Looking for ADHD and mental health lifestyle strategies?

I like to say there are three pillars that support the foundation of your physical and mental health. If you don’t already have these things going, many other interventions are less likely to be as effective.

1. Diet- Regular healthy meals 3 or more times daily. Steer away from processed and sugary foods, especially in the morning. Garbage in, garbage out. If you have ADHD, especially avoid high-sugar, high-carb breakfasts. Stick to protein, it will keep your energy and blood sugar more regulated. Try not to skip meals. If there is a tendency to skip and obesity is not a problem, eat because it’s good for you not because you are hungry or not.
2. Sleep. Create good sleep hygiene habits by going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time every day. This will get the body programmed to get sleepy at bed time, help eliminate sleeping problems, and make your energy levels and moods more predictable. Try a weighted blanket and white noise generator like a humidifier or a fan if you have a restless sleeper. Chronic sleeping problems? Contact your doctor and seek a resolution. I don’t know how you would act and feel your best if you can’t sleep.
3. Exercise. Regular time at least 3x weekly 25 minutes or more aerobic exercise has been shown to be equally effective as any pill you can take in clinical studies about anxiety and depression. No bad side effects, unless you count more energy, longer life, improved learning, better feelings. It’s okay to start with walking. ADHD? Consider 5-7 days a week for exercise.

Social context: Suffering and tragedy are part of the human condition. I think every person, regardless of their position in life, endures some of this. Having a group, some people you talk to face to face, helps us mediate this problem. We can whine, complain, vent, and finally joke about ourselves and our problems. The humor and camaraderie can a long way towards making life more livable.

Fine-tuning ADHD and mental health lifestyle strategies:

Calming Jar Meditation Tool

Gratitude- make a list of what you are grateful for in yourself and your life. Review it daily at the beginning and the end of the day to keep your focus off of what you may lack and your shortcomings.

• I’m creative
• I have a good sense of humor
• I have a healthy body with senses like vision and hearing that work
• I have a roof over my head that doesn’t leak
• Warm bed to sleep in
• Air conditioning
• Heat
• I’ve made it this far and I’m still okay
• Family who loves me
• What else?

Dream book– use this strategy to get clear on your goals that you have passion for, building motivation and relevance for boring everyday tasks like homework or laundry.

The idea of lifestyle strategies means creating regular, daily routines that put you in a better place to begin with, preventing the problems. Creating this kind of structure helps keep people with ADHD on track. The tough part, with ADHD, is not the creating part, we create all the time. What’s more difficult usually is sticking to the plan and routine, not getting side-tracked. It takes commitment and discipline to stick with a plan.

How can I stick with a plan, or get a kid to stick with a plan of ADHD and mental health strategies?

Set reminders in your phone or computer. Set the repeat for daily.

Get an accountability coach. Identify someone to remind and check in with you about sticking to your plan.

Create rewards. Withhold desired activities or materials until the plan is executed. Schedule fun things to do right after the work is done. First-then.

For younger children, create a visual activity schedule.

Remind yourself that to have a good day, to achieve and maintain mental health, this is required, not optional. Do it anyway even if you don’t feel like it.

Keep your space clean and organized. Practice OHIO. Only Handle It Once. When you get the mail, open it all, throw the ads and promotionals you don’t want into the trash, made a place out of sight for bills and other action items. Set reminders for your intended bill paying schedule. Don’t make piles of stuff to think about later that will clutter your space and end up hiding things from you that you meant to do. Feeling overwhelmed by homework or a pile of laundry to put away? Trick yourself into starting by saying “I’m just going to do the first problem,” or, “I’m only going to put away the socks.” Odds are once you get started you will keep going.