Self-care is an essential part of mental, physical, and emotional health, it involves taking intentional steps to nurture and care for yourself while also managing your responsibilities and obligations.
Trying to balance self-care while having adult Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (adult ADHD) can be challenging. Sometimes even just thinking about where to begin can be a struggle! That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the best self-care tips and ADHD coping mechanisms specifically for adults with ADHD. Keep reading to learn more!
Key Takeaways:
- Self-Care for ADHD: For those with ADHD, self-care can make a real difference in managing symptoms. Things like creating intentional routines and prioritizing sleep hygiene can support brain functioning and help reduce symptoms such as impulsivity and emotional dysregulation.
- ADHD Paralysis: ADHD paralysis or decision paralysis, is commonly seen in individuals with ADHD. It is when someone has difficulty making decisions, evaluating choices, prioritizing tasks, and making timely decisions.
- Adult ADHD is Unique: Adult ADHD is unique and symptoms can manifest differently for everyone. Because of this, ADHD coping mechanisms or certain self-care tips that work for one person might not work for someone else. It’s important to know your ADHD type and build a useful self-care routine around your unique needs.
Adult ADHD Symptoms
Before we touch on self-care and coping skills, It is important to understand that Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults looks different than ADHD in childhood. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is present in childhood and persists into adulthood, and symptoms can vary from person to person.
A diagnosis should be made by a licensed professional using a comprehensive clinical evaluation, which may include clinical interviews, rating scales, and collateral information. Psychological testing may be used when appropriate.
To learn more, head to our blog “Adult ADHD: Symptoms, Treatment, & Causes”. Here are some common adult ADHD symptoms:
- Trouble Concentrating: Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to stay focused on a task, follow through on deadlines at work, or stay engaged in conversations or meetings. This may also show up in daily life where a person may avoid tasks that require sustained mental effort/attention.
- Disorganization: A person may find it difficult to organize tasks and personal belongings leading to cluttered spaces, missed appointments, or feeling overwhelmed with projects/tasks that need multiple steps completed before moving to the next step.
- Impulsivity: An adult with ADHD may act without thinking through the consequences, which can lead to impulsive spending, risky behaviors, or making hasty decisions that have long-term impacts. While there are times and specific situations when being impulsive may benefit a person, impulsivity associated with adult ADHD may negatively impact finances, relationships, and productivity at work.
- Emotional Dysregulation: Emotional dysregulation can manifest in various ways and can be a significant source of distress for adults with ADHD. Emotional dysregulation may impact a person in the following ways: intense emotions, sensitivity to rejection and criticism, frustration with external stressors, irritability, and self-doubt (commonly identified as "imposter syndrome", this is a non-medical term but a common colloquialism).
- Restlessness: An adult with ADHD may have a feeling of inner restlessness and an inability to sit still for extended periods, even in situations where it is expected. An adult with ADHD may find ways to manage their restlessness by fidgeting with their hands, tapping their feet, and bouncing their legs. Restlessness can make focusing or sustaining attention on a task hard and often distract yourself or others.
Self Care for People with ADHD
The topic of self-care has been increasingly getting more and more popular as time goes on, whether it be at work or in our daily lives. More people are beginning to realize that prioritizing self-care is an important part of maintaining good mental and physical health.
But what exactly is “self-care”? Well, self-care can be defined as "The practice of taking an active role in protecting one's well-being and happiness, in particular, during periods of stress" (Oxford Dictionary, 2023).
For those with ADHD, trying to prioritize self-care can be challenging; in fact, research suggests that emotional dysregulation is common among adults with ADHD. [1] This is why practicing self-care can be an essential tool for managing ADHD symptoms and overall well-being.
Here are a few ways you can begin your journey in balancing adult ADHD and self-care:
- Understanding Your ADHD: Start by educating yourself about Adult ADHD, its symptoms, and how it specifically affects you. ADHD can affect individuals differently, and knowing what “type” of ADHD you have is crucial to understanding your needs. Once you know your ADHD type, you can get a better understanding of your symptoms and identify areas where self-care is needed the most.
- Create a Routine: Establishing a daily or weekly routine that includes specific self-care time blocks can allow you to focus on trying different ways of implementing self-care. Consistency and follow-through can help you remember to prioritize self-care activities. When building your routine, try to incorporate time for leisure, exercise, and relaxation.
- Set Clear Goals: You should take time to define specific self-care goals and break them down into manageable steps. It is great to have big goals! However, you want to make sure that you are setting yourself up for success and have smaller, tangible goals you can meet daily. Those small goals can help keep you consistent and on track to meet your big goal.
- Therapy: Consulting with a mental healthcare professional about therapy options for ADHD can be immensely beneficial in understanding and managing your symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based therapy and has been proven to be beneficial to those with ADHD.
- Mindfulness: There are many different ways to practice mindfulness. From following guided meditations, practicing deep breathing techniques, or journaling (just to name a few). Mindfulness practices may help enhance emotional regulation for some individuals, particularly when used alongside other treatment approaches.
- Exercise: Try incorporating movement and exercise into your routine. Regular exercise can help improve cognitive functioning, boost mood, and enhance focus.
- Sleep: Making sure you get enough sleep is another way to practice self-care. It's estimated that 25% to 50% of people with ADHD experience sleep problems. [2] Sleeping and ADHD have a two-way relationship, while ADHD symptoms can make it harder to wind down at night, the resulting sleep deprivation can make those same symptoms—like impulsivity and distractibility—even harder to manage the next day.
- Seek Support: Connect with support groups and organizations that focus on adult ADHD. Sharing experiences and strategies with others who understand and live with ADHD can be validating and beneficial in pointing you in the right direction.
- Check-in with Yourself: Regular check-ins with yourself to assess how your self-care routine benefits you and your daily life. Journaling about different strategies you have created can clarify which parts of your self-care routine are effective and note other areas that may need adjustments.
- Dopamine Boost: For individuals with ADHD, participating in activities that don’t provide instant gratification can feel extremely exhausting. When you are tackling an activity that requires long-term commitment, try pairing it with an activity that gives you instant gratification and dopamine to make it more tolerable. For instance, if you are doing laundry or washing dishes, pair the task with some music or if you are going to workout, have a predetermined post work out treat as a reward. This strategy is sometimes informally referred to as ‘dopamine stacking’ and is best understood as a behavioral technique that pairs less engaging tasks with immediate rewards to improve task initiation and follow-through.
Remember that self-care is not selfish! Self-care is essential for your overall well-being and can help you better manage your ADHD symptoms. We all share the same 24 hours in a day, spending 5-10 minutes a day can make a large difference towards reaching our personal goals.
Think about this: 10 minutes a day is less than 1% of your day! (It is 0.69% of your 24-hour day to be exact)
Tips for Managing Adult ADHD
There are a lot of articles, books, and resources on the internet that offer the "best ways to deal with ADHD." It is important to understand that what works best for one person may not work best for another. The main thing about successfully managing adult ADHD is ensuring you tailor your coping strategies to your unique needs and seek professional guidance when necessary.
Managing adult ADHD can be challenging, but with the right strategies and support, you can improve your focus, productivity, and overall well-being. So, where do you start?
Here are some tips to help manage adult ADHD:
- Get a Proper Diagnosis: If you suspect you have ADHD, seek a professional diagnosis from a psychiatrist or Psychologist who specializes in ADHD. Getting a diagnosis can take time and can have out-of-pocket costs, but a proper diagnosis is important in effectively treating and managing ADHD.
- Medication: Medication is a tool that can help manage symptoms of ADHD, but it is not a necessity in treatment. Different categories of medication can help treat symptoms. You should consult with a licensed healthcare professional or a psychiatrist about medication options that may be available.
- Therapy: Therapy is a helpful tool in managing adult ADHD symptoms. Working collaboratively with a licensed mental health professional you can develop coping strategies, improve time management, increase emotional awareness, and build structure in your life.
- Create a Structured Environment: Creating and establishing routines and systems helps those with ADHD stay consistent, organized, and in control of daily tasks.
- Time Management Techniques: Exploring time management techniques increases productivity and can keep you on task. Popular time management techniques, such as Pomodoro Technique or Time Blocking, have been shown to improve time management.
- Minimize Distractions: Identify your common distractions in your environment and take steps towards minimizing them. There are a few examples below:
- Turn off extra screens you aren't using.
- Use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs.
- Create a clutter-free workspace and desk.
- Utilize Brown Noise playlist or Brown Noise machines.
- Use Technology: Technology is often seen as a distractor but can be extremely useful in staying focused. Find ways to leverage technology to your advantage, for instance, there are many ADHD-friendly apps, note-taking programs, and time-tracking apps. Find what works best for you! Remember what works one day may not be helpful another day, creating multiple options can be helpful.
- Practice Self-Compassion: Be patient and compassionate with yourself. Adult ADHD presents unique challenges and it's important to acknowledge your efforts and progress. Each day offers the opportunity to learn something new and create new support.
Balancing adult ADHD and self-care is crucial for creating structure, building community, identifying supports, and enhancing quality of life. The practice of self-care is never complete, you must continue to work on implementing and evolving it, as you go through life.
ADHD Paralysis - How to Fight Feeling Overwhelmed
There is never a better time to begin this journey than today, and it’s ok to begin with one small step! Progress is progress no matter how small. Starting small and simple is a great way to avoid feeling overwhelmed when it comes to implementing self-care into your life.
Most of the time, the basic things are also the most effective. For instance, drinking enough water, taking a 30 min walk every day, or going to bed earlier. Instead of trying to aim for perfection, simply set smaller more manageable goals like going to be 30 mins earlier or meditating for 5-10 minutes. From there you can slowly begin to build up to larger goals.
Another great tip is to have a default activity. If one day you wake up and find you feel stuck or overwhelmed (we all have those days), you can lean on your default activity. This is a good way to combat “ADHD paralysis”, a commonly used, non-clinical term that describes a mental ‘shutdown’, where individuals feel overwhelmed by too many thoughts, demands, or choices and are unable to initiate or complete tasks.
This decision or ADHD paralysis happens because those with ADHD tend to struggle with executive dysfunction, particularly difficulties with task initiation, prioritization, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. This makes it difficult to do things like prioritize tasks or make timely decisions. [3]
In order for the default activity strategy to work, you must pick a simple yet highly specific and productive activity your brain can automatically turn to on those days.
It can be anything from taking a 30 min walk through a park, calling a loved one to talk, journaling your feelings of the day, following a quick 20 min workout video you have saved, or simply taking a long relaxing shower. The point is to have a set activity you can turn to and complete when you are feeling stuck to help you keep moving forward.
You can also try the “Pomodoro” method, where you work on a chosen task for 25 minutes, then take a 5-min break. You would continue this cycle until the task is complete.
Lastly, having a therapist by your side can be extremely helpful when it comes to navigating feeling overwhelmed or stuck because of ADHD. They can help you build a plan and provide helpful insight or exercises that will help boost you forward.
ADHD Specialists in Chicago - Psychiatry &Therapy
At Clarity Clinic, you can find the best ADHD treatment for adults in Chicago. Whether you are looking for the right adult ADHD therapist or specialized psychiatrists for an ADHD diagnosis, we can help.
Get affordable therapy, testing, and medication management services for adult ADHD at any of our clinic locations throughout IL (River North, Loop, Lakeview Belmont, Lakeview Broadway, Evanston, and Arlington Heights). We also offer convenient online ADHD treatment (therapy and psychiatry) designed to fit seamlessly into your life, no matter your schedule.
To learn more about how we can support your mental health, give us a call at (312) 815-9660 or schedule an appointment today. If you are still unsure whether your ADHD symptoms are severe enough to seek professional help, feel free to take our online ADHD test for guidance on next steps!
Start feeling better today, book a consultation with our leading ADHD doctors near you for the best ADHD treatment and diagnosis services in Chicago.
Find an ADHD Specialist Clinically Reviewed By: Divine Braboy, LPC
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ADHD Self-Care FAQs
ADHD paralysis is a state of mental "shutdown" where a person feels completely unable to start or finish a task. It usually happens when someone is overwhelmed by too many choices, high-pressure demands, or a lack of clear direction.
It can be. Adults with ADHD can struggle with executive dysfunction, making it difficult for the brain to effectively prioritize tasks or filter sensory input. Because of this, even the smallest tasks can at times feel overwhelming and not doable.
While ADHD medication is an effective option for many people, non-medical treatment options are also a possibility. This can include things like therapy and lifestyle changes. However, it is always best to speak to a licensed mental healthcare professional about different treatment options tailored to your unique needs.
There are many different ways to go about this, what works best for one person might not work for another. However, a simple and easy to try trick is to break the task down into smaller bite size steps or goals. For example, instead of cleaning the whole kitchen, focus on what in the kitchen needs to be cleaned and break that down into individual small tasks. Instead of the task being "cleaning the kitchen” it looks more like “ pick up the five forks on the counter”.
Not always, however, getting easily distracted can be a sign of ADHD. People with ADHD tend to get overwhelmed or distracted by external factors (their environment) and internal factors (their own thoughts).
How effective different strategies are can vary depending on the person, it's generally best to talk to a specialist, such as a therapist experienced in ADHD, and work with them to create a tailored plan for you. In general, breaking down big tasks to smaller tasks, making tasks visual (leaving your water bottle in plain sight to drink more water), and using rewards (small treat after studying for a set amount of time), can all possibly help someone stick to a routine.
Because ADHD affects everyone differently, the secret to a sustainable routine is tailoring it to your specific ADHD type. Working with a mental health professional can help you accurately identify your unique symptoms, together, you can build a structure that works with the way your brain thinks rather than against it. From there, you can go from 'trying harder' to 'working smarter' with tools designed for your specific needs.
References:
[1] Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014). Emotional dysregulation and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 171(3), 276–293. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070966
[2] Wajszilber, D., Santiseban, J. A., & Gruber, R. (2018). Sleep disorders in patients with ADHD: Impact and management challenges. Nature and Science of Sleep, 10, 453–480. https://doi.org/10.2147/NSS.S163074
[3] Oroian, B. A., Nechita, P., & Szalontay, A. (2025). ADHD and decision paralysis: Overwhelm in a world of choices. European Psychiatry, 68(Suppl 1), S161. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.406
