Is it difficult to get things done, are your keys missing again, and are your schedules falling apart? ADHD can manifest itself in many different ways in everyday life, but it also brings with it many strengths. In this article, you will find tips and ideas from an occupational health psychologist that you can try to make your everyday life easier.
How can you make everyday life easier without a diagnosis?
“How can you make your life easier if you have ADHD symptoms but have not been diagnosed (either because you haven’t been diagnosed yet or because you cannot be diagnosed)? This applies to both school-aged children and adults.”
1. Create strong routines for everyday life
Strong everyday routines are beneficial, i.e., a stable daily rhythm that includes daily chores, meals, and sleep patterns. It is important to prioritize sleep. Planning ahead is also useful, i.e., tell your child and/or think about what you will do this week/today and in what order.
2. Think about the timing of unmotivating tasks
If you know there are unmotivating tasks ahead, such as boring homework, chores, or work tasks, it is a good idea to set aside specific times for them. In addition, it is often a good idea to break tasks down into smaller, more manageable pieces, which can make them seem easier to tackle.
3. Remember to take breaks
Although breaks can easily be forgotten as the day flies by, it is nevertheless important to take breaks from work. I recommend trying the Pomodoro Technique for adults and young people, for example. This technique helps you to break up your work into pre-determined intervals.
4. Regulate your alertness
Regulating your alertness can be difficult, but listening to music or having a podcast, audiobook, or music playing in the background while cleaning can help some people maintain their alertness and motivation at work or while doing homework.
5. Incorporate enjoyable exercise into your daily routine
Exercise is beneficial for both mental and physical well-being, but it also helps with concentration. Exercising before doing something that requires concentration is particularly beneficial.
6. Rest and relaxation
Don’t forget to rest and relax! People with ADHD tend to fill their free time and work with all kinds of activities and get excited about new things easily. This can enrich your life a lot, but it can also tire you out without you noticing.
I recommend checking out the ADHD Association’s website. They have good material for both adults themselves and from a parent’s perspective.
Need help with memory problems?
“Are there any tips on how to remember what you read better?
I can read about 20 pages a day, but the next day I’ve already forgotten half of what I’ve read. I’ve always had this problem, but it’s annoying when you can’t really internalize anything you read.”
The key thing here is whether you read for pleasure or for study. If you read for pleasure, I wouldn’t stress about it at all, but would just keep reading. When you read books on the same topics, either consecutively or later on, the information is repeated, linked to things you have learned before, and gradually reinforced.
I often find myself wondering if I have really read insert book title here because I can’t remember anything about it. However, if I read it again, many things would seem familiar and I would probably learn it better now than the first time. In any case, the fact that you remember half of it doesn’t sound like a small amount to me at all. It’s not realistic to expect that everything will stick in your mind after reading it once or twice.
However, if you are reading for your studies and need to remember what you have read even better, then of course it’s a slightly different matter. There are many ways to strengthen your memory when reading.
TIPS
How can I improve my memory?
Or rather, how can I find better ways to strengthen my memory traces?
- One option is to take notes while reading, i.e., writing down the key points in your own words.
- Another good method is to recall what you have read after reading and write it down. Then you can read or skim through what you have read again and add to what you remember.
- Creating “mind maps,” or thought or concept maps, on the topic you have read about is also a good idea.
- All of these methods require you to process the information in your mind again after reading it. This strengthens your memory and helps you to form a complete picture in your mind.
Finally, I would like to mention that I have no experience of work in psychiatric outpatient clinics or of actual diagnostic assessment, and in these matters I rely on information I have gathered from various sources.