But before we delve into that, let’s talk about what ADHD is and how it can affect your life.
What Is ADHD?
ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It’s usually diagnosed during a person’s childhood years and will last into adulthood. Children with ADHD often have problems paying attention, keeping focused, being too active, and dealing with problems regarding compulsive behavior without thinking much about the consequences.
You might be thinking that that is just how children act. However, it’s different for a child with ADHD. Often, these symptoms can be so severe that they will have difficulty socializing, schoolwork, etc. Also, as mentioned earlier, these symptoms will not go away independently, which means they can last until adulthood.
The most unfortunate part of the whole thing is that it’s common for adults to have ADHD without knowing it. If you have been diagnosed with ADHD in your adulthood, you might have answered some of the questions about yourself growing up. With all that said, however, how do you cope with ADHD as an adult?
Write A Schedule
This may be better said than done since if you’re suffering from ADHD, it will be hard to organize your work. However, there are some key tricks that you can use to be more organized both at school and at work. One strategy for a more organized lifestyle is to start writing down a schedule for the following day every night. Whether you have to work, go to school, or run errands, you must jot everything down by schedule to efficiently follow it the next day.
Stay Focused
We get that as a person with ADHD, it might still be hard for you to do things even with using a schedule. That said, one thing you can do is to focus by doing the following things. You might want to declutter if your home or office is often too disorganized and full of unarranged stuff. Give yourself an appealing workplace to be more efficient by putting all your pencils in a pencil case, arranging your folder, and cleaning your workplace.
Also, in your workplace, distractions should be far from reach. For example, if you’re a person who is always distracted by your phone, make sure to put your phone far away from you by putting it on another table. You can also have your desk face away from the window, TV, etc.
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Keep Things Visual
One of the most common problems that people with ADHD have is that if something is out of their sight, they will have difficulty remembering or even forget it completely. That said, if you’re having this problem constantly, you can give yourself visual cues on places you always go to or at least pass by.
For example, let’s say you have a meeting on a particular date and don’t want to miss it. You can write it down on a sticky note and stick it to your refrigerator, TV, or even computer. You can also try using alarms using your phone and computer.
Determine Your Level Of Stimulation
Although ADHD has specific symptoms, it’s usually different for many people. Each case of ADHD is unique, and they often have different levels or ways of stimulation. For example, some people with ADHD need background noise to keep on focusing at work, while others prefer complete silence.
That said, you need to know your level of stimulation for you to be able to function efficiently. After determining that, you can focus properly and function as intended, making your more efficient in your work.
Try Body Doubling
Body doubling refers to having another person present as you do your tasks. People with ADHD tend to do well working with others as it reminds them of the work they have to do and has an accountability booster that motivates them to finish their tasks. Although research has not yet concluded on the benefits of body doubling, many people with ADHD report that it’s an efficient way to focus on finishing their tasks.
Listen To Your Doctor
ADHD can be debilitating, so you want to have all the help you can get, especially from medical health professionals. Doctors often prescribe medication like Vyvanse to their ADHD patients to help them concentrate on their tasks and be functioning adults overall. Along with other self-help strategies, dealing with ADHD will be a breeze.
Final Words
There are many ways in which you can cope with ADHD as an adult. Even better is that not all of them are listed in this article. There are many more ways to deal with ADHD, and it’s up to you to decide which works for you. By doing trial and error, you’ll soon be able to find strategies that can help you deal with ADHD.
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