My MOST Effective SELF-CARE Strategies (as Someone with ADHD)

Plenty of things come to mind when we hear 'self-care'... but sometimes it can feel a lot like those standard tips don't work. This can leave us feeling lost on what to try next.... so I compiled a list of some self-care strategies in hopes that it can give you some new things to consider and try!

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Music Credits
"The Show Must Be Go”
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Follow us on all the things:

00:00 Intro
00:57 Pause and Take 5
01:59 Sensory Needs
03:26 Supportive Environments
05:00 Situation Specific Boundaries
06:46 Give Yourself A Win
09:48 Velcro the Positive
11:24 Different Ways Of Grounding
13:54 Breathe (Hear me out!)
15:36 Outro

[DoctorDraxion]

I never really thought about it, but I think it just clicked that one of the reasons I feel so stressed and always in fight/flight/freeze mode is because I don't feel like I have "wins". It's always 'okay that crisis is averted, what's the next disaster I have to fix?' and there's no relief, no sigh and rest, no pride, nothing. Huh.

[peachy_lili]

here's a fresh reminder to those of us who are not rolling in over-consumption self-care money because of the ADHD tax: you are not failing at self-care because you can't afford the time or energy for a 3-hour skin routine or a 2-hour acai bowl situation. sometimes those behaviors are coping mechanisms for other people, and appear to be helping but really are just a distraction. YOU know what makes you feel better. dopamine menus are always a great option so I highly recommend some of Jessica's earlier videos talking about all those different kinds of self-care.

[annalisayoung]

“Every time I tried to narrow down the list I just ended up having more.” Too relatable.

[carly]

My absolute favorite grounding exercise that no one I’ve talked to had heard of before is finding colors. Pick a color, like blue, and find every single blue object in the room. I always find more objects than I thought were there, and it really brings me back into the space, out of my head, and engages my brain just enough.

[lyndabethcave]

My favourite hack is Floor Time. If I'm feeling overwhelmed, laying on the floor helps SO MUCH. Partly it's coz my muscles get tired holding myself up, and I can relax them. It's literally grounding. And it's easy to do because I can just — lay down. Even five minutes of Floor Time helps recharge me and allows what I wanted to do to come to the surface. But often I will do fancier versions, where I nap under a soft blanket for 20 minutes, and/or listen to instrumental music or nature sounds with or without earbuds.

[KohakuAmber]

CUDDLES! Cuddles are so important for my self-care. I cuddle with my animals, my partners, and my friends :D

[stellacalder]

I'm autistic without ADHD, but I've learned that if I'm in that "I hate everything/the world is too much/I can't handle existing in this body/vague but deep and intense discomfort" space and I feel like I can't figure out why, I need to start by running through a sensory checklist until I've reduced my input enough to "reset" and think about what I need (food, water, sleep, more intense stimming). If I'm thinking through it verbally, it usually sounds like "okay, what are the sounds I can hear and how do I remove some of those? Unplug the air filter? Put in my airpods? Now what can I smell and how do I fix that?"

[scmalwal]

I think the "put the baby down" advice was a comment I made! Its the most important advice I got as a new mom, and I share it whenever someone in my life becomes a new parent. It totally applies to all aspects of life too! It sticks in my mind because its so counter to a lot of the advice we're given, but trying to push through when you're not feeling ok can cause so many consequences. It's ok to not be ok, and its ok to put the baby (or the laptop, pr the car keys etc) down and take the time to you need to make safe decisions.

[reilley]

I am a fidgety person and realized a few years ago that i used to meet my sensory needs while trying to sleep by rubbing the satin edging of my baby blanket between my fingers as a kid, so I found the same type of blanket and use it to sleep or anytime Im doibg something that doesnt have my hands engaged! Im also very grateful that my husband has never judged me for still uaing a baby blanket in my late 30s!!

[aliciadeer]

Blowing bubbles is wonderful for anxiety and grounding. I have had it move me out of panic attacks and back to joy

[crystalc]

I recently found my DBT box. When i was in DBT, they had us make a box/bin, i forget what they called it but it was a go-to for when we were overwhelmed or at the end of our rope.... we filled it with things that made us calm, and centered. Things to do, touch, taste, smell... i had nail polish so i could take a moment to paint my nails, a stuffy to snuggle, some chocolates, a scented candle, some sand to squish/play with, laminated photos that make me smile... I am going to be helping my kids make their own boxes this week, including decorating them with stickers to make them theirs.

[brnflks]

My therapist convinced me to lay down on the floor while pausing to take five. Total game changer for me. Just five minutes of nervous system reset and I’m in a completely different place after.

[animeluchia]

3:29 Squishmallows are the most extreme sensory good thing I’ve ever found, and it was completely by accident. They don’t give the same warm fuzzies they did when I got my first squishmallow, but they’re still a sensory object I love… not to mention, They have names and stories like webkinz or beanie babies!!! And, while I know they aren’t actually real… treating them like they’re actual beings is calming in its own way…

[SmithOnlineStrategies-im]

I think transitions are so hard for us ADHDers, so when you have a baby, and they interrupt your focused work time a lot throughout the day, it is the most frustrating, hard thing to drop your work mid-sentence, go tend to your baby, then come back to your work. It is impossible sometimes!! So thank you for this.

[jasonschell]

I'm 46 years old. I have adhd. I have five children that all have varying degrees of my genetics lol. A good tip for sound sensitivity is drummer's earplugs. They're designed to keep the frequencies of musical sound so you don't sound like you're listening through water but they reduce the decibels of volume.

[mfox]

My therapist helped me have a saying that surprisingly works really well for me when my anxiety is getting out of control. She would ask me "what's the worst that could happen?" And then we would go through and list all the things I was afraid of and how I could problem solve and prepare to deal with those issues. I now do that by myself and it's helped a lot with realizing that situations aren't as bad as my anxiety is leading me to believe, or at the very least, be able to go to my support people and build an action plan for those instances. My natural trauma responses are freeze and fawn, so I really enjoy having a plan so that I don't freeze up as much because there's another behavior that I've already rehearsed in a way.

[swordthief]

- Soft blankets? How about soft blanket *hoodies*? 😉Best gift I have ever received because I'm not sitting here in my desk chair having to constantly fumble with a blanket to be comfortable.

- "When you say 'my half' of the bed, do you mean my *actual* half, or do you mean the 1/8th that counts as my half?" 🤣🤣🤣 this is relatable

[evileve]

Side note for parents about essential oils: they can be very dangerous for babies and toddlers, especially the strong ones like eucalyptus, campher, menthol, peppermint. They can get cramps in their larynx from breathing it in, so basically suffocate. Also, essential oils are often toxic when ingested, especially tea tree oil can lead to a coma even in tiny amounts.
So be careful where you keep your oils and where and when you use them!

[Judymontel]

I watched this a couple of days ago, but kept thinking about this video, especially the point about giving ourselves "wins". I realized my main problem with sensing what my "wins" are, especially at the end of the day when I'm tired and all of my systems are shutting down, is that I literally FORGET them!!
I'll feel like I didn't get anything done, didn't take good care of myself - not beating myself up per se, but just a general feeling of not being up to par. But that's because I'm NOT up to par - it's the end of the day and that's how I feel when I'm tired.
I've started trying to very gently review my day, as far as possible, to acknowledge those down/tired sensations, but then try to notice how I actually spent my time. Including when I'm having a recovery day and not doing much. I'm always surprised. Unbelievable. I forget what I've done in a day or a week and have to go through a process to remember them so I can give myself the wins... sheesh!

[ShelleyE]

One sensory feel-good to add: Sunlight warming my face and skin. I love the sun, but its been below freezing (typical March) while everybody else is having warm weather. Bundling up, sitting on the non-windy side of the house, and raising my face with my eyes closed to the sun is really grounding. Thank you for reminding us to self-care!