8 New Year’s Resolutions for People With ADHD

Photo Credit: honglouwawa / istockphoto.com Resolutions to Make Your Year the Best It Can Be The beginning of the year is the ideal occasion to reflect back on the accomplishments from the last 12 months, and affords you the opportunity to turn your gaze forward and set goals for the next 12 months. When attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is in your life, it has the ability to shape much of what was done and what was not done. You don’t have to fall into clichéd resolutions about losing weight or finishing that novel. The best New Year's resolutions will be those that target ADHD symptoms or emphasize their benefits to make the next year better than the last. Here are the eight best ADHD resolutions to consider: 1. Take It Slow When you have ADHD, speed will not be your friend. It will lead to mistakes, oversights and errors as you rush through the task at hand. The solution: go slow and steady. Since people with ADHD have the tendency to feel sped up or like they are driven by a motor, slowing down past the point of comfort will allow you to arrive at the desired pace. To aid in this process, find new ways of being mindfully aware of your present state. What are you doing? How are you feeling? By asking these questions, you will be more in touch with yourself. Photo Credit: Kkolosov / istockphoto.com 2. Streamline Your Environment Have you taken a long, thorough look at your space lately? Many people with ADHD live in settings that are perfect illustrations of their symptoms. The places you sleep, eat, study and relax might be messy, disorganized, dirty or chaotic. This only hurts your ability to focus as it helps ADHD’s ability to cause havoc. By decluttering and organizing your space, you allow yourself the ability to succeed. Removing excess paperwork and finding appropriate storage solutions will streamline your environment. If this seems impossible or unlikely, consider bringing in a trusted support to complete the process. Photo Credit: WestLight / istockphoto.com 3. Use Your Resources There are many tools available for someone interested in resolving to tackle ADHD in the New Year. From kitchen timers to elaborate apps that keep you on task, there are a variety of solutions for your needs. If you need reminders that it is time to end one activity and move on to next, a timer might be a helpful tool. If you need incentives to stay focused on the current task, consider making a playlist that lasts for the amount of time you want to dedicate to the task. As long as the music is playing, you will be devoted to the assignment. If auditory alarms are not effective, you may benefit from a piece of wearable technology that vibrates as a means of alert. Tools to improve your symptoms are available as long as you have the creativity and willingness to experiment. Photo Credit: CreativaImages / istockphoto.com 4. Indulge Your ADHD No one can be symptom-free forever. Sometimes, the more you try to conceal and minimize these symptoms, the more they work to break free. Because of this, resolving to indulge your ADHD can release the symptoms under safe, structured conditions. To do this, think about what your symptoms want you to do. Do they want you to binge on video games or move from activity to activity in your house while accomplishing nothing? Whatever the case might be, permit yourself the freedom to engage in the behavior on a regular basis. As long as you can end the behavior after a set period of time, no harm will be done and you will be better prepared for the next challenge. Photo Credit: Georgijevic / istockphoto.com 5. Discover Energy Outlets Hyperactivity is a cornerstone of ADHD. Even with this being true, some people try to force themselves into calm, still stagnation. Usually this is a losing battle since it goes against the core of ADHD. Rather than trying to complete the impossible, find ways to add more activity to your life. With desks you can stand at, meetings done during a walk outside, and small fidgets to stimulate your mind, releasing the stored energy is an effective method to reduce symptoms. Along these lines, finding ways to incorporate more physical activities into your day may reduce your baseline energy, which will reduce hyperactivity. Join a team or head to the gym to expel some energy. Photo Credit: Wavebreakmedia / istockphoto.com 6. Employ a Team The above resolutions may seem difficult, but the process will be aided with the help of others. Look to the people in your life that are able to complete the activities in a way that you admire. Instead of feeling self-conscious about your limitations, be open and direct with them. Ask for their advice or assistance in this journey. They may offer simple solutions or new methods that you have never considered. During the process, consider removing people that only feed into your ADHD at inopportune times. Photo Credit: Wavebreakmedia / istockphoto.com 7. Find Professional Treatment If another year has gone by with ADHD continuing as a powerfully negative force, it might be time for professional treatment. Even if previous attempts at treatment did not yield the results that you were hoping for, another attempt could make all the difference. Mental health treatment is full of tremendous variability. The results from one medication or one therapist will not indicate the results from another medication or another therapist. Professionals can assess your goals and provide interventions and strategies that are well-suited to your situations, strengths, and abilities. Additionally, ADHD treatment options continue to evolve meaning that new methods may be used now that were not available previously. Photo Credit: yacobchuk / istockphoto.com 8. Be Consistent The one item that separates the best resolutions from the worst resolutions is consistency. Without consistency, your plans and goals will be off-track before the confetti is picked out of the carpet. Remember, at some point you will face setbacks and adversity. This does not indicate that your resolution is flawed. It only means that you need to reevaluate your methods and reinvest your energy toward your goal. With consistency, ADHD could be better managed in the New Year than ever before.

8 New Year’s Resolutions for People With ADHD

Photo Credit: Kkolosov / istockphoto.com

2. Streamline Your Environment

A Holistic Approach to Treating ADHD