Whether you’re an ADHD parent or partner, an ADHD child or adult, the vacations are over.
For some it’s a liberation, for others it’s a new challenge.
So, here are a few routine tips for starting a new year:
Return to a sleep routine adapted to your needs.
In fact, a person needs restful sleep to recover from the day’s stimuli.
All the more so for a person with ADHD who is hyperstimulated.
On the other hand, dopamine, the pleasure and motivation hormone, is deficient in ADHD sufferers.
If they’re sleep-deprived, the dopamine deficit will be even greater, and the difficulty of carrying out the day’s various tasks will be even greater.
Sleeping at set times and for a reasonable length of time is imperative for good mental and emotional health (between 8 and 13 hours depending on the age of children: and around 8 hours of sleep for adults).
A routine in the day’s planning.
Precise timetables for getting in and out of bed, dressing, grooming, etc…. to facilitate school or work starts and avoid delays. Indeed, ADHDers tend to daydream in the morning or evening, and lose time in carrying out daily rituals.
The best thing is to determine the precise time, duration and tasks to be carried out, so that an automatic system can be set up to simplify preparations for everyone.
During the vacations, we relaxed the limits on screen time a little; now it’s time to return to fixed times and moments of screen time.
For several reasons:
– As you know, screen stimulation is neither necessary nor conducive to ADHD.
– Time spent in front of the screen is time that is not devoted to things that need to be done urgently (homework, shower, meals, sleep, professional tasks…).
So it’s important to reposition this screen time (or eliminate it… but let’s be realistic…) in the timing of daily routines or in the sources of reward that increase ADHD motivation.
Re-establish contact with friends, colleagues or teachers, so as to recreate the necessary points of reference that will help to alleviate feelings of embarrassment, confusion or loneliness that could diminish ADHD’s sources of motivation.
If you have stopped taking Ritalin during the vacations, remember to reintroduce it into your daily routine.
CAUTION! Irregular intake of these drugs can cause side effects, and if you’ve been off your medication for a long time, you’ll need to be patient as you readjust to treatment.
As you will have understood, the daily life of an ADHD sufferer, whether child or adult, is made easier by the establishment of routines or daily rituals to greatly reduce the sources of stress, anxiety and irritation for each individual.
Establishing routines is a key tool in managing ADHD, and it’s not always easy to find the right habits for each individual.
If you’ve never put these routines in place, or you’ve tried but failed, it’s because there are notions of beliefs, motivations or demands that are difficult for you to balance. It’s always important to have a professional help you set up these routines, as it’s not easy to find the right, effective habits to make them last and become automatic.
I wish you all a great start to the new professional and academic year, and above all, don’t wait to improve your everyday life.
See you soon and be well!
MURIEL D
TDAH EXPERT FAMILY COACH
