List of ADHD Coping Skills (45+ Important Abilities)

In this article, we will look at coping skills for ADHD and how they can help people with ADHD reach their full potential by helping them using a few strategies.

ADHD Coping Skills

Here are some ADHD coping skills which may come in handy if you’re looking to help manage your ADHD:

Awareness

• Make an effort to educate yourself. Understanding ADD in the first place is maybe the single most important treatment for ADD. Read a lot of books. Consult with experts. Speak with other people who deal with ADHD. You’ll be able to tailor your treatment according to your specific case of ADHD.
• A coach can prove to be very useful in helping you cope with ADHD. It is beneficial for you to get a coach, or for someone close to you to keep an eye on you, but often with a sense of humour. The coach can assist you in being more organised, staying on track, providing encouragement, and reminding you to return to work. A coach, whether a friend, coworker, or therapist, is someone who will keep an eye on you to make sure you get stuff done, encourage you, and keep track of your progress.
• Adults with ADHD require a lot of encouragement. This is partly due to the fact that they have a lot of self-doubt that has built up over time. But it’s more than that. The ADD adult wilts without encouragement more than the ordinary person, yet glows when it is offered freely.
• Everyone else should be educated and involved. Just like it’s critical for you to understand ADD, it’s just as crucial, if not more so, for everyone around you to do so as well: family, coworkers, students, and pals. Once they grasp the concept, they will also be capable of understanding you and supporting you.
• Allow yourself to be free of guilt about your high-stimulus-seeking behavior. Recognize that you are inclined to high-stimuli environments. Instead of dwelling on the “poor” ones, try to pick them intelligently.
• Joining or creating a support group is a good idea. Almost all of the most helpful knowledge concerning ADD has yet to be written down and is instead retained in the minds of those who struggle with it. This knowledge can be revealed in a group setting. Furthermore, organisations are quite beneficial in providing a certain kind of support that is highly required.
• Don’t feel bound to traditional occupations or coping mechanisms. Allow yourself to be who you truly are. Allow yourself to be who you really are rather than striving to be the person you always imagined you ought to be high achiever or the well-organized executive, for instance.
• If you’ve been living with ADHD for years and didn’t realise it, try to get rid of the pessimism that has built up in your system. In this case, a qualified psychotherapist may be of assistance.
• Keep in mind that you are suffering from a psychiatric disorder. It is neither a moral disease nor an ethical defect. It is not the result of a character flaw or a failure to mature. Many persons with ADHD, despite their best efforts, find it difficult to understand that the disorder is caused by biology rather than personal failings.

Productivity

• Structuring . The non-pharmacological therapy of ADHD is characterised by structure. Adults can benefit from it as well. The structure is difficult to set up, but once in place, it acts like the walls of a bobsled slide, preventing the speeding ball sled from hurtling off the course.
• Make use of: lists, colour-coding, reminders, notes to self, rituals, files etc.
• Color coding is a technique for organising information. The importance of color-coding has already been highlighted. Many persons with ADHD have a strong visual sense. Take benefit of this by using colour to make files, documents, texts, schedules, and other items unforgettable. With colour, almost something in black and white can be turned more distinctive, striking, and thus attention-grabbing.
• Create an environment that rewards rather than deflates. Most individuals with ADHD only need to recall their school days to realise what a deflating atmosphere is. Now that you have the independence of adulthood, attempt to set stuff up so that you won’t be conscious of your constraints all the time.
• Dividing major tasks into smaller ones is a good idea. Small areas should have deadlines attached to them. The big task will thereafter be completed as if done by magic. This is among the most basic and effective structuring skills required. When a person with ADHD is faced with a significant task, it can be daunting. When a complex task is broken up into smaller portions, however, each part may feel more achievable.
• Accept challenges with open arms. People with ADHD flourish in a variety of situations. You’ll get a lot more done and remain out of problems if you keep in mind that they won’t all work out, and if you don’t get too perfectionist and finicky.
• Prioritise. Procrastination must be avoided. Whenever things become hectic, the adult ADHD sufferer loses his or her sense of perspective. Take some deep breaths in and out. First and foremost, put your best foot forward. One of the characteristics of adult ADHD is procrastination. It takes a lot of self-control to keep an eye out for it and resist it.
• Understand that it’s perfectly OK to do two things simultaneously: talk while knitting, shower while meditating, and jog while planning a work meeting. In order to get something accomplished at all, persons with ADHD frequently need to be doing numerous things at once.
• Accept the possibility of things going smoothly. Embrace discomfort when things are too simple, when there is no struggle. Don’t clog things up only to make them more exciting.

Managing Your Mood

• Make sure your batteries are recharged. On a regular basis, most adults with ADHD require some time to waste without feeling bad. Calling it time to recharge your batteries is one guilt free approach to think about it. Take a nap, watch TV, or practise meditation. Do something relaxing, soothing, and comforting.
• Exercise is a good example of a “healthy” addiction. Many adults with ADHD have an addictive or obsessive personality, meaning they are always addicted to something. Make an effort to make this a positive addiction.
• Recognize mood swings and how to deal with them. Know that your moods will shift at any time, regardless of what’s going on in the outside world. Don’t waste time trying to figure out why something happened or looking to blame. Instead, concentrate on learning to accept a negative mood, realizing that it will pass, and developing techniques to help it pass swiftly.
• Learn to speak up for yourself. Adults with ADD are so accustomed to being judged that they can be overly defensive when presenting their own cause. Learn to take a step back and relax.
• Attempt to make the successful moments persist and be remembered, so that it can be sustained over time. You’ll have to learn yourself to do this intentionally and purposefully, because otherwise you’ll quickly forget.
• Keep in mind that ADHD is sometimes accompanied by a predisposition to overfocus or hyperfocus. Hyperfocusing can either be beneficial or harmful. Be mindful of how it can be harmful if you have a tendency to worry or obsess about an imagined problem and can’t seem to let it go.
• Frequent and vigorous exercise. You should make this a priority in your life and adhere to it. Exercise is unquestionably one of the most effective therapies for ADHD. It aids in the positive release of surplus energy and anger, as well as noise reduction in the mind and helps in soothing and calming the body.
• Prepare scenarios for the unavoidable. Make a list of people you want to call. Keep a few videos which always amuse you and distract you from your worries. Have easy access to physical activity. If there’s a lot of angry energy, have a punching bag or a cushion on hand. Prepare a few self-motivational statements, such as, “You’ve seen it before. These are the symptoms of ADHD. They’ll be gone shortly. You’re fine”.

ADHD Coping Skills PDF Resources

• The Coping Skills Toolbox
• 50 Tips On The Management Of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder
• Structure: Practical Strategies for Coping with ADHD

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at coping skills for ADHD and how they can help people with ADHD reach their full potential by helping them using a few strategies.

BetterHelp: A Better Alternative

Those who are seeking therapy online may also be interested in BetterHelp. BetterHelp offers plenty of formats of therapy, ranging from live chats, live audio sessions and live video sessions. In addition, unlimited messaging through texting, audio messages and even video messages are available here.

BetterHelp also offers couples therapy and therapy for teenagers in its platform. Furthermore, group sessions can also be found in this platform, covering more than twenty different topics related to mental health and mental illness. The pricing of BetterHelp is also pretty cost-effective, especially considering the fact that the platform offers financial aid to most users.

Frequently Asked Questions:

References

50 Tips On The Management Of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder