I should probably call this post ADD and Me, as it has been more than part of my shadow for all of my life. It affects my work, relationships, and friendships in good and challenging ways- always asking the question, “how do I manage ADD?”. For the record, when we forget to do something, it’s not intentional and it generally bothers us even more than we may convey. We have a blind spot due to our ADD and sometimes it causes us to collide with familiar issues. These issues tend to be sore spots for us. One example for me would be running late. I really dislike running late but it’s challenging for people with ADD as time is grasped by our brain in a different way. There isn’t the typical countdown clock that other people have that includes travel time associated with events.
For us it tends to fall into the categories of: “before we need to be somewhere” and “crap, I am late!” This often causes us a ton of anxiety but our brains truly see time in a different way. I am sure that research is out there which shows it has something to do with the executive function part of our brain and a deficiency in the lobe that manages time awareness.
Here are Tips on How To Manage ADD
Over the years, I’ve learned strategies that make daily life more manageable, and I’ve seen the same approaches help many of my clients. Here are some practical ways to manage ADD for kids, teens, and adults alike:
- Sleep: This may sound ridiculous but sleep issues are one of the first issues a psychiatrist will scan for when meeting with new clients. Why is this important for ADD? ADD can look like a lot of things and if someone has sleep apnea, they may also display some symptoms of ADD. Also, if a person actually has ADD, issues with sleep can greatly decrease one’s ability for attention. Good sleep hygiene is essential for mastering sleep cycles and giving yourself a good shot at restful sleep. People with ADD may have difficulty with falling asleep, restless sleep, difficulty waking, and intrusive sleep or falling asleep after a period of hyper focus.
- Exercise: I almost consider my life broken into two parts — before I started working out and after. For years I had a ton of energy and it always took a lot for my brain to settle down and focus. I started working out regularly at the end of high school and noticed on the days I did, it was easier to focus and get my work done. It made me feel better and have a greater ability to stay in a state of flow while doing work. Exercise has a lot of wonderful affects but a primary one aside from increasing blood flow to the brain is a substance the brain releases is known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes growth of new brain cells. Regular exercise also helps fight depression and anxiety. Whether you go to the gym, run, or walk, this can be enough to increase dopamine levels in your body which can help counteract the problems of inattention and lack of motivation. A psychiatrist once told me, “even if you only have 5-10 minutes for a short run, do it.” Their reasoning being that doing something is always better than nothing and it helps you get on track or stay on track. This reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld’s “don’t break the chain calendar” which helped him to stay on task with behaviors he wanted to increase.
- Meditation and Mindfulness: I have been one of the late additions to the meditation and mindfulness crowd but after trying it out myself and with some clients, I have seen sizable gains. One of the most difficult things for me with my ADD in college was calming down the racing thoughts in my head. Meditation helps you to flex the muscle of your mind to notice where your mind goes and be able to feel more present with what pulls at your focus. This helps you to be more mindful of ways to counteract those things that distract you. Meditation can help with sleep, focus, anxiety, depression, etc. If you want to learn more, watch the TED Talk by Andy Puddicombe. It only takes a few minutes per day to implement, can be done anywhere, and apps like Headspace make it very easy to build your practice and focus your results.
- Structured Routines: People with ADD often thrive with external structure. These strategies can help:
- Time Slices: Use techniques like the Pomodoro method—set a timer, focus on one task, then take a short break.
- To-Do Lists: Start each week with a to do list and then assign the tasks to available time slots with reminders. I know this sounds simple, but it took me years to implement.
- Color Coding: If you use a filing system, color code it by category. This may be tricky for the ADD person to set up, so maybe have someone help you with it. I would also recommend using a mail sorter that helps to begin the categorization system.
- Launch Pad: Create a launch pad for yourself. In the mornings, I have my lunch, jacket, packed bag, etcetera all ready to go sitting by the door. It helps me a lot.
- Medication: We will have an upcoming post on medication and technology that can help manage ADD. My suggestion would be to find a doctor that has a view on medication that is complementary to your perspective on medicine. More holistic psychiatrists will focus on the broader spectrum assessing things like exercise and diet. Some doctors may use machines that can assess a baseline of functioning and then reassess to see if the medication is doing what it is supposed to. Others may quickly prescribe what they think may work best. There are a number of medications out there and it is important to understand why your doctor is picking them, what to look for if it is working, and options if they don’t work.
- Diet and Nutrition: Diet plays a role in managing ADD symptoms.
- Omega-3 fatty acids (especially EPA) have been found to support brain function—these can be added through supplements or food sources like salmon and flaxseed.
- A high-protein diet can help stabilize energy levels and neurotransmitters while reducing sugar spikes that worsen inattention.
- Therapy and Self-Esteem: ADD affects the lives of those with it in every way possible:
- Self esteem: Being told for years that you are off task, being redirected by parents and teachers, getting in trouble for being impulsive, and knowing you have difficulty focusing can easily affect self esteem. Add on top of this kids and adolescents notice that most of their peers do not have this same difficulty and it can make for a rough experience growing up.
- Relationships: Being forgetful when you are trying to remember things, acting impulsively, running late, and getting distracted are all par for the course with ADD. This can easily add stress to relationships and make a person’s partner feel frustrated.
- Work: Running behind on deadlines, poor communication, difficulty organizing projects, running late to work, and having difficulty focusing on the highest priorities are all areas of potential difficulty for someone with ADD.
If you or someone you know is struggling with ADD whether it be a child, teen, adult, or someone struggling with ADD’s effect in their marriage, we can help. You can contact us to make a counseling appointment or read more about ADHD counseling on our dedicated page. Additionally, you can read What ADHD is Really like and What to Do About It, Simple ADHD Treatment Strategies, and How to Naturally Treat ADHD in Children and Adults for more information.
Curious if you, your partner, or your child might have ADD? Take a quiz to find out.
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