Educate Yourself
It is difficult to manage your symptoms if you do not understand your condition. Education may prove vital in navigating day-to-day life so you can gain insight into how ADHD affects you.
Gaining knowledge about ADHD can also help you keep track of your symptoms. If you have a doctor or therapist, they can provide more support if they know where it needs to be targeted.
Talk It out in Therapy
Just as medication is a tool that is often used to treat ADHD, therapy can also be a resource that is helpful in finding balance. In therapy, you learn various skills and gain resources to combat symptoms that may be hindering your life.
Talking about your struggles is also beneficial. Therapy should provide a safe environment and offer unbiased insight into your situation.
Manage Dysregulated Attention
Dysregulated attention is often a core symptom of ADHD, and while there are no quick fixes, there are ways you can work to enhance your focus or make the most of a heightened attention state.
For instance, you may find that you need to work in shorter spurts of time. Allow yourself to take breaks, as this can help you to be more productive in the long run and alleviate some of the frustration that can come with inattention.
Using a digital calendar and receiving notifications can be helpful if you struggle with forgetfulness or if you become derailed in your efforts to complete a task.
If you struggle with attention regulation in certain situations, it may be useful to find locations that help you focus. This could be a room in your home, or perhaps a library or coffee shop.
You may also need a specific type of environment that promotes productivity. Some individuals work best with background noise, while others require complete silence.
White noise machines provide a steady background noise that may drown out distractions. Music can serve the same purpose, though it may be distracting in its own right, so it is important to find the type that works best for you.
Earplugs may help if you need silence to work. They block out some of the higher decibel noises, which may promote increased concentration.
Many often think of inattention when considering ADHD, but hyperfocus is also a symptom that can disrupt your life if left unchecked. If possible, try to harness your hyperfocus — utilize it as a strength rather than a hindrance by exploring your creative side, or perhaps diving into your work.
When doing this, it is important to have methods in place to break up hyperfocus so you do not neglect your life. You can set timers or have someone call you to ensure you’re not in hyperfocus for too long.
Struggles with attention are not easily managed, but knowing your deficits and strengths can help when seeking to make a positive impact on symptoms.
Find What Works for You
There is no one way to manage ADHD without medication, and what works for one may not help another. Usually, treatment and symptom management is multifaceted, so finding what works best for you is key.
While medication may be one resource, there are options available when it comes to coping with the symptoms of ADHD. Living with ADHD can be a challenge, but it is possible to not only find balance but learn to thrive.
