Lifestyle Changes for a Resilient Mind
Supporting ADHD Treatments
For adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, therapy and medication are often essential for managing their symptoms.
To enhance the effectiveness of these ADHD treatments and support a well-rounded life, many treatment plans also incorporate supportive lifestyle changes.
The consistent routines and habits you develop can help create the stability needed to fully benefit from your professional ADHD treatment, empowering you to sharpen your focus, manage your energy, and improve your overall well-being.
Lifestyle Strategies for Managing ADHD
The ADHD brain struggles with regulation, contributing to its core symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In addition to professional ADHD treatments, like therapy and medication, consistency and structure can have a powerful role in managing these symptoms.
Focusing on a few core areas of your daily life can provide the stability needed to reduce the impact of your symptoms:
Creating Structure and Organization
Many adults with ADHD thrive on external structure. Creating simple, consistent systems can significantly reduce the mental effort required to get through the day. While organizing may not come naturally, there are various strategies that you can try out until you find the right fit for you. Helpful lifestyle changes to support your ADHD treatments include:
- Creating a Home for Everything: Designate a specific spot for essential items, like your keys, wallet, and phone, and build the habit of always returning them to that place.
- Breaking Down Tasks: Taking on large projects can feel overwhelming. Instead of looking at the tasks as a whole, use a to-do list to break them down into small, concrete, and actionable steps.
- Using a Central Planner: Use a single planner or digital app to keep track of any tasks, appointments, and deadlines. This can free up the mental load of remembering all dates on your own.
Prioritizing Sleep and Rest
The relationship between ADHD and sleep is notoriously challenging. The racing thoughts and restlessness of ADHD can make it hard to fall asleep, and the resulting lack of quality sleep significantly worsens symptoms of inattention and emotional dysregulation.
Adequate rest is important—it helps restore your brain’s ability to focus, manage impulses, and regulate your mood. It also directly combats the brain fog and irritability that often accompany both ADHD and sleep deprivation. To help with this change:
- Keep a Consistent Sleep Schedule: Aim to go to sleep and wake up around the same time every day—even on weekends. This can help regulate your internal clock.
- Create a Wind-Down Routine: Create a calming pre-sleep ritual, such as relaxing with a warm bath, listening to quiet music, or reading a favorite book.
- Set Your Screen Time Limit: Blue light can interfere with sleep, so it is often recommended to avoid screens for at least an hour before bed.
- Optimize Your Environment for Rest: Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortably cool.
Exercising More Regularly
Physical activity is one of the most effective, non-medical strategies for managing ADHD symptoms. Exercise boosts your levels of dopamine and norepinephrine—the same neurotransmitters that are targeted by stimulant medications used in ADHD treatments. As a result, regular physical activity can immediately improve concentration and decrease feelings of restlessness. Over the long term, it helps with executive functioning, reduces stress, and can even improve sleep quality.
This doesn’t mean that you have to start training like a pro-level athlete. The goal is consistency, not intensity, so look for exercises that you enjoy enough to stick with. Things like brisk 30-minute walks and bike rides after work or taking classes for yoga or dance a few days a week can lead to a significant improvement in focus, motivation, and mood.
Adjusting Your Approach to Nutrition
The food you eat has a direct impact on your brain function, energy levels, and mood. As such, consider taking a brain-focused approach to nutrition that helps balance your blood sugar and provides essential nutrients; this can help prevent the energy crashes and brain fog that can exacerbate ADHD symptoms.
While it is recommended to first consult your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet, here are a few adjustments that could help you manage your symptoms of ADHD:
- Prioritizing Protein: Eating protein with every meal (especially breakfast) can help improve concentration and sustain energy throughout the day.
- Incorporating Complex Carbohydrates: Opting for whole grains, vegetables, and fruits over more processed foods and simple sugars can help you avoid sharp spikes and crashes in blood sugar.
- Including Omega-3 Fatty Acids: An essential for brain health, Omega-3s have also been shown to help improve focus. They are found in fish, like salmon and tuna, as well as in walnuts, edamame, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.
Your Partner in Comprehensive ADHD Treatment
At Resilient Psychotherapy & Psychiatric Services, we believe in a compassionate, tailored, and comprehensive approach to care. Our experienced psychologist and psychiatrist specialize in adult ADHD treatment, and we are prepared to help you create a personalized plan that meets your wants, needs, and mental health goals.
To learn more about our ADHD treatments, including therapy and medication management, please contact us to schedule a consultation. We are ready to create a supportive foundation that helps you lead a more resilient life.
