Taking Control of Your ADHD: Practical Strategies for Living with Focus and Clarity
Living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to take control of your life. With the right strategies, you can live with focus and clarity and make ADHD work for you instead of against you.
At its core, ADHD is an inability to stay focused on tasks or activities that require sustained attention. It can manifest itself in many different ways such as difficulty concentrating, impulsivity, restlessness, disorganization and more. But there are ways to manage these symptoms so that they don’t get in the way of your daily life.
This article explores practical strategies for taking control of your ADHD and living a productive life despite its challenges.
Try Vitamins and Supplements
Living with this disorder can be difficult and overwhelming, but there are practical strategies that can help improve focus and clarity. One of the most promising options is to take vitamins and supplements specifically designed to support people with ADHD.
There are a variety of different products, similar to these Natural Vitamins & Supplements For ADHD, that may be beneficial for managing symptoms. These products contain a blend of vitamins, minerals, and herbs that help support the body’s natural ability to focus and calm the mind. Some supplements are also designed to aid your gut health which has been shown to directly influence your brain function.
While vitamins and supplements can be successful for many individuals, it’s important to note that these products should never replace treatments prescribed by your doctor. However, when combined with other strategies, supplements can be used as an effective tool in your overall approach to managing ADHD.
Avoid Multitasking
How many of you try to take on more than you can handle at once? It’s easy to think that multitasking will help make life easier and get more done in less time. However, for people with ADHD, the opposite is true. Multitasking can be detrimental because it forces your brain to keep switching back and forth between multiple tasks, making it difficult to focus on any one activity.
Instead, try to focus on just one task at a time and give it your full attention. This will help you complete it more quickly and efficiently, while also reducing the stress associated with trying to do multiple things at once.
Taking breaks can also be beneficial. Breaks may seem counterintuitive when looking to increase productivity, but they are helpful for increasing productivity in the long term. Taking regular breaks throughout the day will allow you to give your brain a rest and refuel for the tasks ahead. This can help restore focus and clarity so that you can get back on track and stay productive as you approach each new task throughout the day.
Take Advantage of Organizational Tools
Organizing one’s life is a key component for successful management of ADHD. With the help of organizational tools, those who are impacted can take control of their lives, enabling them to live with focus and clarity. By understanding the different types of organizational strategies available and how to use them effectively, you can become more efficient and organized in your everyday life.
Some organizational strategies to consider include:
- Creating a daily planner: Utilizing a planner or calendar can help those with ADHD to stay on track, remember tasks, and reduce stress. A planner should include both long term goals and smaller tasks that need to be completed on a daily basis.
- Making use of checklists: Writing out a checklist for tasks that need to be completed can help a person stay focused and mindful of what needs to be done. Some even find it helpful to break up large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones.
- Utilizing digital tools: There are many apps and online tools available for managing daily tasks. These tools can provide reminders, important dates, and other helpful organizational tools.
Taking the first step to get organized is the key to success for those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. With some dedication and the right organizational strategies, anyone can improve their life.
Set Medication Reminders
If you are required to take medication as part of your treatment plan, it is important to ensure that you take the right amount of medication at the right time. Setting up reminders in your phone or using an online calendar can help you stay on track with your medications while also reducing potential side effects associated with not taking them correctly.
Additionally, if there are any dietary restrictions connected to a certain type of medication, setting reminders can help you to remember these when planning meals or doing the grocery shopping.
Final Thoughts
Living with ADHD can be incredibly difficult, but it doesn’t have to limit you. By taking control of your condition and setting up systems that support both short and long term success, you can live a life full of focus and clarity. It won’t always be easy, but the effort is well worth it in order to make positive changes for yourself.
Remember: You are capable of achieving great things no matter what challenges come your way!
Focus forward and thrive, my friends. And please feel welcome to share any life improvement tips that have worked for you.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
10 Comments
Jennifer
These are such helpful tips!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, my friend. I appreciate that! I think everyone can benefit from these ideas even those who don’t have ADHD.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
I can’t imagine how it must feel to have ADHD. And I actually don’t have anyone around me that has it. But I think that is important to explore things that can work and help. And not only go with what doctors subscribe.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nancy. I know a few people with ADHD so I have heard first hand accounts of the struggles that come with it. I think some of these tips are helpful for everyone even those without ADHD. I know I could definitely use some more organizational help!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
I like that these tips really applicable to anyone! I don’t know if it’s just me or all the distractions we have these days has made it harder to concentrate, but I definitely have experienced the difference between trying to multi-task and letting myself focus on a single thing. Multi-tasking is a myth – as you say, it’s really just switching quickly between tasks. I don’t have ADHD but I do feel the strain from task switching!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Sally. I agree that these tips are helpful for anyone whether they have ADHD or not. Remember how multitasking used to be a thing that was desired by employers? I guess until we finally realized that is not very effective at all! There is also this unstated expectation in the age of technology that we all be available and reachable all the time so when our phones ding with messages and notifications we are immediately inclined to stop what we are doing and answer that phone. I stopped doing that a long time ago because it really is disruptive to a productive flow! Now I find myself switching tasks only when I am involved in a task that doesn’t really thrill me and I am looking to procrastinate! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
ratnamurti
These are definitely good hints, Shelbee. I am lost without a diary, and I don’t have ADHD!! Letting go of multitasking is so freeing too.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, my friend! I am lost without my daily planner and my lists! I wouldn’t know what day it is or where to begin my days without these things. And I don’t have ADHD either! I think these tips are helpful for everybody though.
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
My oldest son was diagnosed with it in second grade. This was back in the late 80s. W were lucky to find doctors who were willing to not only work with us but also educate themselves on the best practice known at that time. He definitely had ADHD. He was on medication for a few years and didn’t want to take it in junior high. I let him go off of it with the standpoint that he was still responsible for his actions regardles of his ADHD. We had some tough times. Today, he is in his early forties, has a wonderul family, and has a high stress job he loves. My youngest has explored his ADD…more an attention thing…and found medication did him no good. He has a degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences as well as a Masters in Special Education so he’s using the strategies he’s found there.
I, on the other hand, post blog posts a week early! I do love making a list, though! This was very well written and contains lots of good information!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh wow, Marsha, thanks so much for sharing your personal experience with your kids and their ADHD and ADD. How fortunate that you were able to work with wonderful doctors. I know I had symptoms of bipolar and depression as well as severe life-inhibiting anxiety way back in the 80s but that wasn’t even on my parents’ radar to seek help for me. I think they just chalked it up to me being a weird kid! But I don’t blame them, it just wasn’t a thing they would have even know what to do about. We all do our best with the hands we are dealt…that’s really all that can be expected of any of us! It sounds like your kids played their hands very well! And you should be so very proud of them, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee