Adult ADHD symptoms aren't always great to experience. Even the phrase "adult ADHD" sounds ominous doesn’t it? Sounds almost like an unwanted presence, something living inside you. In some ways, it is that. No, not like the alien from the movie, “The Thing.” Rather it’s more like compulsions or feelings that bubble up from within you sometimes at inconvenient times.
What can you do about it? Well, first you should recognize you’re not weird or unique. Adult ADHD symptoms are experienced by about 4% of the adult population. Also, if you think you are may have ADHD as an adult, there are resources available to help identify for certain. Additionally, there are resources available to help you manage some of the symptoms.
In fact, ADHD in adults doesn’t have to be a negative. It can be a positive in your life as long as you can learn to manage your adult ADHD symptoms. This article will look at a few practical ways to manage your adult ADHD symptoms.
#1 Manage Your Living Space
Adults with ADHD rarely thrive in chaotic spaces. Mental noise can overwhelm you and leave you paralyzed. One of the goals of thriving with ADD is to limit noise and distraction.
In order to manage your ADHD, you’ll want to focus first on managing your living environment. You need to focus on minimizing distractions. Clean up the clutter. Organize as much as possible.
At home, you want to focus on schedules to limit the distractions. Ways to do this include using a calendar organizer and to-do lists. Also, you can use time management skills such as the Pomodoro technique to best structure your time. Lastly, you should make sure to clean and organize as much as possible.
With managing your living space, over time, you will find that ultimately you are managing your ADHD.
#2 Manage Your Work Space
Adult ADHD symptoms can also hamper your working life. In addition to managing your living environment, you want to work on managing your work space as well.
Here again, you want to focus on organization and limiting distractions. Most often, this is going to start with your work processes such as email. Learning to control the inbox is one powerful way to take control of extra chaos in your life. Some of the most reported adult ADHD symptoms are difficulty focusing at work, and your work environment is a key component of managing those symptoms.
Here are a few suggestions to help you keep a healthy and controlled inbox.
- Have a set time during the day to sort email.
- Create one folder labeled “Needs Action”. As you are going through your inbox, if it can be responded to in 1 minute, take care of it then. If not, and it needs action, move it to the “Needs Action” folder. You will come back to it later.
- Set a time to go through your “Needs Action” folder. Maybe this is once a day or a couple times a day.
- Unsubscribe from all your lists (except those that actually help you!).
- Fight for inbox zero every day.
These suggestions are structured specifically for email, but they can also work for other processes in your work and living spaces. Remember, to remove the distraction of ADHD in adults, you want to focus on management. The more you can manage and limit distractions, the better off you will be.
#3 Get An Accountability Partner
Additionally, while a lot of this depends on you, ultimately, you can’t conquer your adult ADHD symptoms alone. To manage ADHD in adults in your life, you need someone that’s in the fight with you. This may be a friend, a relative, a teacher, or a coach, but it needs to be someone you trust, someone you can share your heart with, and someone that can hold you accountable as you pursue your goals.
Ask this person to commit to being in an intentional relationship with you in this manner. Decide on a weekly or monthly meeting where you check in with each other. Use the time to share how things are going. Ask for honest feedback.
An accountability partner will help keep you on track and sustain you when you feel like quitting. They will also provide you with much needed personal and emotional support.
#4 Don't Give Up -- Even If It Feels Like Your Symptoms Aren't Changing
This final word of advice isn't meant to scare you, but rather is a recognition that adult ADHD symptoms can at times take a while to get under control. This is a big reason many adults with ADHD will try a number of treatment options. We often recommend people try natural Omega-3 supplements for ADD treatment as an easy, safe way to begin handling your adult ADHD symptoms. Many ADHD treatment providers like FastBraiin also suggest evaluating medication or additional behavioral coaching options to diminish the way your adult ADHD symptoms affect you.
Find Success by Managing Your Adult ADHD Symptoms
ADHD in adults might sound ominous at first, but as we've shown, you can turn it into a huge positive in your life by managing your life. Don't be discouraged if you have set backs. Keep in mind the idea of having an accountability partner; someone you can confide in. Take it one day at a time. With constant work, you will find success with managing ADHD in your life.
