Take a Break Whatever you do, the point is to shift your attention from whatever it is you were working on to something completely different. This helps untangle your brain and gives it some down time to rejuvenate. After the break, go back to your project and pick up where you left off.
Taking exercise breaks and setting timers can help refocus your thoughts if your mind wants to wander. If coping skills aren't helping enough, talk to your healthcare provider about medication and other treatment options.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
It is often characterized by feelings of overwhelming fatigue, reduced productivity, and a sense of hopelessness or despair. Those experiencing ADHD burnout may find it even more challenging than usual to initiate and complete tasks, maintain focus and attention, and regulate their emotions.
A MELTDOWN CAN SEEM TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE.
It's one of the challenging or explosive behaviors we see in those who have ADHD. Sometimes it appears as poor self-esteem, yelling, rage, or tears.
Celebrate Milestones with Rewards
Adults with ADHD may struggle to complete routine or repetitive tasks that aren't inherently rewarding or only offer long-term gratification. Creating immediate and fun rewards each time you check off a set number of tasks on your list may encourage you to start on them.
Reducing overwhelm by pausing or giving yourself time before agreeing to do something, scheduling adequate downtime to integrate and process information or experiences, and doing more of what you enjoy can assist you in feeling less stressed.
Once you're in bed, with lights off, use ADHD-friendly tools to help you relax, like a white noise machine, earplugs, or soothing music to counteract your racing thoughts. Relax one muscle at a time, starting at your feet and moving up, breathing out each time you reach a new muscle group.
ADHD burnout is often something a little deeper. It refers to the cycle of overcommitting and overextending that leads to fatigue in people with ADHD. It involves taking on too many tasks and commitments, and then the subsequent exhaustion that happens when we're unable to fulfill all of our obligations.
These periods can last from hours to days and we often neglect taking care of ourselves when we are hyperfocused. We don't eat right, sleep well, etc. This often leads us to burnout more quickly,” Meeks says.
Causes of ADHD
In addition to genetics, scientists are studying other possible causes and risk factors including: Brain injury. Exposure to environmental risks (e.g., lead) during pregnancy or at a young age. Alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy.
Go back to basics: improve self-care by eating well, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. These are all powerful antidotes to self-sabotage and, together, will help you feel calmer, productive, and more confident.
INCUP is an acronym that stands for interest, novelty, challenge, urgency, and passion. The term was first proposed by psychologist William Dodson, who suggested that these five things are the top motivating factors for someone with ADHD.
The Five Motivators
an interest-based nervous system (motivated by what's compelling enough to get activated). He refers to the five motivating factors with the acronym INCUP: interest, novelty, challenge, urgency and passion.
This is where understanding what motivates you and your ADHD brain comes in handy because you can leverage the 4 pillars of motivation: novelty, interest, competition, and pressure, to get yourself into action.
You may have a tendency to put things off and procrastinate due to difficulty with getting tasks started. You may forget appointments, commitments, or work deadlines. You may constantly misplace things, be chronically late or underestimate the time needed to complete tasks.
People with ADHD tend to experience life more intensely than others. This means that even if you're hyper-focusing on a certain task or assignment in front of you, you can still have many other thoughts and ideas coursing through your brain. It can feel like there's always a lot going on, which may become overwhelming.
An ADHD “Brain dump” is a phrase used to describe the process of transferring information from your brain to another medium. You could write the contents down on paper, type them into your computer or speak them into an audio recording… whatever works for you.
Kids with ADHD may feel like involuntary experts on the topic, but even some adults with ADHD may feel like it's a constant battle to seek new and exciting things to keep boredom at bay. Research shows that people with ADHD (among others) report higher frequencies of boredom.