Beating Burnout: 15 Tips for ADHDers to Thrive
As with any diagnosis, there is a very broad spectrum of presentation when it comes to ADHD. I speak from the standpoint of someone with ADHD that shows up predominantly as “inattention”, or as I like to think of it, internalised cognitive hyperactivity. As opposed to tangible, physical hyperactivity. (Although I do sometimes have that too).
This type of ADHD presentation is more common in women, and more likely to have been missed by western medicine until recent years. Hence the sudden upsurge in diagnoses of adult ADHD over the past decade or so since its recognition.
ADDitude defines ADHD as:
“ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurological disorder that impacts the parts of the brain that help us plan, focus on, and execute tasks. ADHD symptoms vary by sub-type — inattentive, hyperactive, or combined — and are often more difficult to diagnose in girls and adults”
(To learn more about ADHD and whether you might have it, check out their free online quiz and plethora of other resources)
But, for the record, I don’t personally believe that ADHD should be called either attention “deficit” or a “disorder”.
I’ll keep referring to it as ADHD for now though, for ease of communication.
For one, people with ADHD actually have an ability to hyperfocus that is not unlike a superpower…it just requires the topic of focus to be of genuine interest and even excitement to the individual.
Secondly, having a certain brain type in and of itself is not a disorder, or disability, as western medicine still inappropriately labels it. Rather, it is the inaccessibility of our surroundings that creates “disability”.
I like the explanation I came across in a podcast when I first got diagnosed and went down the rabbit hole of self-education on all things ADHD:
The ADHD brain is like that of a hunter-gatherer. Whereas, the neurotypical brain can be likened to that of a farmer.
Hunter-gatherers need to think and act quickly and impulsively, handle extreme and potentially deadly situations quickly and calmly, be hypervigilant and attuned to their surroundings, see the bigger picture while also having the ability to focus on the minutia, and so on. Whereas farmers need to be strategic, organised, thinking longer-term, with a plan and lots of patience to see it through. Just because people with ADHD have a different type of brain, which the structure of modern society is not designed to accommodate, doesn’t make it a disorder. It makes societal expectations out of alignment with an otherwise perfectly functional (and often incredible!) brain type. Our school systems and our capitalist 9-5 work schedules: they do not nurture this type of brain.
Our rigid, inflexible societal systems and expectations are the problem, not our brains.
This fact alone, that society is not set up in our favour, makes life more exhausting for people with ADHD. But here, I’m going to touch on some other aspects of ADHD that contribute to the higher correlation that we have with susceptibility to burnout.
Again, I’m speaking from the perspective of an ADHDer with cognitive hyperactivity and high sensitivity. I’m not speaking for those on the other end of the ADHD spectrum, who might not have high sensitivity or cognitive hyperactivity at all.
In fact, I’d love to hear from them how their experience compares :)
So, from my perspective, here’s a list of examples of why having ADHD can contribute significantly to burnout susceptibility:
Cognitive Hyperactivity
- Anxiety, hypervigilance, worrying, rumination, obsessive- compulsion
- Sleep issues, e.g.:
- Lighter sleep
- Vivid dreams that wake you
- Trouble falling asleep/staying asleep
- Never being able to switch off, difficult to just be instead of do
Inattention
- Procrastination might seem “lazy” but it’s actually mentally exhausting
- Takes a lot more energy to focus and get shit done
- Task switching is more taxing
- Difficult to complete tasks even with the best of intentions, unless super interested in them
- Need to fidget/stim to focus, e.g. during meetings (think: Zoom fatigue)
High Sensory Sensitivity
- Photosensitivity, e.g. fatigue from blue light toxicity
- Sound, e.g. hard work to filter out background noise
- Discomfort causes vigilance, e.g. clothing labels digging in, etc.
High Emotional Sensitivity
- Transitioning between two paradigms takes longer
- Takes longer to recover from change/life events/disturbances/emotions
- Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria can cause emotional exhaustion, e.g.:
- Fear of how others perceive you
- Anticipatory anxiety
- Perfectionism
- Broader emotional spectrum, more ups and downs throughout the day
- Correlated with trauma, triggerings are draining
Hyperactivity
- Periods of unrest eventually lead us to crash, often super hard
- Always fidgeting can create tension and pain in muscles and tissues
- Repetitive actions and habits can affect joints over time
…and I’ll stop there for now :)
My Top Tips to THRIVE with ADHD and High Sensitivity
I have a lot of tools and coping mechanisms that I’ve incorporated into my daily existence so that now I’m thriving in a way I never thought possible before my diagnosis. I’m going to share my top 15 of them with you now because I think everyone should know how to help themselves (even if they might not have capacity to at this moment in time).
These tools are all centred around the ultimate goal: to boost happy brain chemicals. One major element of ADHD is that we don’t produce enough of the brain chemicals that keep us focused, satisfied, motivated, etc. Mainly dopamine and serotonin. That’s why we exhibit dopamine-seeking behaviour, i.e. always chasing new and shiny experiences. This can lead to self-medication, addiction, and other habits that don’t serve our overall well-being.
But it’s possible to shape our daily routine so that we give ourselves the best possible leg-up to produce those brain chemicals naturally and therefore not require those seeking behaviours to find fulfilment. Because let’s face it, unhelpful behaviours are not sustainable solutions.
Here are 15 ways to achieve optimal brain-chemical balance every day:
1. Meditating
Regular mindfulness meditation is my absolute favourite strategy for improving presence, focus, patience, self-compassion, and quietening the mind. These are all super important skills for anyone to cultivate, especially ADHDers. The key is finding the type of mindfulness practise that works for you. If focusing on your breath doesn’t work, try focusing on something that is always changing, like a body scan, the different sounds you can hear around you, or the sensations of having a shower.
2. Exercising
It goes without saying that exercise helps reduce physical hyperactivity. But if I don’t do at least ten minutes of exercise each morning, my brain will also be discombobulated all day. Just ten minutes of movement and my brain is set up for success, all day long. Again, the key is finding the type of movement that you enjoy, so that you’re more likely to stick with it regularly.
3. Establishing a morning routine
Establishing a morning routine that works for me was one of the biggest game changers of my life. I learned that my brain might require a different approach from what I’d been led to believe was “the norm” and once I figured out a routine that worked for me, I honestly began to flourish.
4. Organising your space
Same goes for organising your space. A chaotic space feeds a chaotic mind. I found this YouTube channel Clutterbug super helpful for figuring out what type of organisation works best for me – so that I actually stick to it. She’s also an ADHDer, so she gets it :)
5. Spending ample time in nature and grounding into Earth
My high sensitivity means I require a LOT of time away from city energy, noise pollution, light pollution, etc. Living in a city is like a constant sensory assault. Being in nature is an escape. Absorbing Earth’s negative charge, and being present, is one of my favourite pathways to nervous system regulation.
6. Disconnecting from EMF and devices
Having my phone in airplane mode when it’s on my being and at night, switching my Wi-Fi router off at night, keeping my phone away from my bed and my laptop outside my room…making sure my phone isn’t always sitting there in my peripheral vision as a subconscious reminder to check it…these are all examples of tools for disconnection that I rely on daily.
7. Optimising your sleep space
I live in a wooden apartment building on a busy road, across the street from the Skytrain in Vancouver. It’s noisy, and there’s a street light right outside my window. And like many ADHDers, I’m a light sleeper. I splurged on custom-made earplugs and sound-proofing, black-out curtains and it really helped a lot.
8. Listening to binaural beats and brain entrainment tracks
I use the free app Insight Timer regularly. There are tons of recordings on there that entrain your brain to the frequency of your choice. For focus, you want your brain to be in low beta, so about 12–15Hz is usually good. Just search “focus” within music and you’ll hit gold.
9. Optimising food quality
Check out Uma Naidoo’s book, This is Your Brain on Food. Each chapter refers to a different brain condition and which foods exacerbate or help it. There’s obviously a chapter on ADHD. Food colourants and refined sugar are a no-go for me since reading this incredibly insightful piece.
10. Reducing or eliminating alcohol and weed intake
Oof, if you want to exacerbate your ADHD symptoms to their absolute maximum potential, then alcohol and weed are a fast track to cognitive dysfunction, and not just while under the influence, in the days surrounding too. Also, the recovery from both would take days or even more than a week for me. Not worth it at all.
11. Switching careers
Several months after my diagnosis I couldn’t ignore how inappropriate my research position was for me. The procrastination drove me to despair, daily. Constant spiralling, and getting nothing done for weeks on end. I quit. I took some time to figure out an alternative path. I chose a job that aligns with my values, allows flexible hours, and provides lots of dopamine throughout the day.
12. Omptimising the hours you work
Working part-time allows me the amount of time I require to be in nature to regulate my nervous system every day. That’s non-negotiable for me. If you can't afford to work part-time, you can request to work your hours at a time that's optimal for your brain and body...which isn't necessarily 9-5! it might be later, earlier, or even broken up into chunks. I told my employer about my ADHD so they accommodated my needs and allowed me to work the hours that felt best and most productive for me.
13. Microdosing
This is a great way to increase focus, productivity, and happy brain chemicals when done safely and with the correct guidance. I may never have finished my PhD thesis without this tool…who knows… It also helps you to tap into your creativity and overcome perfectionism, if that’s an issue for you.
14. Synchronising with your Circadian rhythms
I sky gaze to the east at sunrise, bask in the mid-morning sun, wear colour lenses to filter out toxic blue light, drink predominantly structured water, do 10 minutes of red light therapy every morning, cold plunge at least once a week, listen to affirmations every morning, and keep a positivity diary. This is all part of quantum living and it’s the absolute KEY to why I’m doing so well today.
15. Working with a professional who “gets it”
Does this all sound like impossible work? My coach Angela Prider helped me mostly with points 3, 4, and 7. My occupational therapist Kristen Gilbert helped me with points 5, 6, and 14. I addressed the more challenging emotional issues with Angela and other therapists, including Veronika Sztopa. The rest I figured out from advice over the years, intuition, and independent research. I didn’t get to where I am on my own.
If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you!
Reach out via email or social media if you have any questions or to let me know what your go-to coping mechanisms are. I always love to learn from others and add to my ever-growing toolbox!
If you need support, I’m also here for you. My coaching programs incorporate a lot of this sort of self-care and routine building, even if you don't have ADHD.
Take care xo
If you’re feeling drained but don’t feel like you have time to rest or sit through a 30-minute coaching session, consider starting smaller. Try my FREE guide that includes 15 energy-boosting hacks that only take up 5 minutes of your day, or less!