Helpful Tools for Managing Adult ADHD

We’ve talked about ADHD a bit before on the blog; both how it presents in adult women, as well as lesser known signs of it to watch out for. So we know that ADHD can present in multiple ways, and that the experience of living with ADHD will vary from person to person. And, as we’ve said before, there is more than one type of ADHD: 

“The most well known type is hyperactive/impulsive, which includes the “classic” symptoms mentioned above. This type is more common in men. Another type of ADHD is inattentive, which is more common in women and girls. The last type is a combination of the first two types. Hyperactive/impulsive ADHD can look like fidgeting, interrupting, constantly moving, restlessness, talking a lot, mood swings, and impatience. Inattentive ADHD can look like trouble focusing, forgetting, disorganization, and lack of attention to detail. ”

When it comes to treating and coping with ADHD symptoms, it’s important to take into consideration your specific experience with ADHD. While some general tips may be helpful for a large number of people, they might not be specific to you. Don’t get discouraged if one thing doesn’t work, it might just be the wrong coping mechanism for you. 

Many of the common signs we typically associate with ADHD are ways it presents in children. They aren’t all exclusive to kids–there is overlap between how adults experience ADHD symptoms and how it shows up in kids–but it’s good to remember that it may show up differently in adult life than in childhood.

Some common signs of ADHD include: 

• Constantly fidgeting

• Talking without waiting for their turn

• Short attention span or easily distracted

• Being forgetful or misplacing things

• Interrupting

• Unable to sit still

• Constantly talking or moving around

• Seems unable to follow instructions

• Acting without thinking of consequenceSwitching from task to task frequently

Some lesser known signs which may occur more frequently in adults can include: 

• Hyper focus

• Time management difficulties 

• Emotional sensitivity

• Sleep problems

• Difficulty controlling emotions

• Low tolerance for boredom

• Impulsive shopping

So, what can you do?

The first thing is, if you believe you have ADHD, you should seek diagnosis and treatment. If you are currently working with a therapist, this would be great to bring up with them! They can help come up with a treatment plan or refer you to a psychologist who can conduct an evaluation for ADHD or a psychiatrist who can prescribe appropriate medication for you. They also would have insight on what coping strategies may benefit you the most if they already have a history of working with you. 

Working with a therapist and a psychiatrist or obtaining a ADHD evaluation can help get you a diagnosis as well as a treatment plan including medication and therapy. However, if you have already been diagnosed, and are already working with a therapist or psychiatrist to manage your ADHD, you still may need some extra support now and then. That’s where coping strategies and tools come in handy! While treatment and medication can help lessen the intensity and disruptiveness of any symptoms you may have, these tools can help you manage what does still come up for you. 

Here are tools many adults with ADHD find helpful in managing their symptoms: 

Calendar/planner: 

Having a calendar or a planner allows you to both keep track of what you have when, as well as break things down into smaller, more manageable tasks. If you need something to be physically in your line of sight in order to remember to do it, having a physical calendar or planner can be helpful. If having lots of clutter around just means you’re really good at ignoring sticky notes or reminders, a digital version that sends reminders to you automatically might be a better option! 

Pill organizer: 

Not sure if you took your medication today? Weekly pill organizers can help keep you on top of it so you make sure you take your meds every day. As long as you can remember to fill the organizer weekly (or monthly–they do make monthly versions) you will have an easy way to be sure you take your medications every day. And if you know you’ll struggle to remember to fill it, you can set  a recurring alarm on your phone or in your calendar to remind you when it’s time to refill! 

Task manager

There are a lot of task management tools out there! One may be just right for you. Consider what the hardest part of staying on top of all of your tasks is. Is it remembering what they are? A simple to do list task manager can help with that. Is it remembering all the steps you need for each? Maybe find a task manager that lets you break things down into smaller tasks. Is it remembering when things need to be done by? Find one that lets you set due dates and reminders! Or, if all of that seems to be too much, try at least organizing your tasks into to-do lists. They can help give you a clear idea of “this is what needs to be done and this is when it needs to be done by.” 

A decluttering habit

When things start to pile up, it can get overwhelming to try to deal with them. Have a filing system in place for papers so you can have some sort of decluttering routine to deal with it before it gets too overwhelming. For example, you can go through mail daily and decide what needs to be: gotten rid of, filed away, opened immediately. Then every week just file your stack of papers where they go. This sort of system helps you stay on top of what needs to be done by reducing clutter and keeps you organized proactively. 

Automatic payments

It can be hard to keep track of bills. If you’re able to do so, having automatic payments set up will take the stress of it away. Your payments will just go through every month, you’ll get a receipt emailed to you for your files, and you never wonder if you’ve paid a bill on time again.  It also helps to go paperless and reduce clutter and mail sent to you, which can help keep you organized in the long term! 

If you’re interested in an evaluation from a psychologist to determine if you have ADHD (or something else), you can get tested at Hope+Wellness. We will leave no stone unturned to look at questions you have but also questions you don’t even know you have — so that you can walk away from the evaluation with definitive answers you are seeking, along with a personalized roadmap ahead.